By Janis Weiss, Senior Manager of Content Strategy at Bloomerang — a top-rated nonprofit fundraising and donor management software that offers a CRM and a full suite of fundraising, marketing, volunteer and member management tools.

Donor retention can feel like a never-ending cycle. Your team spends hours bringing new supporters through the door, only to watch too many quietly leave after their first gift. If that sounds familiar, you’re in good company. But some nonprofits have cracked the code—not by chasing endless new donors, but by inspiring loyalty in those they’ve already reached. Here are three surprisingly simple strategies they’re using right now.

Measuring the effectiveness of your efforts against broader nonprofit sector benchmarks can further refine your donor retention strategy, helping ensure your approach remains effective and informed.

1) Prioritize effortless giving—your donors already do

(Surprising because nonprofits underestimate the role of convenience in donor retention.)

Think about your daily habits. You order coffee ahead through a mobile app, check out quickly online, and tap your phone for nearly everything. These actions feel intuitive. They save you time. But somehow, nonprofit giving still often feels more complicated than it should be. Why make donors dig out their credit cards or navigate multiple screens when simple solutions already exist?

Would you abandon your online shopping cart if checkout took too long? Probably. Your donors feel the same way about giving. Remarkably, fewer than 3% of fundraisers prioritize seamless payment methods like PayPal, Venmo, or Apple Pay—even though nearly a quarter of donors prefer exactly these options. Convenience isn’t just nice; it’s critical.

Fundraising consultant and donor experience expert Rachel Muir says convenience can be the difference between a donor giving once or coming back repeatedly. According to Rachel, “Every step you remove from the donation process increases the likelihood a donor will complete the gift.” It’s a subtle but powerful insight: reducing effort is the surest way to boost giving. Philanthropic psychologist Jen Shang explains this through the lens of identity congruence—the easier the giving experience, the more donors feel it aligns with their daily identities as seamless digital consumers.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis demonstrated this perfectly: simply offering Tap to Pay at their holiday event boosted revenue by 80%. They didn’t need fancy campaigns, just easy payments.

Donors give more when the process feels easy and intuitive. Offering modern options like digital wallets and promoting matching gifts can remove barriers and encourage generosity. Beyond digital wallets and mobile pay, offering monthly giving options at checkout can further simplify the process. In addition to creating new streams of ongoing, predictable support, nonprofits who make monthly giving easy typically see higher long-term donor retention.

Bottom line: Your donors live in a frictionless world. If giving feels complicated, they may reconsider. Simplify your donor retention strategies to match today’s expectations for seamless transactions.

Ready to transform your approach to donor retention? Get our free guide, Mission Retainable: Exploring What Really Drives Donor Loyalty, to discover even more practical, actionable insights.

2) Ask your donors what they really want

(Surprising because very few nonprofits regularly survey their donors.)

Imagine buying a gift for someone special without knowing what they like. It rarely turns out well. But that’s how many nonprofits approach donor interactions. This guessing game is costly, as donor dissatisfaction quietly leads to disengagement. In fact, only 14% regularly survey their supporters.

According to the Fundraising Effectiveness Project, nonprofits lose about half of their donors each year—often because supporters don’t feel genuinely valued or heard. Asking donors for feedback isn’t just a survey—it’s recognition. It tells donors their voices matter and directly shapes your future relationship.

Try sending a quick survey right after a donation or adding a simple poll to your next email. It sounds small, but it can tell you exactly why your supporters care. Pay attention to what they’re telling you, and let it guide your strategy. When donors notice you’re truly listening, they’ll feel more connected to your mission.

When Landmark Trust USA began surveying donors regularly, they uncovered insights that reshaped their approach. Instead of guessing, they listened—and donors responded. Their donor database grew by 50%, and they hit 75% of their major fundraising target earlier than expected. Just by asking.

Don’t rely solely on formal annual surveys. Short, frequent polls or quick one-question surveys after a gift can tell you a lot about your donors. Even a simple open-ended question like “What inspired your gift today?” can uncover surprising insights. Use their answers to fine-tune your messaging, events, and communications. You’ll end up feeling more connected to your donors—and they’ll feel more connected to you.

Bottom line: Listening is your secret superpower. By regularly asking for—and acting on—donor feedback, you’ll build the kind of relationships donors value.

3) Re-engage donors authentically (they’re not lost yet!)

(Surprising because nonprofits often prioritize acquiring new donors over reconnecting with former ones.)

Everyone has a friend they haven’t talked to in ages, but think about often. Your nonprofit has these ‘friends’ too—supporters who once cared deeply but have fallen quiet. They’re not indifferent; they’re simply waiting to be remembered.

You can significantly boost donor reactivation rates using personalized outreach. Yet most nonprofits spend disproportionately on new donor acquisition, ignoring those who’ve already demonstrated interest. This is a major missed opportunity, especially when re-engaging with previous supporters can cost up to five times less than attracting new donors.

Fundraising expert Claire Axelrad has written, “Long-lapsed givers aren’t lapsed—they’re former donors.” Yet many nonprofits consistently overlook past supporters, focusing almost exclusively on new acquisitions. Think about the donors who used to support your mission but haven’t engaged recently. These former supporters may just need a genuine, thoughtful message reminding them why they connected with you in the first place.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis recognized this hidden opportunity and acted on it. Using CRM insights to craft personalized outreach, they successfully re-engaged 60% of their major lapsed donors. Former donors aren’t lost; most of the time, they’re just waiting for the right moment and the right message to return. Approaching past donors authentically—with genuine appreciation and personalized messaging—can unlock tremendous donor re-engagement potential.

Small gestures of appreciation or thoughtful, personalized messages can remind former donors why they cared in the first place.

Bottom line: Former donors aren’t gone—they just need a good reason to reconnect. Tap into your CRM’s insights into donor generosity to reconnect in authentic and timely ways.

Real relationships drive donor retention

Keeping donors isn’t tricky—it comes down to building real connections. Think about friendships: You appreciate when friends make things easy, listen openly, and genuinely care. Your donors aren’t different. Successful nonprofits today aren’t flashy—they simply make the effort to understand, value, and connect authentically with their supporters.

These strategies aren’t complicated. Make giving simple. Listen carefully, ask thoughtful questions, and respond honestly. Stay connected even when it seems like donors are drifting away. Get this right, and your donors won’t just stick around—they’ll tell the world why your mission matters.

Ready to transform your approach to donor retention?

Get our free guide, Mission Retainable: Exploring What Really Drives Donor Loyalty, to discover even more practical, actionable insights.