Ghosted? What Happened to Last Year's Crisis Donors

Frank Auer, VP Fundraising and Strategy

Last summer's federal funding rescission brought a flood of support to public media. As we move out of that crisis period, the question is no longer how much came in, but how much we can keep. Revenue retention — holding onto the dollars and not just the donors — is where our focus needs to be for the remainder of this year. So we grabbed a flashlight and checked in on last year's crisis donors. Some of what we found is reassuring. Some of it should keep you up at night. 

Not scary: sustainers. 

Sustainers are the friendly repeating phantasm of the donor file: they keep coming back. Those who gave during the crisis retained at about 98%, consistent with prior years. The crisis didn't shake sustainer loyalty at all, and this group grew 17% over the prior year. 

Scary: one-time donors are ghosting. 

One-time donors grew the most during the crisis, up 42%. The trouble is that only about 54% of them give again the following year. To be honest, that’s not a new problem — it's been true every year since 2023. But when the group is 42% bigger, the number of donors vanishing into the night grows right along with it. 

Scarier: the hidden leak. 

In normal years, donors who make multiple one-time gifts keep only 64% to 70% of their dollars year to year. That's no better than single-gift donors, even though they give nearly three times as much. Sustainers, by comparison, keep 96% to 98% of their dollars. (We're using pre-crisis years here because the rescission temporarily pushed renewals and dollar retention well above normal.) The multiple gift segment got a crisis bump, but it has been shrinking since 2021. Think of it as a vampire in the donor file: no jump scares, just a slow drain while we slumber. 

Not scary at all: frequent email. 

The problems with frequent email are a lot like the monster under the bed: everyone's afraid of them, but they rarely show up. When stations join MSB, they move to a more active additional gift email program, and the typical station sees its additional email gift revenue more than double in its first year. Mail additional gift revenue grows too, but closer to 10%, since mail can't increase send volume or cadence the way email can. 

That gap matters right now. Crisis giving lifted revenue across the board, and one-time gifts won't come back from the dead on their own. Regular, well-crafted asks are how we replace those dollars and keep overall growth from sliding back to pre-crisis levels. 

How to keep the treats.

Every additional gift helps rebuild the base that would otherwise slip away. That's why we keep knocking on those virtual doors, asking existing donors to give again throughout the year, and it takes engagement on both sides: 

• Stations: Stay in frequent contact with your audience. Community events, local stories and visible impact give people a reason to stay and give again. Use every opportunity to remind them of your value, especially as the year comes to a close. 

• MSB: We’ll continue to engage donors with consistent e-solicitations, emotionally driven asks, and proven best practices that keep giving top of mind and easy. 

As the year begins to approach its close, the scariest thing we could do is go quiet. We shouldn't be afraid of frequent engagement — our greatest fear should be silence, both from ourselves and donors.