Relationship fundraising: How to keep donors loyal

This article explores how relationship marketing and its variant relationship fundraising may be used to assist nonprofits in reducing the lapse rate of donors to their organization. Employing a postal survey of ten thousand donors to causes in a variety of categories, the author concludes that although approximately one in five donors might lapse because of a change in financial circumstances, a similar number simply elect to switch their support to other organizations. The role of the quality of service offered to the donor in enhancing retention is also highlighted, as are donor perceptions of the feedback they receive and the impact they believe their gift might have on the cause.