When we talk about boosting fundraising performance, donation forms and year-end campaigns matter a lot, but they’re not everything. If you want a donor base that’s engaged and growing, you need to look at the full donor journey—from the first moment of awareness all the way through long-term retention.
That journey doesn’t happen by accident. It's shaped by every interaction a potential donor has with your organization, and each stage needs attention if you want to turn passive followers into loyal supporters.
Here’s a look at the five key stages of the donor journey, with actionable tips and industry benchmarks to help you assess and improve your efforts at each stage.
If someone hears about your mission and Googles your name, can they find you? Does your website pop up at the top of search results? Are you showing up where prospective donors already spend time?
Top-performing nonprofits are prioritizing visibility across organic and paid channels.
📌 Tip: Start by identifying where your ideal donors hang out online—whether it's Instagram, LinkedIn, playing New York Times games, watching certain YouTube channels, and/or listening to niche podcasts. Then, research advertising and partnership opportunities to show up there consistently.
It’s not enough to drive traffic. You need to spark curiosity and start a relationship! Video is your best friend here:
Also worth noting: Welcome emails still work. The average open rate is around 50%, compared to 25-30% for a typical email, so use that first message to encourage a direct reply and start a conversation. You might even include a video in this email introducing yourself.
📌 Tip: If your email/SMS sign-up form is buried at the bottom of your site—or missing entirely from your social media profiles—fix that now! The link or form to sign up for updates should be visible on every page and account you own. “Join us” and “Sign up for updates” aren’t strong enough CTAs! People will only share their info if you’re clear about what they’ll receive and how often. Here’s a nice example from a former client, The Prairie Enthusiasts:
By this point, someone is familiar with your organization. But are you giving them enough reasons to give?
Consider:
📌 Tip: Influencers singing your praises is a lot more persuasive than you doing it yourself. Leverage AI to pull a list of highly relevant “micro-influencers”—people with between 1,000 - 10,000 social media followers who post daily, get a lot of engagement, and have a personal connection to your cause. DM them a video or audio message to see if they would be open to chatting about becoming an ambassador for your nonprofit!
This stage is make-or-break. According to NextAfter and M+R, donation form conversion rates range anywhere from 8–20%, and even a few seconds of page load delay can drop revenue by a whopping 270%. (iDonate)
Other key stats:
📌 Tip: Ask 2–3 people outside your org to donate on your site and time the process. If it takes more than 2 minutes or they get stuck on anything, it's time for a refresh.
And the words matter just as much as the tech! If you need help improving your value proposition and other essential donation page copy, here’s how ChatGPT can be your fundraising copywriting sidekick.
Retention is where ROI really compounds. The average one-time donor sticks around for 1.68 years, but monthly donors? 7.71 years. (Neon One)
📌 Tip: Don’t let your thank-you email be the end of the road! Build in multimedia touchpoints—videos, texts, behind-the-scenes updates—that reinforce their impact without always asking for more.
It’s important to step out of the day-to-day, identify the gaps in your existing donor journey, and the improvements that will have the biggest payoff.
👉 Download my free Donor Journey Scorecard to complete a self-assessment, then use the reflection questions at the end to start building an improvement plan. I hope this free tool helps you identify some low-hanging fruit to attract and steward new donors!