From Transactional to Transformational: Building Donor Resilience in an Uncertain World 

The Giving USA 2025 report confirmed what many fundraisers already feel: philanthropy is evolving, and the traditional playbook isn’t keeping pace. In our recent webinar, Future-Proofing Fundraising: 5 Strategic Moves from the Giving USA 2025 Report, we explored how organizations can translate these latest findings into actionable strategy. 

This article builds on that conversation, offering practical guidance for implementing the first strategic recommendation.  

Strategic Move #1: Re-Center on Donor Retention and Resilience

The latest Giving USA data tells a complex story: charitable giving is rebounding, but 56% of all dollars now come from large gifts while the total number of donors continues to shrink. We’re seeing more money from fewer people—a trend that should concern every nonprofit leader thinking beyond this fiscal year. 

If your growth strategy depends primarily on acquiring new donors, you may be building on unsteady ground. The organizations positioning themselves for long-term success are those focused on developing donor resilience—relationships that can weather economic uncertainty, leadership transitions, and shifting social priorities. 

This isn’t just about donor retention, though that’s where it starts. It’s about cultivating supporters whose commitment to your mission deepens over time and adapts to changing circumstances. 

Understanding Donor Resilience 

Resilient donors do more than give repeatedly. They: 

• Maintain support through economic volatility, adjusting giving methods rather than halting their commitment 
• Increase their investment over time as they develop confidence in your impact and leadership 
• Become advocates who expand your supporter base through their networks 
• Adapt their giving vehicles to match their changing financial circumstances and life stages 

The difference between retention and resilience is the difference between surviving and thriving. Yet many organizations still aren’t making donor stewardship a strategic priority. 

Five Strategies for Building Donor Resilience 

1. Segment Based on Engagement, Not Just Capacity 

Move beyond simple wealth markers to understand what drives different donors to support your work: 

• Behavioral Analysis: Track engagement patterns: email opens, event attendance, social media interaction, volunteer participation. A donor who gives $100 but faithfully attends every reunion might be more valuable long-term than someone who writes a $1,000 check and disappears. 
• Motivation Mapping: Develop simple donor personas based on what drives their giving. The “hands-on helper” needs different stewardship than the “strategic investor” or the “legacy builder.” 
• Journey Understanding: Map the typical path from first gift to major commitment. Where do donors typically increase engagement? Where do you lose them? 
• Generational Motivation: Segment solicitations by class year, era, or age group to create distinctive and relevant messaging. 

2. Make Stewardship a Year-Round Priority 

Consistent, meaningful communication builds the trust that sustains giving through challenging times: 

• Strategic Touch Points: Create a stewardship calendar that goes beyond thank-you notes and annual appeals. Share program updates, invite input on strategic decisions, celebrate milestones together. 
• Impact Connection: Help donors see the direct connection between their support and real-world outcomes. A brief video from a grateful patient or a scholarship recipient whose life changed because of their gift often resonates more deeply than detailed impact reports. 
• Personal Recognition: Reference specific gifts, volunteer contributions, or areas of interest when you communicate. Personalization shows you see them as important individuals. 
• Make It Unexpected: Surprise and delight donors with unanticipated expressions of gratitude. 

3. Remove Friction from the Giving Experience 

In an era of one-click purchasing and instant transactions, a cumbersome donation process may leave donors feeling that you don’t value their time:  

• Optimize for Mobile: Test all your giving processes on smartphones and other devices. If it takes more than 30 seconds to complete a gift, make some adjustments. 
• Expand Payment Options: Accept Venmo, Apple Pay, donor-advised funds, qualified charitable distributions, cryptocurrency. Meet donors where they are financially and make it easy, regardless of the channel.  And make sure multi-year commitments are accepted. 
• Automate the Basics: Set up automated acknowledgments, recurring gift confirmations, and pledge reminders. Save human interaction for meaningful moments. 

4. Think Beyond Annual Giving 

Donor resilience often requires structural commitment that aligns with supporters’ broader financial and life planning: 

• Multi-Year Commitments: Present longer-term giving as an opportunity for greater impact, not just budget stability. “Here’s what becomes possible when we can plan beyond twelve months.” 
• Blended Giving Conversations: Train staff to discuss how annual gifts, capital campaigns, and planned giving can work together to maximize both impact and tax benefits. 
• Life Stage Alignment: Help donors think about how their giving can evolve as their circumstances change, from career building > wealth accumulation > QCD giving > legacy planning. 

5. Reactivate Lapsed Donors Strategically 

Former donors already understand your mission and have demonstrated commitment. They’re often easier to re-engage than new prospects: 

• Targeted Reactivation: Develop specific messaging for different lapse reasons. Someone who stopped giving during a leadership transition needs different outreach than someone whose last gift was five years ago. 
• Feedback Collection: Ask why they stepped away. A simple two-question survey can reveal organizational blind spots and provide a pathway back. 
• Celebrate Returns: Treat reactivated donors like the valuable supporters they are. 

Scaling Your Approach 

• Small Organizations: Focus on stewardship fundamentals. Create a basic annual calendar of non-fundraising touchpoints and ensure every donor receives personal acknowledgment. 
• Mid-Sized Organizations: Invest in donor journey mapping and CRM optimization. Use data to identify which engagement activities correlate with increased giving and retention. 
• Large Organizations: Develop sophisticated segmentation strategies and train staff on advanced giving vehicles. Integrate retention metrics into performance benchmarks across all fundraising roles. 

Measuring Donor Resilience 

Track metrics that reflect relationship depth, not just transaction volume: 

• Retention rates by donor segment and acquisition source 
• Giving trajectory (percentage of donors who increase their annual gifts) 
• Multi-year commitment rate 
• Reactivation success by lapse duration and donor type 
• Engagement correlation between non-giving activities and donation behavior 

Building for the Long Term 

Donor resilience is built through consistent, thoughtful interactions that demonstrate respect for supporters’ values and circumstances. The organizations that master this approach won’t just weather uncertainty; they’ll emerge stronger because their funding base is genuinely invested in their success. 

Consider these questions:

• Which donor segments show the strongest engagement but haven’t increased their giving? 
• What barriers might be preventing supporters from deepening their commitment? 
• How effectively does your stewardship program build confidence in your organization’s long-term viability? 

In a philanthropic landscape where trust is increasingly precious and donor acquisition costs continue to rise, donor retention is the new growth hack. And resilience isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s essential for sustainable impact. The time to build those deeper relationships is now. 

This analysis is based on insights from the latest Giving USA report and strategic recommendations shared by Marts&Lundy experts in our recent webinar – Sarah Clough, Chief Strategy Officer and Vice President, Insights & Analytics; Don Fellows, Senior Consultant & Principal and Practice Leader, Higher Education; Mark Kimbell, Senior Consultant & Principal and Practice Leader, Healthcare; and Jim Zimmerman, Senior Consultant & Principal and Schools Practice Leader.