The most fragile relationships you have are those with first-time donors. They’ve shown enough interest in your cause to give once, but it’s up to you to convince them your organization is worth supporting long-term.
Many organizations think their job is done once they’ve acquired these supporters. But smart nonprofits know that retaining donors is more cost-effective than acquiring new ones and enables them to build thriving communities passionate about advancing their causes.
In this guide, we’ll discuss the importance of retaining first-time donors and explore strategies to strengthen your relationships with these new supporters.
Why First-Time Donor Retention Is Important
New donor retention plays a major role in your overall retention rate. Nonprofits often refer to the second donation a supporter makes as the “golden donation” because it turns the individual into a repeat contributor, signaling they will likely give again.
According Bloomerang’s analysis of Q3 2025 data, the average new donor retention rate was 14% year-to-date, while the average repeat donor retention rate 43.6% year-to-date:
The drastically lower new donor retention rate means that focusing your efforts here offers the greatest potential for fundraising success. As funding from other sources can be unpredictable, individual donations can stabilize your revenue.
The more you invest in first-time donors, the better you’ll be able to cultivate them into lasting supporters who regularly contribute to your cause—both monetarily and through other engagement opportunities like volunteering, peer-to-peer fundraising, and advocacy.
3 Tips to Improve First-Time Donor Retention
1. Survey new donors.
The more you learn about new donors, the better you’ll be able to engage and retain them. Sending new donors a survey makes them feel heard and shows you’re committed to building genuine relationships with them, whether they contributed $5 or $5,000 to your organization.
In this initial survey, ask them questions like:
- What inspired you to support our organization?
- What programs are you most interested in supporting in the future?
- What engagement opportunities are you most interested in?
- How did you find our nonprofit?
- How often would you like to hear from us moving forward?
Store the answers to these questions in your nonprofit CRM for easy reference. When you understand what new donors are looking to get out of their experience with your organization, you can tailor your communications accordingly. For example, if a new donor says they’re most interested in your animal rescue program, you may add them to a relevant segment in your CRM and send them updates on the program.
Additionally, knowing how new donors find your nonprofit helps you evaluate your marketing strategy. Identify which channels are most successful and which you may need to revamp to better engage prospects.
2. Automate an email welcome series.
To get new donors fully invested in your cause, you need to ensure they understand your organization and all the different ways they can participate. While your organization may send a quick welcome email, automating an entire email welcome series after donors give lets you establish multiple touchpoints without even thinking about it.
Here’s what this might look like in practice:
Email 1: Donation Receipt
You should automatically generate a donation receipt after all donors give, but consider customizing the one you send to new donors. Thank them for showing their support for the first time, consider adding a short video from your founder or executive director, and include links to your social media profiles so they can stay updated.
Email 2: Background on Your Organization
In your next email, give first-time donors some more information on how your organization came to be. Describe your nonprofit’s history, and throw in a fun fact or two about your mission. Highlight the different programs or offerings your organization provides to its community.
Email 3: Impact Story
Build new donors’ emotional connection to your cause with an impact story. Spotlight a beneficiary your organization has helped, and emphasize how donors’ contributions powered this positive outcome to show new donors the difference their support could make.
Email 4: Nonmonetary Engagement Ask
Show new donors that there are more ways to get involved in your organization beyond donating. For example, you may invite them to a volunteer opportunity or an upcoming canvassing event. That way, you can avoid sending another fundraising appeal too soon but still keep new donors engaged and excited about your nonprofit.
Analyze which emails have the highest open and engagement rates to determine which are most essential to your welcome email sequence and which you can potentially swap out for other email types.
3. Highlight impact.
Supporters love to know the impact that they’ve created through their giving. Show new donors how they affect your mission by:
- Sending a micro impact report. While you likely send an overarching annual report, try to break down each supporter’s individual impact with micro impact reports. Incorporate data on the specific programs they supported and how their contributions—both monetary and non-monetary—have helped make a difference for those in need.
- Incorporating units of impact into your content. Whenever you can, quantify the impact supporters can make on your nonprofit. For example, Bloomerang’s donation page guide encourages nonprofits to provide suggested donation amounts on their donation pages and attach them to their specific impacts to help “donors visualize how their donations actually make a difference.”
- Sharing impact on social media. Social media is a great place to show supporters (and prospective new donors) the impact that gifts have. Photos and videos of service recipients—whether they’re humans, animals, or the environment—will give followers a tangible sense of what gifts go towards.
When you craft your impact statements, use terms that highlight supporters’ actions, rather than your nonprofit’s. Try removing any first-person narrative language, avoiding “we,” “our,” “I,” and “my,” and replacing them with “you” and “your.”
For example, consider the following statements:
Our organization now has the resources to feed 25 additional families this Thanksgiving, thanks to your generous $100 gift.
Versus:
Your generous $100 donation has helped provide a full Thanksgiving dinner for an additional 25 people this year. On their behalf, thank you for your support.
The second statement shows the supporter the impact of their gift and how important they are to your mission. It highlights the supporter’s actions and shows appreciation for their involvement.
Remember, one of the greatest opportunities your organization has to boost fundraising is by increasing your first-time donor retention rate. By making a strong first impression on your donors, you can retain them as part of your community and fuel your efforts to make a positive difference for years to come.
