A Letter to Nonprofits: Why Donor Love Matters More Than Ever

February is a complicated month for nonprofits.

The urgency of year-end giving has passed. Inboxes are quieter. Teams are tired. And yet—this is often the most important moment of the year for your donor relationships.

For many nonprofits, the year-end season brought a surge of generosity—new supporters giving for the first time, longtime donors renewing their commitment, and recurring donors continuing to show up month after month. What happens next matters more than the ask that brought them in.

Before donors are asked to give again—whether it’s their second gift, their tenth, or the next installment of a recurring commitment—they need to be thanked. They need to see the impact of their generosity. And they need to feel that their support—ongoing or new—wasn’t just received, but truly valued.

Because while fundraising calendars move on, donors remember how you made them feel.

That’s why we created Love Your Donors Day. Not as a seasonal distraction or a one-off moment, but as a deliberate pause—an opportunity to recognize the people behind generosity. The donors and the doers. The volunteers, advocates, board members, and supporters who show up again and again to fuel your mission.

This moment exists for one simple reason: donor love isn’t extra or nice. It’s essential.

The Data Tells a Clear Story: Retention Is the Real Risk

If the nonprofit sector has a quiet crisis right now, it isn’t generosity—it’s connection.

According to the latest Fundraising Effectiveness Project (FEP) Q3 2025 report, total dollars raised are estimated to be up 3.7% year over year. At the same time, the number of donors continues to decline—down roughly 3%, even after accounting for late-reported data.

That gap matters, because it tells us something critical: giving is increasingly concentrated among fewer people.

When we look closer, the picture becomes even clearer. Micro-donors—those giving between $1 and $100—make up more than half of all donors, yet they have the lowest retention rate at just 21.3%. New donor retention remains stubbornly low at around 14%, meaning most first-time supporters never return. Meanwhile, repeat donors—those who feel known, appreciated, and connected—continue to be the most stable and valuable segment in the sector.

This is a relationship problem and relationships aren’t built through transactions alone.

What Actually Improves Retention: Start With Appreciation

The good news is that retention isn’t a mystery—it’s measurable, learnable, and deeply human.

In Bloomerang’s Mission Retainable research, donors consistently told us the same thing: they stay connected when they feel informed, valued, and seen. In fact, 65% of donors say receiving regular updates about their impact helps them feel more connected to a nonprofit, and 30% cite personal recognition or thank-yous as a key driver of commitment.

High-retention nonprofits share a few common practices. They thank donors promptly and personally. They show impact early and often—reinforcing the value of every gift, whether it’s someone’s first or part of a long-standing commitment. And they continue the conversation beyond the receipt, using updates, stories, and milestones to reinforce that every gift mattered.

The data also makes one thing clear: appreciation works best when it happens before the next ask. Donors who are thanked within 24–48 hours are significantly more likely to give again, and organizations that prioritize personalized communication see stronger long-term loyalty across every donor segment.

Retention doesn’t start with a campaign. It starts with a relationship—and appreciation is often the first signal that a relationship is worth continuing.

Celebrating the Donors and the Doers

Appreciation doesn’t stop with donors—and retention doesn’t either.

One thing we want to be clear in stewardship and Love Your Donors Day is that generosity shows up in many forms. Yes, through financial gifts. But also through time, expertise, advocacy, and care. Volunteers, board members, peer fundraisers, and community champions are all part of the ecosystem that sustains nonprofit work—and they deserve to be recognized as such.

Sector data reinforces this connection. Volunteers are significantly more likely to become donors over time, and often more loyal ones. When people are acknowledged for how they show up—not just how much they give—they deepen their relationship with a mission and are more likely to stay engaged.

That’s the spirit behind Love Your Donors Day and the toolkit we created to support it. It’s a collection of practical, low-lift resources designed to help nonprofits express appreciation to everyone who contributes—whether they give money, time, or services. Because meaningful stewardship isn’t about narrowing your focus; it’s about widening your gratitude.

When people feel valued for who they are—not just what they give—they stay. And when appreciation becomes inclusive, relationships become stronger across the entire community.

An Invitation for February—and Beyond

Love Your Donors Day is ultimately an invitation.

An invitation to slow down after the rush of year-end giving and focus on what sustains generosity over time. An invitation to thank the donor who gave for the first time, the supporter who has given for years, and the recurring donor who quietly shows up every month. To recognize the volunteer who contributes time and talent week after week. And to celebrate the advocates, board members, and community builders whose contributions don’t always come with a receipt—but matter just as much.

This February, we encourage you to make appreciation a practice, not a checkbox.

Use the free resources in our Love Your Donors Toolkit to help you say thank you in ways that feel genuine and doable. Use the Love Lab to generate appreciation letters. Explore ideas that make impact visible before the next ask. And take part in Love Your Donors Day by entering our $1,000 giveaway—our small way of giving back to the nonprofits doing this work every day.

Most of all, use this moment as a reset. A reminder that stewardship isn’t separate from fundraising—it’s what makes fundraising possible. Afterall, fundraising is a relationship business. 

When appreciation is consistent, inclusive, and heartfelt, people stay connected. And when people stay connected, missions grow stronger.

Let’s make February a month of gratitude—for the donors and the doers behind nonprofit work, and for the relationships that make lasting impact possible.