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Writer's pictureStewart Severino

🚀 Optimistic Times Ahead for Nonprofit Fundraising – But Let’s Not Forget Our Loyal Donors!



Great news from the latest Blackbaud Institute report: Nonprofits are seeing a positive shift in revenue trends, with 46% reporting increased revenue in the past year and 53% anticipating growth in the coming year. While this is promising, we must tread carefully to avoid donor attrition. Acquiring new donors is crucial, but it’s even more important (and cost-effective) to retain our existing supporters.

Key contributing factors to this revenue growth include:


  1. Increased Major Gifts: Leveraging AI and analytics to identify and engage high-potential donors.

  2. New Revenue Streams: Diversifying fundraising channels to tap into donor-advised funds, social media, and more.

  3. Improved Teamwork and Talent: Investing in staff development to enhance overall performance.

  4. Better Analytics: Using data-driven insights to refine fundraising strategies.


A focus on AI can particularly boost major giving efforts. Nonprofits can leverage AI to identify giving trends and donor persona data to prioritize campaigns targeted at these individuals. Training your AI on datasets is an obvious tactic but many nonprofits lack the in-house resources to access open datasets to train their AI for optimized performance.

Another powerhouse addition to your current resources is equipping your team with marketing automation skills, alongside traditional talents like copywriting and design. This is essential in today’s digital landscape. Training or hiring tech-enabled talent will ensure your organization remains competitive and efficient. Nonprofits can't afford to have traditional talent and then hire tech-talent. 


As we celebrate these advancements, let’s also prioritize donor retention to maintain a stable foundation for continued growth. We know it is far less expensive to retain our audiences than it is to acquire them. So, to the nonprofit leaders...Be careful not to get too drawn in to the shiny object of acquiring new audiences. Be sure to give some serious attention to your retention efforts. 

Together, we can navigate this dynamic landscape and maximize our impact.




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