Donor Lapse Rate
Percentage of previously active donors who did not give in the current period
What is Donor Lapse Rate?
Donor lapse rate is the percentage of donors from the previous period who did not give in the current one. It shows how many supporters a charity is losing.
Lapsed donors are costly to replace, so lowering the lapse rate is often more efficient than raising acquisition.
How this KPI is measured
- Function
- Fundraising & Income
- Sub-function
- Donor Retention
- Industry
- Not-for-Profit / Charity
- Type
- Lagging
- Impact
- Revenue
- Unit
- %
- Measurement frequency
- Annual
- Formula
- (Lapsed donors / Total donors in prior period) × 100
How to calculate it
Divide lapsed donors by total donors in the prior period, and multiply by 100.
For example, if 10,000 donors gave last year and 6,500 did not give this year, the lapse rate is 65%.
Define lapsed clearly, for example no gift within 12 months, and split by donor type and first-time versus longer-term donors, since new donors lapse most.
Where it is used
Managing retention
See how many supporters are lost.
Planning reactivation
Target lapsed donors.
Comparing donor groups
Find who lapses most.
How to improve it
Tips and common mistakes
- It is the opposite of retention. Track the two together.
- First-time donors lapse most.
- Ask lapsed donors why.
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