Donor retention isn’t rocket science—but it is science. Behavioral science, that is. And there is already a treasure trove of information to use as our guide.
Think about it: The world’s smartest businesses—those who convince us to buy $700 worth of stuff in four clicks—have spent millions figuring out exactly what makes us tick. And here’s the kicker: they’ve already paid for the research, tested it, and proven it works.
So why aren’t nonprofits tapping into this goldmine of data?
Smarter fundraising means leveraging proven insights to guide donors toward making generosity a habit.
Today, we’re diving into the Four Pillars of Donor Retention—Identification, Operationalization, Connection, and Renewal—to help you harness these behavioral insights.
Let’s transform your fundraising into an intuitive, frictionless, and dare we say, habit-forming experience for your donors.
PILLAR ONE: IDENTIFICATION
Our first step to retaining donors is identifying which donors are ideal prospects for renewing their support.
Science Says
Lean into the human bias towards Commitment & Consistency.
Deemed the “Godfather of Influence,” behavior scientist Robert Cialdini’s research uncovered our inclination to continue behaviors that align with past commitments. Once someone takes a small, initial action, they’re more inclined to maintain consistency with that behavior.
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Look for those small “yeses,” these could be a recent gift, a survey response, or a social media comment. Each of those micro-commitments adds up to a self-image as a supporter.
Human proclivity for maintaining consistency of personal identity perfectly primes donors to consider recurring giving as the next logical step in their giving journey.
PILLAR TWO: OPERATIONALIZATION
This pillar is all about efficiency. Clear workflows reduce friction. With good systems in place:
Acknowledgments go out in a timely manner
Donors hear about the impact of their gift
The actual process of making a gift—especially a recurring gift—is easy as pie.
Every barrier to entry, every moment lost to a clunky process—these are friction points. They impact us internally, and they impact our donors externally.
Scalable operations are how we create a sustainable organization.
Science Says
The Law of Least Effort states that humans will nearly always take the easiest route. So, reduce friction and increase the likelihood of follow-through. When motivation is low, simplicity wins.
(If you want to dig into the principle more, Harvard professor George Kingsley Zipf wrote extensively on the subject. You can read his book Human Behavior and the Principle of Least Effort…but that would require quite a bit of effort.) 😉
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Don’t let your poor infrastructure stand between your cause and a potential supporter.
The primary reason donor relations teams struggle is a lack of human resources and/or the technological resources to scale.
If you want more donors to consider recurring giving, then you’ll have to make it easy for them.
Your donors buy groceries with their smart watch! They place $700 orders on Amazon with just 4 clicks in 50 seconds or less. People don’t want to step back in time when they enter your giving portal.
So if I may put it bluntly—STOP MAKING IT HARD FOR PEOPLE TO GIVE YOU MONEY.
The user interface should be intuitive. It should be quick. And you know what? It can even be fun!
I can’t tell you how doggone happy it makes me to see giving pages like this.
If you want your donor to consider a recurring gift, then make it clear and make it easy, similar to the above example from digital fundraising platform FundraiseUp. It’s that simple.
PILLAR THREE: CONNECTION
Giving is 90% an emotional decision. This pillar is all about the interactions we have with our donors to make them feel emotionally connected to our cause before we even make the ask.
Science Says
Positive Labeling builds identity. Identity shapes behavior.
Subtle language shifts—such as using nouns over verbs—can increase desired behaviors. Experiments have shown that those who agreed to “be a voter” were 13.7% more likely to vote than those who merely agreed “to vote.”
One is about a single action I take. The other is about character, which defines me.
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In our first pillar, Identification, we talked about the role of Commitment & Consistency in identifying our best prospects for recurring gifts. Positive Labeling is one powerful way to apply that knowledge.
When we communicate with our donors, we are more likely to connect with them on an emotional level if we hold up a mirror to the kind of person they want to be.
So rather than thanking them for “supporting the cause,” try thanking them for “being an advocate for the cause.” This invites them into an identity, not just an action.
PILLAR FOUR: RENEWAL
This is “the ask.” We can’t expect someone to renew their support if we never ask.
At this point in the game, the expectation is that we have already laid a solid foundation by identifying the best prospects for renewal, putting systems in place that make giving easy, and meaningfully connecting with these donors.
With everything perfectly teed up, this last pillar should be the easiest. And for many fundraisers, the most fun!
(Though I’m more of an operationalization gal, myself. Who doesn’t love a refined tech solution?!)
Science Says
Celebration is a strategy taught by behavioral scientist BJ Fogg, author of Tiny Habits, to encode specific behaviors. Fogg shares, “Good feelings spur the production of a neurotransmitter (a chemical messenger in the brain) called dopamine that controls the brain's reward system.” In other words, celebration → dopamine rush → repeat behavior.
It is important to note that the celebration tactic must occur immediately after or during the desired behavior.
Neuroscientists have a saying: "Neurons that fire together wire together."
The less distance there is between the celebration and the behavior, the more we associate that dopamine rush with performing the desired behavior.
Application
The most obvious place to apply the concept of celebration is on your giving confirmation page. It validates your donor's decision to give, creates positive emotions, and reinforces the behavior of giving. You probably already have “thank you” language on your confirmation page, but we can level that up. Bonus points for things that only your organization can do!
Here are some ideas:
Pop of confetti or fireworks across the screen
Play a personalized ThankView video using variable data
A chorus of voices shouting, "Hooray!"
Beneficiary doing a silly "thank you" dance
Video of an adorable puppy saying "Thank You"
Lead your donor through a celebration stretch where they pat themselves on the back
An image of a handwritten note with simple language like, “Wow! You just did a great thing, [first name]. Thank you so much for being an advocate for the cause. We’re going to do great things together.”
If you're looking for inspiration, pick up any video game. To my Gen X and Gen Y friends, remember the oddly gratifying ending sequence of decks of cards bouncing across your screen upon winning your game of Solitaire?
These are all tiny rewards that hook us. We continue to come back because we are chasing that warm and fuzzy feeling we got the first time.
Your donors aren’t complicated—they’re human. And behavioral science isn’t a fancy add-on; it’s the backbone of smarter fundraising. Each of the Four Pillars—Identification, Operationalization, Connection, and Renewal—leverages strategies that guide your donors toward making generosity a natural habit. Every thoughtful touchpoint nudges donors toward consistency, ease, connection, and joyful celebration, reinforcing giving as part of their identity.
Ready to help your donors make generosity a habit?
Join us in New York City Oct 20-22, 2025 to deep dive into the 4 Pillars of Donor Retention, campaign engagement, and more. Register today.
Written by Madelyn Jones
