This guide will help you find and create ideas to re-engage lapsed recurring donors in GivingFuel.
Overview of the Process
Step 1: Export your recurring donor data from GivingFuel
A Recurring Donation Report pulls data on all of your recurring donations. This report lists information about each of the recurring donations that are on your GivingFuel account, along with their recurring intervals and amounts.
From the Pages tab, hover your mouse over the Reports tab in the top menu bar
Select Exporter from the dropdown
Select the Recurring Donations report
Search for your page name and select the page, or simply select it if you see it
Select the field(s) you would like to export and press the right arrow to move them to the box on the right to be exported. To move fields out of the export, select the left arrow button
To move fields to a new column on the report, select the field you want to move, and select the Up or Down arrows respectively
Pro Tip: To select multiple pages or fields at once, hold down the command or control button on your keyboard while making your selections. To select all pages or fields, hold the command or control button and the A button on your keyboard.
Select the Active and Inactive Statuses
Select a date range if desired. If these fields are blank, the report will pull all donations from the moment your page went live
Select the File Type and File Name
When ready, click Download
Step 2: Analyze your donor data to identify opportunities
The EASIEST way to analyze this data and find opportunities is to use an AI tool leveraging a "Large Language Model" like ChatGPT. Before you do, however, be sure and check the policies for how the tool handles the data you share with it.
Copy the example prompt below into ChatGPT / Claude / another similar tool and attach the CSV file you download from GivingFuel to get insights about your lapsed donors and ideas for ways to re-engage them.
Please analyze my recurring donor data to help create targeted re-engagement emails. Focus on:
1. Lapsed Donor Overview
- Which programs have lapsed donors?
- What were their typical gift amounts?
- How long did they give before lapsing?
- What patterns do you see in when they lapse?
2. Mass Email Campaign Strategy
For my largest group of similar lapsed donors:
- What program(s) were they supporting?
- What was their typical gift amount?
- How recently did they lapse?
- What messaging themes might resonate based on their giving pattern?
3. Personal Outreach Opportunities
Identify specific donors who might need personal emails due to:
- High previous giving amounts (over $200/month)
- Supporting multiple programs
- Recently lapsed (last 30 days)
- Other unique patterns
Here's my recurring donor data:
[ATTACH YOUR CSV FILE HERE]
Example output from this prompt when using data from a fake test account
1. Lapsed Donor Overview
Key Patterns:
- 40 total lapsed recurring donors
- Primary affected programs: Child Sponsorship (20 donors) and Vision Fund (20 donors)
- Largest lapsed gift: $427.45 (Michael Scott)
- Most lapse within first 3 months of giving
2. Mass Email Campaign Strategy
Focus Segment: Child Sponsorship Lapsed Donors
- 2 recently lapsed donors
- Standard gift amount: $45-46.35 monthly
- Both lapsed within 3 months
- Both were first-time recurring donors
Recommended Email Themes:
a) Direct Impact ($45 provides...)
- Monthly education costs
- Nutritional support
- Healthcare access
b) Community Connection
- Stories from current sponsors
- Updates from sponsored children
- Monthly donor community
c) Year-End Urgency
- December matching opportunity
- Tax deduction deadline
- Child's hopes for 2025
3. Personal Outreach Opportunities
High Priority Personal Contacts:
a) Julie H.
- Largest lapsed gift ($427.45)
- Worthy of Care program
- 3 months of giving
- Personal call recommended
b) Douglas F.
- Interesting pattern: Moved from Child Sponsorship ($46.35) to Vision Fund ($51.50)
- Currently active in new program
- Opportunity to discuss dual program support
c) John P.
- Recent Vision Fund lapse ($15.45)
- Quick follow-up potential
- Focus on smaller gift flexibility
Email Strategy Recommendations:
1. Mass Email Campaign (Child Sponsorship Segment)
- Send 3 emails over 10 days
- Focus on program impact
- Highlight year-end giving benefits
2. Personal Outreach (High-Value/Complex Donors)
- Send from staff email
- Reference specific giving history
- Offer program updates
- Suggest personal conversation
Track Results:
- Use GivingFuel campaign links
- Monitor response by segment
- Test different email themes
- Document successful approaches
Step 3: Consider using a "Drip Campaign" to re-engage lapsed donors
This is a simple yet powerful tool you can use to drive additional donations and it's available for free until Dec 31, 2024 within your GivingFuel account.
Basics:
Create and schedule up to 10 emails to send over the span of several days, weeks or months to previous donors.
As your emails go out you can see clicks, total donations and revenue in near real-time.
You can drive donations using this secret weapon available to you right inside GivingFuel.