SayPro track donor retention rate

To track donor retention rate and determine if donors from January are new or recurring, you can use SayPro’s analytics and donor segmentation tools. This will help you better understand your donor base, improve retention efforts, and strategize for future fundraising campaigns.

Here’s how to track which donors from January have donated in the past and whether they are new or recurring:

Step-by-Step Guide: Track Donor Retention Rate in SayPro

1. Review Donor Data for January Donations

• Filter January Donors: Start by filtering your data to focus on donations made in January 2025. This will give you a list of donors who contributed in that month.
• Donation Source: Ensure you’re including donations made through all channels (e.g., online platforms, events, direct mail).

2. Identify New Donors vs. Recurring Donors

• New Donors: A new donor is someone who made their first donation in January 2025.
  • In SayPro, filter or create a report to exclude donors who have donated in previous months or years, and only include those who have made their first donation in January.
• Recurring Donors: A recurring donor is someone who has donated in the past and made another donation in January.
  • Create a filter or segment in SayPro that identifies donors who contributed in both January 2025 and at least one previous month. SayPro can track donors by donation history, so those who have donated before will be marked as recurring.

3. Analyze Donor History and Behavior

• Donation History: Look at the donation history for each donor in January. SayPro’s analytics features allow you to view the total donations by each donor across all time periods.
  • New Donors: These are donors who have no previous donation history recorded in SayPro prior to January 2025.
  • Recurring Donors: These are donors who have contributed before and have shown continued interest by donating again in January.

4. Calculate Donor Retention Rate

• Retention Rate Formula:
  • The retention rate formula is: Retention Rate=Number of Recurring Donors in JanuaryTotal Number of Donors in Previous Periods×100\text{{Retention Rate}} = \frac{{\text{{Number of Recurring Donors in January}}}}{{\text{{Total Number of Donors in Previous Periods}}}} \times 100Retention Rate=Total Number of Donors in Previous PeriodsNumber of Recurring Donors in January​×100
  • For example, to calculate the retention rate for January 2025:
    • Identify how many recurring donors from previous months (e.g., December 2024) made donations in January.
    • Divide that number by the total number of donors who donated in December 2024 (or a prior period you want to compare).
    • Multiply by 100 to get the percentage retention rate.
• Retention Rate Example:
  • If 50 recurring donors donated in January from a pool of 100 donors who donated in December 2024, your retention rate for January would be: 50100×100=50%\frac{{50}}{{100}} \times 100 = 50\%10050​×100=50%

5. Utilize SayPro’s Analytics and Reports

• Run Donor Retention Reports: Use SayPro’s donor analytics tools to run retention reports. This can automatically categorize donors into new and recurring categories and give you the exact retention percentage.
• Create Segments: Use SayPro’s segmentation features to group your donors based on their donation frequency and status (e.g., new, recurring, or lapsed). This helps you track how many of your donors are coming back and how many are first-time contributors.

6. Review Engagement and Donation Patterns

• Engagement Insights: Use SayPro’s engagement tracking tools to analyze how engaged your recurring donors are compared to new donors. Are your recurring donors donating larger amounts or more frequently?
• Donation Patterns: Check for any patterns in donation behavior—do recurring donors donate larger amounts than new donors? Are there specific campaigns that appeal more to returning donors than first-time givers?

7. Take Action Based on Donor Insights

• Improve Retention Efforts: If the retention rate is lower than desired, consider ways to engage recurring donors further. For example:
  • Send personalized thank-you notes.
  • Implement a loyalty program or donor recognition strategy.
  • Provide exclusive updates or reports to recurring donors on how their funds are being used.
• Retarget New Donors: For new donors, consider creating follow-up campaigns that encourage them to give again. This could include:
  • A welcome email series.
  • Incentives for first-time donors to return.
  • Regular updates on your nonprofit’s impact and upcoming initiatives.

8. Visualize Retention Data in Dashboards

• Dashboards: Create a donor retention dashboard in SayPro that shows both new and recurring donor statistics, along with donation amounts and trends. This will help you quickly visualize retention over time and see if your efforts to engage recurring donors are successful.
• Donor Segmentation Graphs: Use pie charts or bar graphs to compare new donors versus recurring donors in terms of donation amount, frequency, or campaign success.

9. Document Findings and Share with Stakeholders

• Report Summary: Once you have your retention data, document your findings in a report summarizing the new vs. recurring donor analysis.
• Share with Fundraising Team: Send the report to the fundraising team to inform strategies for engaging recurring donors and attracting new ones.
• Adjust Strategy: Use the insights to make informed decisions about future fundraising campaigns. For example, if new donors are not converting into recurring donors, develop targeted re-engagement strategies.

Conclusion

Tracking your donor retention rate and distinguishing between new and recurring donors is a powerful way to understand donor loyalty and improve future fundraising strategies. By leveraging SayPro’s analytics and reporting tools, you can gain a clear picture of your donor base, identify trends in giving, and take targeted actions to improve retention and engagement.