When nonprofit teams think about growing their fundraising revenue, the conversation often begins with acquisition: what can we do to attract and engage new donors?

While acquiring new donors is essential, you shouldn’t forget about the supporters who’ve lost touch and may simply need a meaningful invitation to reconnect. Lapsed donors already know your organization, feel connected to the work you do, and have demonstrated their willingness to give in the past. Prioritizing those existing relationships can support a more stable and sustainable fundraising program.

DonorPerfect is all-in-one fundraising software designed to help nonprofits manage donor data, personalize outreach, and build stronger supporter relationships. Trusted by development teams for over 40 years, it brings together the insights and automation tools fundraisers need to spot engagement opportunities and make informed decisions.

Below, DonorPerfect fundraising experts share some quick tips for discovering and re-engaging lapsed donors in your fundraising CRM.

1. Define “lapsed”

Before building a re-engagement strategy, determine what “lapsed” means for your organization.

A donor who typically gives once a year shouldn’t be evaluated on the same timeline as a monthly donor. You might also distinguish between someone who gave last year but not this year—a “LYBUNT”—and someone who gave in a previous year but not the current one—a “SYBUNT.” Within those groups, giving frequency and relationship history can help you prioritize further.

These donors have different relationships with your organization, and the outreach they receive should reflect those differences.

2. Let donor data guide your outreach

A connected donor management system like DonorPerfect can help your team see the full picture of each relationship, beyond simply the date of a donor’s last gift.

Review factors such as:

• Giving recency, frequency, and amount
• Recurring donation history
• Event attendance or volunteer activity
• Communication and outreach history
• Campaigns or programs previously supported

These details help you segment lapsed donors and focus personal attention where it’s most likely to make a difference. They can also surface supporters whose engagement is beginning to decline before they lapse completely. Warning signs might include a canceled monthly gift, missed annual contribution, or declining email engagement.

3. Reconnect before you ask

Re-engaging a lapsed donor is about rebuilding a relationship. If you jump straight to the next solicitation, you risk missing the reason they lapsed in the first place—or even losing their trust.

In your outreach, begin by recognizing the donor’s previous involvement. Share a meaningful update about the work they helped make possible. Invite them to an event, send a personal note, or have a staff or board member make a phone call. You might even share a survey or request for feedback; this shows donors their voices matter and helps improve areas of the donor experience that may be causing supporters to disengage.

Your CRM can help staff prepare for those conversations by providing the context needed to personalize outreach. It can also support a more consistent stewardship process: automated alerts, reminders, and task assignments help your team follow through without letting important touchpoints slip through the cracks.

4. Build re-engagement into your workflow

Lapsed-donor outreach works best as a routine part of your workflow rather than a once-a-year campaign.

With your team, establish a cadence for reviewing retention and engagement trends. Track which donor segments respond, which messages encourage renewed participation, and which outreach channels produce meaningful conversations. Then, use those insights to strengthen future stewardship—before more donors disengage.

Re-engaging lapsed donors is just one way to build stronger donor retention. Download DonorPerfect’s free guide, How to Build a More Sustainable Fundraising Strategy, for even more practical ways to improve donor retention, protect nonprofit revenue, and strengthen your fundraising operations.