Lapsed or Dormant? Leveraging Statistical Analysis in Fundraising

Taken together, these two papers offer a powerful “one-two punch” for data-driven nonprofits that are interested in moving beyond casual “rules of thumb” to address key questions about future donation patterns and the best ways to enhance them using standard solicitation strategies. These methods have proven useful in other industries that also focus on the collection and analysis of detailed customer-level records (e.g., pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, financial services), and the carryover to nonprofits is surprisingly smooth and robust.