Lapsed

What are Lapsed Donors & Lapsed Donations?

Lapsed donors are donors from last year who did not give again this year to your organization. Lapsed donations are donations from last year that were not renewed this year to your organization. Your Lapsed dashboard shows you the number of ($) donations or (#) donors that have lapsed in each year. Lapsed is also commonly referred to as attrition, or lost donors or donations.

How are Lapsed Donors & Lapsed Donations calculated?

Fundraising Report Card finds all donors who made a gift in a 12 month period and looks to see if those donors contributed again in the following year.

For example, a donor who made a contribution to your organization in 2015 and did not make another donation in 2016 would appear in the 2016 section of your lapsed donor dashboard.

What if a donor upgrades or downgrades?

A donor only lapses if they made a contribution last year and did not give again this year. If a donor upgrades or downgrades from one giving segment to another segment they will not be considered a lapsed donor — they gave again in this year.

How can I use Lapsed Donors & Lapsed Donations?

• Monitor retention strategy
• Set realistic targets for reducing lapsed donors and donations
• Identify successful retention campaigns across specific segments
• Pinpoint where exactly your “leaky bucket” is