Donor Retention Rate Calculator

About this calculator

Donor retention rate measures the percentage of last year's donors who gave again this year, calculated as repeat donors divided by last year's total donor count. It's arguably the single most important health metric in nonprofit fundraising, because acquiring a new donor typically costs far more than retaining an existing one, and even small improvements in retention compound into significantly higher lifetime donor value.

Sector benchmarks tracked by groups like the Fundraising Effectiveness Project have historically put average overall donor retention in the roughly 40–45% range, with first-time donor retention notably lower than repeat-donor retention — which is why fundraising teams segment this metric by donor tenure and use it to justify investment in stewardship, thank-you communications, and recurring-gift programs rather than acquisition alone.