Why most first-time donors never give again (and the window that changes it)

If you only fix one thing in your fundraising this year, make it the second gift.

Dr. Adrian Sargeant, one of the most respected researchers in fundraising, makes the point plainly in the talk below: more than 70% of newly recruited donors never give again. That means most of the money and effort spent finding new supporters disappears within a year.

Why does this happen? Usually not because the donor stopped caring. More often, the first gift was answered with a receipt and then silence, or with another appeal before the donor heard what their gift did. The relationship never got started.

The fix is not complicated, but it has to be deliberate. In the weeks after a first gift, a new donor should hear three things from you: thank you, here's what your gift did, and here's how you can stay involved. Only then does a second ask feel natural.

The challenge for small teams is knowing who those first-time donors are and when they are due. That's why HookPilot reports how many donors gave for the first time, how many came back, and which first-time givers are worth a personal follow-up now.

The second gift is where a donor becomes a supporter.

This week, pull a list of everyone who gave for the first time in the last six months. Have they heard from you about impact yet, not just about money?