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The Fundraiser’s Guide to Loving Lapsed Donors

Updated: 09/03/2025

Donor Loyalty Engage Retain

Updated: 09/03/2025

Donor Loyalty Engage Retain

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Lapsed donors are complicated.

Some stopped because life got in the way. Some stopped because you got in the way. Some aren’t even actually lapsed, even if you think they are.

While prevention is the best strategy for tackling low donor retention rates, there’s a lot of value in taking action after a donor stops their support. But it can be hard to know where to start.

That’s why I’ve written this eBook – Win Them Back: The Fundraiser’s Guide to Loving Lapsed Donors – which outlines several strategies for saving money on donors who are never going to give again, and increasing revenue from those who stopped but could come back again.

What’s Inside:

Defining a “lapsed donor”
The reasons donors stop giving
The reasons donors keep giving
My 3-step approach to re-engaging lapsed donors
Learning to love downgrades
The 2-hardest-to-retain channels and what to do about them

You can download the free eBook here.

Happy fundraising!

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Steven Shattuck

Steven Shattuck is the Director of Engagement at Capital Campaign Pro. A recognized thought-leader in the nonprofit sector, he has over 15 years of experience advising nonprofits on donor communications, data management, and digital content. Steven Shattuck served as the Chief Engagement Officer at Bloomerang for 10 years. A prolific writer and speaker, Steven contributed to “Fundraising Principles and Practice: Second Edition.” He also supports the Association of Fundraising Professional's Fundraising Effectiveness Project, serves as an AFP Center for Fundraising Innovation (CFI) committee member, and sits on the faculty of the Institute for Charitable Giving. He is the author of Robots Make Bad Fundraisers - How Nonprofits Can Maintain the Heart in the Digital Age, published by Bold and Bright Media (2020). You can find Steven Shattuck on LinkedIn