New! Why 81% of New Donors Don't Give Again—and What to Do About It

If You Register and Cannot Attend, You Will Get the Webinar Recording,& Slides

🚀 FREE for attendees: Our new Thank-You Letter Coach App — instant help writing better thank-you letters. Beta access, feedback required.

“According to the Fundraising Effectiveness Project (a joint initiative of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Urban Institute), first-time donor retention has hovered around 19% in recent years — meaning roughly 81% of new donors don't give again the following year.”donors don't give again the following year.”

Getting a new donor is hard.

Getting that donor to give a second time is even harder.

According to recent fundraising data, 81% of new donors don't make a second gift the following year. That means many nonprofits are spending time, money, and energy acquiring donors who may never hear from the organization in a meaningful way again.

For a small nonprofit, this is not just a fundraising problem. It is a missed opportunity.

The good news is that improving donor retention does not require an expensive CRM, a large development department, or a complicated automation system. It requires a clear, authentic follow-up process that helps a donor feel appreciated, understand the impact of their gift, and see why staying involved matters.

In this practical webinar, you will learn how to create a simple donor follow-up system your nonprofit can actually manage—with the staff, time, and tools you already have. You will leave with specific steps for what to send, when to send it, what to say, and how to make the experience feel personal without creating an unrealistic amount of work.

🎯 During This Nonprofit Webinar, You Will Learn:

• Identify the critical moments after a first donation when your communication can have the greatest impact
• Create a realistic 30-, 60-, and 90-day follow-up plan for new donors
• Write a thank-you message that sounds human, specific, and genuinely appreciative
• Show donors what their gift helped make possible without overwhelming them with statistics
• Decide when to thank, update, engage, and ask again
• Make new donors feel known and valued even when you have limited staff capacity
• Segment first-time donors using simple information you likely already collect
• Recognize which donors may be ready for a second gift, monthly giving, volunteering, or deeper involvement
• Avoid common follow-up mistakes that make donor communication feel automated, generic, or transactional
• Measure whether your new-donor process is actually improving

🧩 A Practical System for Small Nonprofits

This webinar is designed for organizations that do not have a large fundraising team. You will learn how to build a system that can work whether donor follow-up is handled by:

• One development professional
• An executive director
• A communications employee
• A volunteer
• A small team sharing several responsibilities

The focus will not be on expensive technology or complicated donor journeys. Instead, you will learn how to create a manageable process using tools such as your existing email platform, CRM, spreadsheet, calendar, templates, and personal outreach.

✅ What You Will Be Able to Do After the Webinar

You will be able to map out a straightforward first-time donor experience that may include:

• An immediate and meaningful acknowledgment
• A personal thank-you based on the donor or gift
• A short impact update
• An invitation to learn more or become involved
• A thoughtful second ask at the appropriate time

You will also learn how to adjust this process depending on the donor, the size of the gift, the reason they gave, and your nonprofit's capacity.

The goal is not to contact every donor constantly. The goal is to communicate deliberately, authentically, and consistently.

⏰ Why This Matters Now

Nonprofits are raising more money from fewer donors. At the same time, smaller donors are becoming harder to acquire and new-donor retention remains extremely low. That creates a serious long-term risk.

A nonprofit may appear to be raising more money while its donor base is becoming smaller, less diverse, and increasingly dependent on a limited number of supporters.

Improving the experience of first-time donors can help your organization:

• Build a stronger and more stable donor base
• Increase the likelihood of a second gift
• Create future monthly and major donors
• Reduce reliance on constant donor acquisition
• Strengthen trust and long-term engagement

🙋 This Webinar Is for You If:

• You receive first-time gifts but do not have a consistent follow-up plan
• Your donors receive a receipt or thank-you email and little else
• You are unsure when to ask a new donor to give again
• Your communication feels too generic or automated
• You want to improve retention without adding another major project
• You need a system your small team can realistically maintain
• You want donors to feel like people—not transactions

🚫 You Do Not Need:

• A large development department
• Expensive fundraising software
• Sophisticated marketing automation
• A full-time donor-relations employee
• Hours of additional work every week

You need a clear plan, useful templates, and a process your organization can repeat.

🛑 Stop Letting the First Gift Become the Last Gift

A first donation is not the end of a fundraising transaction. It is the beginning of a potential relationship.

You’ll Get These BONUS Materials:

• You get a free CharityHowTo account
• Your slides will be added to your free CharityHowTo library
• The webinar recording will be added to your CharityHowTo library.
• When logged in, you can browse and add other FREE items to your CharityHowTo library.
• You can access and view your webinar recordings and slides anytime, anywhere.

About Your Topic Expert:

Angela Barnes is a Managing Director with Carter, an international philanthropic giving consultancy, working with human services, arts and culture, and higher education partners in the areas of annual giving, major gifts, and campaign planning. Angela has taught clients how to build successful relationships with individual donors, high-net-worth funders, foundations, and corporations while helping prospects and donors evolve from charitable giving to philanthropic investment.

As an AFP Certified Facilitator, Ang employs adult learning principles to create dynamic, participatory experiences. Her presentations provide blueprints for implementing fundraising-proven methods with innovative techniques including games, exercises, and case studies. By the end, they leave with practical blueprints and tools for immediate implementation back at their organizations.

Angela is a thought leader in donor cultivation and engagement, she has presented at conferences such as CULTIVATE in San Diego, AFP ICON, and the Nonprofit Show. She sits on the board of the Association of Fundraising Professionals of Northeastern Ohio, the board of advisors for her alma mater, Ursuline College’s Alumni Board. he has volunteered for the American Diabetes Association, Gay Games, Minority Figure Skating Association, and United Way.

Angela has an MBA from Ursuline College, attained her CFRE in 2022, and received her Association of Fundraising Professionals’s Certified Facilitator certificate in 2024.

For more upcoming live webinars to aid your nonprofit professional development, please check here.  

If You Register and Cannot Attend, You Will Get the Webinar Recording,& Slides