Dealing With the Dreaded 'A' Word

So what’s a concerned fundraiser to do?

First, find out what your attrition rate is — and what it’s been. You may have a built-in report in your donor base, or you can calculate it by looking at the three kinds of donors you have each year — first-time, repeat from the prior year and reactivated from a lapsed status. (Send me an e-mail if you don’t have a tool and need help calculating your attrition rate.) Calculate it for at least the last three full calendar years. Is it going up, down or staying level?