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Run the Donor Engagement Report

Goal: See not just how much was raised, but who's giving and how engaged they are — top donors, retention, lapsed, new — so the next move is informed by the full donor picture.

What the report covers​

The donor engagement report surfaces:

  • New donors acquired in the period (their first donation date falls inside the window)
  • Returning donors (gave previously, gave in the period)
  • Lapsed donors (gave previously, last gift before the window)
  • Retention rate (returning ÷ all who had given previously)
  • Donor segments by giving level — Bronze ($0–$999), Silver ($1,000–$4,999), Gold ($5,000–$9,999), Platinum ($10,000–$24,999). Each segment shows donor count, total giving, and percent of total.

Filter the report by donor type (Individual, Corporate, Foundation, Government).

Several breakdowns documented historically — average gift size by segment, capacity-rated breakdowns, crossover (donor + volunteer) totals, and an "average gift increase" YoY metric — are not in the dedicated Donor Engagement Report today. Where they're computable from raw data, the workarounds are below; capacity and crossover analysis lives on the donor list view, not in this report.

Common reporting jobs​

  • Retention rate analysis — are we keeping the donors we earn?
  • New-donor acquisition trend — are we growing the base?
  • Major-gift pipeline — capacity-rated High and Major donors who haven't given recently
  • Top donors recognition — for honor rolls, thank-you events, board updates
  • Lapsed donor outreach — donors who gave previously, didn't this period

Running the report​

From the Reports section, choose Donor Engagement Report. Set the period and any filters, run.

Defaults:

  • Period — current calendar year vs. prior calendar year
  • Filter — all active donors

Adjust as needed.

Reading retention​

Healthy retention rates for affiliates with established donor bases:

  • First-year retention (kept donors who first gave last year) — typically 25–35% industry-wide; aim higher
  • Multi-year retention (kept donors who gave 2+ years ago) — typically 60–70%; well-stewarded programs reach 80%+

If your first-year retention is below 20%, the issue is acquisition quality (acquiring people who never had the intent to be repeat donors) or onboarding (no welcome / first-touch sequence). Both are addressable.

Lapsed donor outreach​

Donors who gave 12–36 months ago and haven't given in the period are your highest-leverage outreach pool. They're warmer than cold prospects, less expensive than acquiring new donors. Strategy:

  • Pull the lapsed list filtered by capacity rating (Medium or higher first)
  • Personalize an outreach — "we missed you" rather than generic appeal
  • Focus on the donors who gave most recently among the lapsed (12 months ago is warmer than 36 months)
  • Track which respond and update the engagement record

Crossover donors​

A "crossover" donor is one who both donates and volunteers. Crossover analysis isn't surfaced in the Donor Engagement Report — to find crossovers, go to the Donors list and filter to Crossover donors only. The list combines person, donor-role, and volunteer-role data so you can act on the segment directly (export it for outreach, sort by lifetime giving, etc.).

Crossover donors typically:

  • Give more on average than donors who don't volunteer
  • Stay engaged longer
  • Are more likely to recruit others

Treat them as a distinct segment in your stewardship — a "you give your time and money both" message lands differently than a generic appeal.

Top donor lists​

Top-donor recognition lists also live on the Donors list rather than this report. Sort by Lifetime Giving descending and filter by giving level (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Legacy) to produce:

  • Top 10 donors — for board recognition, event reserved seating
  • Top 25 donors — for honor roll publication (respecting acknowledgment preferences)
  • Top 100 donors — for annual giving society, special communications

Cross-reference with Capacity Rating (Low / Medium / High / Major) on the donor list — donors at High or Major capacity who give below their level are major-gift opportunities; donors at Major capacity already giving large gifts are stewardship priorities.

Lapsed-donor pull​

Lapsed-donor outreach lists are best built directly from the Donors list, filtered by Last Donation outside the window you care about (12–36 months is the canonical "lapsed-but-warm" range). Combine with capacity rating to prioritize:

  • Lapsed + Medium-or-higher capacity — re-engagement priority
  • Lapsed + Major capacity — major-gift officer call list
  • Lapsed under 12 months — warmer; lapsed over 36 months — cold

Exporting​

The dedicated Donor Engagement Report is a snapshot view. For outreach exports (lapsed lists, top-100 with acknowledgment preference, etc.), export from the Donors list — it has the contact-detail columns you need for direct outreach. For arbitrary cuts not on the list view, build a custom report in the Visual Report Builder.

Limitations​

  • Engagement is calculated from donation records — sponsorships, pledge payments, and in-kind donations roll up where they generate a Donation record (most cases).
  • Volunteer hours are not part of the Donor Engagement Report — crossover analysis lives on the Donors list.
  • Anonymous donors are counted in segment totals but excluded from name-based lists.
  • "Average gift increase" appears in the report response but is currently a placeholder set to 0 — if you need YoY gift size comparison, build it as a custom report.