As fundraisers, we work hard to find and recruit new donors to our causes. But do you ever feel like your supporters are slipping away after their first gift?
There could be a whole host of reasons for this. From a supporter not feeling properly thanked, to a lack of charity brand recall (“I loved that campaign, but what was the name of the charity again?”).
By creating a supporter journey, we can create a picture of our supporter and the steps that will take them from a cold prospect on the fringes to a valued donor at the heart of our cause.
Recent research tells us fewer people than ever are giving to charity (4 million fewer donors since 2019 in the UK alone). This trend is mirrored in the US, where there has been a decrease in the number of individual donors for the fourth year in a row.
This means that the experience we give our supporters matters now more than ever.
For nearly a third of UK charities whose income increased in 2024, nearly 1 in 3 said this was because they focused on supporter experience. The data says that this stuff matters.
After reading this blog, you’ll walk away with practical ways to boost loyalty through supporter journeys.
But what exactly is a supporter journey? Let’s define it.
Think of a map. The start might be at the point when your prospective donor has just found out about you. And the end is when they have reached the goal you had intended. This might mean various things for you:
- They have become an email lead
- They have made their first cash gift
- They are now a regular giver
- They have registered for their first challenge event with you
- They have pledged a gift in their will
- And so on…
Try not to think about this as a comms calendar (though of course, your activities will fall into one). This is a relationship. And the more you know about your donor, and the more you put yourself into their shoes, the better your relationship will develop.
Ultimately, this is about how you welcome, cultivate, and steward your donors in a way that feels great for them, and edges you closer to your goals.
Learn more about donor journey mapping here.
And you can learn how to make your welcome journeys simple, yet effective, here.
Make giving feel easy and meaningful
First impressions can be lasting. The same goes for a donor’s first impression of your charity. Their experience when they first interact or donate to you can be make or break.
Here are some things to keep in mind:
- Make giving online easy. Optimise your donation forms so they are mobile-first, low-friction, with a clear call to action.
- Here are some great resources to help:
- Thanking is everything. Do it quickly, and do it well. Due to volume, you may need to automate this, but it shouldn’t feel automated. Read more on how to personalise your thank yous in the next section.
- Remember them. There’s nothing more jarring to a supporter than donating to a campaign, and then being communicated to about it like it’s new. Remember it, reference it, and share the impact their gift has had.
Donor retention through gratitude
Saying thank you is a core pillar of the supporter experience and a powerful tool for deepening donor engagement. But it has to be done well to be effective.
As Simon Scriver says, “a thank you should be: genuine, human, personal, relevant…A thank you should make you feel like your donation was noticed. And like it’ll make a difference.” And it’s exactly that. Check out this article where he talks more about the importance of saying thank you.
Genuine
A generic thank-you email won’t cut through the noise. Instead, focus on being specific and sincere.
Human
We’ve all received those automated thank yous that sound like a robot wrote them. Sterile and unhuman. They don’t leave us feeling great. Write it like you’d say it. Keep it warm.
Personal
Personalised comms will always outperform unpersonalised ones. Reference your donor by name and what campaign they donated to. Send them a handwritten note, invite them to an event you think they’d like, or share content with them you know they’d enjoy. Show your donors they’re more than just a transaction.
Check out this free webinar to learn more about how to personalise supporter comms at scale, without burning out.
Relevant
Thank your donors quickly. Getting a thank you note two months after the fact can almost feel offensive and like an afterthought. That special warm buzz they felt when they donated is long gone, and you risk losing them.
Research consistently shows that expressing gratitude boosts donor retention and satisfaction. So don’t let your thank-you messages be an afterthought – make gratitude a consistent and meaningful part of your donor stewardship strategy.
Deliver consistent, value-led stewardship
“I remember in a previous charity role, we had a recruitment product that performed incredibly well. The only issue was that this campaign wasn’t the main focus of our charity’s work. So we needed to take these donors on a journey from what they ‘came in’ on, to what we’d be talking to them about long term. All while doing our best to show them their impact.
This stuff isn’t always easy. While we definitely lost a few donors along the way, it was a good reminder that if you get the stewardship bit right, by being transparent and focusing on value, you can bring (most of) your donors closer to your cause.”
- Alex Aggidis, individual giving fundraising specialist.
Remember to move beyond just updates. Remember how your donor came in, explain to them how things are evolving, and how their support is vital in this evolution.
And try to keep it fresh; behind-the-scenes access, carefully selected impact stories, and moments of joy. More on how to build authentic donor relationships here.
Re-engage before you lose them
Things can get busy, plans confused, or wires crossed. Before we know it, we’re at risk of drifting away from a great friend. And the same goes for our donors.
The trick is to realise this early enough so we can fix it.
Do what you can to spot the signs of disengagement early. Unopened emails are a good one to start with. Then, have a plan to reengage, whether it be via a petition, a fun quiz, or just a blog to read. Get them clicking with an easy ask.
At the point of cancellation, do what you can to offer flexibility, be it a pause in giving, a change of frequency, or giving amount, and so forth. This can be done easily over the phone, but can also be done effectively online.
Learn more about how to utilise tech for every stage of the supporter lifecycle.
If they do lapse, ensure you have a lapsed donor journey in place so they know just how important they are to your charity, with opportunities for them to come back on board.
Invest in your own journey
Delivering an outstanding supporter experience starts with investing in your own growth. As fundraising continues to evolve, supporters expect more. More personalisation, more meaningful communication, and smoother, more engaging giving journeys.
And it’s tough out there. Donor numbers are on a downward trend, and competition is on the up. To meet these rising expectations, fundraisers need ongoing access to professional development and training.
Platforms like Fundraising Everywhere provide a range of practical resources; from free webinars to in-depth virtual conferences and masterclasses, all designed to keep you ahead of sector trends and supporter engagement best practices.
A great place to start? Get instant access to the Supporter Experience Conference 2025, and learn from experts sharing actionable insights on what today’s supporters really want.
Want to make the case for your learning and development (L&D) budget? Check out this free report on the impact of L&D in fundraising. It reveals how training not only improves performance but also boosts job satisfaction and staff retention. Share it with your manager, it might just help you get that sign-off.
Supporter journey: Final Thoughts
Delivering a good supporter experience matters now more than ever.
With fewer people than ever giving to charity, we need to pull out all the stops to keep donors engaged and giving to the causes they care about.
It can be a lot to think about, but don’t overcomplicate it. Pick one part of your supporter journey to focus on this week – your donors will thank you.
This blog was written by Fundraising Everywhere for the Hands-On Fundraising community. Fundraising Everywhere is a virtual learning provider and community for fundraisers. Check out their upcoming events or become a Member to access expert-led training all year long.
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