Lapsed donors aren’t strangers. Stop marketing to them like they are.
Most nonprofits treat donor reactivation as if they’re starting from scratch; using the same emails, ads, and appeals they’d send to someone who’s never given before.
But here’s the truth:
Reactivating a lapsed donor is 5x more likely to succeed than acquiring a brand new one when you treat them like they’ve been here before.
In a recent live session hosted by Avid and NextAfter, the team shared how one organization flipped its reactivation rates by 308% without new content, without new tools, and without a big spend.
Here’s what they did and how you can do the same.
The Problem: You’re Ignoring Your Warmest Leads
Lapsed donors aren’t anonymous prospects. They already said yes once. They’ve shown belief in your mission. They may have even donated more than once.
But when they go silent, most teams toss them into the cold acquisition funnel:
- Generic appeals.
- One-size-fits-all ads.
- Broad segmentation (or none at all).
And the results are exactly what you’d expect: flat reactivation, low engagement, and wasted ad spend.
The Shift: Think “Re-Engagement,” Not “Acquisition”
When Luther Seminary saw its donor reactivation drop by 12%, the team looked deeper. They discovered that three-quarters of their lapsed donors hadn’t clicked an email in over 7 months. But these weren’t unreachable addresses, they were just being ignored.
What changed the game?
Instead of building new reactivation campaigns from scratch, they reused the same high-performing lead magnet ads they were already running to attract new donors, and pointed them at their lapsed file.
Same ads. Same creative. Different targeting.
The result?
A 308% increase in online donor reactivation, their best in five years.
Relevance > Reminders: The Science Behind Reactivation
Lapsed donors already know your brand. What they need isn’t more information, they need relevance.
When you target them with content-rich offers (devotionals, ebooks, video series), you’re not just asking for a gift, what you’re really doing is inviting them back in.
And when those offers match what attracted them the first time? It feels personal, even if it’s automated.
How to Reactivate Lapsed Donors Strategically
Here’s the 4-step play Avid-powered organizations use to win back donors without guesswork:
1. Segment Your Lapsed Donors Intelligently
Don’t just create one big “lapsed” list. Break it down by:
- Time since last gift (e.g. 6–12 months, 12–24 months).
- Last gift type (campaign, monthly, event).
- Content they previously engaged with.
Tools like Avid Pathways do this automatically, but you can start manually with any clean CRM + ESP setup.
2. Use Your Highest-Performing Lead Magnet. Yes, Again
Take the ebook, video series, or devotional that works best for new donors and repurpose it for lapsed donors.
You don’t need to say “We miss you.” You don’t need to explain the lapse. Just deliver value that speaks to why they gave in the first place.
3. Build a Multi-Channel Touchpoint Journey
Email alone won’t cut it, especially if your lapsed list has gone cold.
Run lightweight Facebook ad campaigns targeting:
- Email addresses of lapsed donors.
- Lookalikes based on engaged segments.
- Former reactivation responders.
With Avid, this sync happens automatically. But even with a manual upload, you can start today for just a few dollars per day.
4. Automate Reactivation with Smart, Self-Cleaning Lists
The problem with most reactivation campaigns? They’re one-off pushes.
When you integrate your donor CRM, ESP, and ad platforms into a central system (like Avid), you can:
- Auto-sync reactivation lists daily.
- Exclude donors as soon as they reactivate.
- Score future reactivation opportunities based on engagement signals.
- Forecast how reactivation lifts affect long-term revenue.
That’s how you turn a moment into momentum.
Fewer Cold Leads. More Donor Wins. Lower Costs
When you stop treating lapsed donors like strangers, you:
- Reduce cost-per-donor vs. new acquisition.
- Increase email click-through and conversion rates.
- Boost retention, lifetime value, and forecasting accuracy.
- Reclaim missed revenue without adding staff or tech debt.
And when that system runs continuously?
Reactivation becomes a growth lever, not just a one-time rescue mission.
Start with the Donors Who Are Most Likely to Return
If your donor reactivation rate is trending down, it’s not a dead end. It’s a signal and an opportunity.
- Want to know how many of your lapsed donors are still reachable?
- Want to identify which offers they’re most likely to re-engage with?
- Want to set up a smart system to win them back automatically?
You can do all of that today with Avid. Book a demo here.
