Free Tools / Donor Retention Calculator
Donor Retention Calculator
Find your retention rate, see how you stack up against the sector, and explore what keeping a few more donors is worth over five years. Free, private, and no sign-up.
You are 3.0 points below the roughly 45% the average nonprofit keeps. That gap is the clearest, cheapest place to grow, because keeping a donor costs far less than winning a new one.
What is a higher retention rate worth?
Drag to set a target retention rate and see how many donors you would keep and what that is worth.
Illustrative: the five-year figure assumes the higher retention rate holds and the average gift stays flat. Real numbers vary, but the direction rarely does.
Everything runs in your browser. We never see, send, or store your numbers.
Stop guessing who is about to lapse
DatoVero's Donors module flags lapsing supporters with LYBUNT and SYBUNT reports and RFM scoring, so you act before a donor is gone for good.
Questions
How do you calculate donor retention rate?
Donor retention rate is the number of last-year donors who gave again this year, divided by the total number of donors last year, times 100. If 90 of last year's 200 donors gave again, your retention rate is 45 percent.
What is a good donor retention rate?
The average nonprofit keeps roughly 45 percent of its donors year over year. First-year donor retention is often closer to 20 to 25 percent, while long-term donor retention can exceed 60 percent. Anything above the 45 percent sector average is a healthy sign.
Why does donor retention matter so much?
Keeping a donor costs far less than acquiring a new one, and retained donors tend to give more over time. A small lift in retention compounds into significant revenue because you stop paying to replace the supporters you already had.
Is my data private?
Yes. This calculator runs entirely in your browser. Your numbers are never sent to a server, stored, or seen by anyone.