These templates are flexible blueprints to help you launch journeys quickly. Adapt the steps and variation guidelines based on your resources and donor base to personalize your supporters’ experience, cultivate deeper relationships, and maximize giving.
First-Time Donor Welcome & Retention Journey
🎯 GOAL: Transform first-time donors into loyal supporters by making them feel welcomed, valued, and part of your mission family from day one, culminating in a second gift within 12 months.
Why This Matters: First-time donors are more likely to give again when they receive a personalized welcome experience. This template creates that crucial first impression and maintains engagement throughout their first year, culminating in an invitation to give again.
Entry Source: First Ever Donation
Step | Timeline | Channel | Purpose |
1 | 24 hours after donation (built-in delay) | Welcome to donor family, show immediate impact | |
2 | 1 day later | Staff Task | Personal thank you call (gifts $100+); Mobile Video Acknowledgement or handwritten note (gifts $500+) |
3 | 30 days later | Impact update showing what their gift accomplished | |
4 | 60 days later | Impact update showing what their gift accomplished with success stories | |
5 | 90 days later | Organizational highlights and donor community building | |
6 | 90 days later | Pre-solicitation cultivation with current needs | |
7 | 45 days later | Task | Personal renewal solicitation (phone call/meeting) with follow-up email for non-responders |
Key Features: Immediate gratitude, personal touch, strategic impact updates, relationship building, renewal focus
🔄 Variation Guidelines:
Different Gift Levels? Major first-time donors ($1,000+) receive additional personal touches and exclusive updates, while smaller donors focus on digital engagement and peer stories
Low Response at 9 months? Add automated follow-up email 6 weeks after step 6 with different giving options and simplified ask How would the org measure low response? No emails being opened? 1 email being opened? No clicks?
High Engagement? Invite to volunteer opportunities or donor events between scheduled touchpoints
Convert to Recurring Donor Journey
🎯 GOAL: Convert loyal one-time donors into monthly sustainers by demonstrating the enhanced impact and convenience of recurring giving while recognizing their proven commitment.
Why This Matters: Donors with multiple gifts, upgrades, or consecutive yearly giving have already demonstrated loyalty. Converting them to monthly giving increases their lifetime value, provides predictable revenue, and deepens their connection to your mission.
Entry Source: Next Donation (filtered to have Recurring Payment donation type unchecked)
Step | Timeline | Channel | Purpose |
1 | Immediately upon entry | Recognize their loyalty pattern and introduce monthly giving concept | |
2 | 21 days later | Showcase monthly giving impact stories and exclusive sustainer benefits | |
3 | 23 days later | Personal outreach to discuss monthly giving option and answer questions | |
4 | 15 days later | Social proof and urgency - show growing sustainer community and giving opportunities | |
5 | 30 days later | Task | Final personal follow-up with easy conversion options and "try it for 6 months" approach |
Key Features: Extended relationship building, loyalty recognition, benefit highlighting, objection handling, multiple personal touches
🔄 Variation Guidelines:
Different Donor Segments? Instead of triggering from a next donation, use custom group membership (multiple gifts, upgrading donors, or consecutive year donors); tailor messaging for upgraders (emphasize growth mindset), multi-gift donors (emphasize convenience), or annual donors (emphasize consistent impact)
High-Value Donors ($500+)? Add exclusive sustainer club benefits and personal stewardship opportunities
Resistant to Monthly? Offer quarterly giving as a stepping stone or special project-based recurring options
This 3-month journey provides ample time to build the case for recurring giving while maintaining engagement through strategic touchpoints.
Recurring Donor Onboarding Journey
🎯 GOAL: Convert new recurring donors into highly engaged, long-term sustainers by creating an exclusive, premium experience that makes them feel like VIP partners.
Why This Matters: Recurring donors have higher lifetime value than one-time donors. This template ensures they feel special from the start and understand the ongoing impact of their commitment.
Entry Source: Initial Recurring Donation
Step | Timeline | Channel | Purpose |
1 | 24 hours after donation (built-in delay) | Welcome to the recurring giving club, set communication preferences | |
2 | 4 days later | Task | Personal welcome call for sustainers ($50+/month) or Mobile Video Acknowledgement ($100/month) |
3 | 30 days later | First month impact report, community building | |
4 | 60 days later | Quarterly exclusive update with insider access and behind-the-scenes content | |
5 | 90 days later | Task | Check-in call/survey for feedback and engagement assessment |
6 | 90 days later | 9-month milestone celebration with cumulative impact report and upgrade opportunity |
Key Features: Exclusive club experience, preference customization, sustained impact reporting, milestone celebration.
This focused journey hits the critical moments for recurring donor retention while remaining manageable for staff execution.
🔄 Variation Guidelines:
Different Recurring Amounts? Higher recurring donors ($100+) receive quarterly personal touches and exclusive event invitations, while smaller sustainers focus on digital VIP content
Low Engagement? Add interactive elements (recurring donor Facebook group, exclusive webinars, volunteer opportunities) and adjust communication frequency
Upgrade Opportunities? Include gentle upgrade suggestions at 6 and 9-month marks based on engagement level and capacity indicators
At-Risk Donor Retention Journey
🎯 GOAL: Identify and re-engage donors showing declining interest before they lapse completely by personalizing communication and providing high-value content through strategic cultivation and solicitation.
Why This Matters: Prevention is better than cure. This template catches donors before they disengage completely, using preference-based content and personal attention to rekindle their connection while providing timely giving opportunities.
Entry Source: Group membership (Current donors who haven’t given in the last 9 months)
Step | Timeline | Channel | Purpose |
1 | Upon entry | Personal check-in with preference survey, no ask | |
2 | 30 days later | Customized content based on interests with first gentle solicitation opportunity | |
3 | 45 days later | Task | Personal outreach call for high-value at-risk donors to assess engagement |
4 | 60 days later | Second solicitation with urgency/matching gift opportunity and alternative giving levels | |
5 | 90 days later | Final retention attempt providing alternative engagement opportunities with simplified giving options |
Key Features: Preference-driven personalization, strategic solicitation timing, personal intervention for VIPs, graduated approach
🔄 Variation Guidelines:
Survey Fatigue? Replace survey with behavioral tracking (email clicks, website visits), use implicit preference detection
Low Survey Response? Offer incentive (thank you gift, exclusive content), make survey mobile-friendly, reduce to simple questions with measurable responses.
Resource Constraints? Focus personal calls only on $500+ annual donors, use automated preference-based content for others
No Response to First Ask? Adjust second solicitation to different program area or giving level based on their history.
Upgrade Journey for Small and Mid Level Donors
🎯 GOAL: Strategically cultivate engaged donors with high generosity indicators to increase their giving level through personalized stewardship and targeted solicitation, focusing on accessible upgrade opportunities.
Why This Matters: Donors who have given recently with strong engagement and capacity indicators represent your best prospects for gift upgrades. This template systematically moves them toward larger commitments through relationship building and strategic asks at all giving levels.
Entry Source: Group membership (donors in last 12 months + high generosity indicators + decent engagement scores, excluding major gift donors $2,500+)
Step | Timeline | Channel | Purpose |
1 | Immediately upon entry | Recognize their commitment and share expanded impact opportunities | |
2 | 21 days later | Feature donor at similar giving levels with upgrade success stories | |
3 | 24 days later | Task | Personal cultivation outreach to assess interests and capacity |
4 | 15 days later | Present specific giving opportunities at higher levels with accessible upgrade options | |
5 | 15 days later | Multiple giving level options with easy upgrade paths and impact comparisons | |
6 | 15 days later | Task | Personal solicitation call with flexible upgrade proposal based on their history |
Key Features: Multi-level targeting, peer influence, personal cultivation, accessible upgrades, flexible options. Amounts can be customized to fit your organization’s donor categorizations.
🔄 Variation Guidelines:
Small Donors ($25-$250) Focus on doubling their gift or moving to next giving circle level with peer recognition
Mid-Level Donors ($251-$999, <$2,500) Emphasize impact opportunities at higher levels
Multiple Small Gifts? Suggest increasing their impact by converting to a recurring gift.
This journey focuses on realistic, achievable upgrades for your broad donor base while excluding those who need major gift-level cultivation.
Cultivate Prospective Donor Journey
🎯 GOAL: Transform prospective donors into supporters by making them feel welcomed, valued, and part of your mission family from day one, culminating in a first gift within 12 months.
Why This Matters: Acquiring first-time donors is essential for a nonprofit's long-term sustainability, as it builds a pipeline to replace supporters lost to natural attrition.
Entry Source: Group membership (constituents who haven’t given before)
Exit: On any donation
Total Interactions: 7 (7 emails)
Step | Timeline | Channel | Purpose |
1 | Upon entry | “Welcome to the [organization name] family” stating your mission, from the DD | |
3 | 2 days later | Encourage ways to get involved: volunteer + donate | |
4 | 15 days later | Gentle financial support introduction, "you've seen the need” | |
5 | 30 day later | Organizational highlights and community building | |
6 | 45 days later | Pre-solicitation cultivation with current needs | |
7 | 60 days later | Continued engagement options: volunteer + donate opportunities |
Key Features: Personal touch, strategic impact updates, relationship building
Use Cases:
Email an overview of your mission and how donations drive impact. Follow up with a series of emails inviting them to subscribe to a newsletter, make a donation, and volunteer.
🔄 Variation Guidelines:
Constituent volunteered or attended an event? Create different versions of this journey with corresponding messaging for personalized experiences.
Low Response at 9 months? Add automated follow-up email 6 weeks after step 6 with different giving options and simplified ask How would the org measure low response? No emails being opened? 1 email being opened? No clicks?
High Engagement? Invite to volunteer opportunities or donor events between scheduled touchpoints
Recapture Lapsed Donor Journey
🎯 GOAL: Re-engage previous donors who have stopped giving by reminding them of their past impact and providing easy, low-pressure opportunities to return.
Why This Matters: Reactivating lapsed donors costs 5x less than acquiring new ones. This template uses nostalgia and updates to reignite their passion for your cause without being pushy.
Entry Source: Group membership (lapsed donors 13-24 months)
Exit: On any donation
Step | Timeline | Channel | Purpose |
1 | Upon entry | "We miss you" message with personalized reference to their giving history | |
2 | 21 days later | Share what's new and how organization has grown since their last gift | |
3 | 45 days later | Task | Personal outreach Mobile Video Acknowledgement or phone call to donors with $250+ giving history |
4 | 60 days later | Low-pressure re-engagement with simple, specific opportunity and success stories | |
5 | 90 days later | Alternative engagement options: newsletter, volunteer, social media, events |
Key Features: Personalized history references, extended timeline, personal touches for valuable donors, social proof, multiple pathways back
🔄 Variation Guidelines:
Recent Lapsed (13-18 months)? Use warmer, more familiar tone and reference recent programs they supported
Longer Lapsed (19-24 months)? Focus more on organizational updates and major changes/growth since they last gave
High-Value Lapsed ($500+)? Add additional personal touches and exclusive "alumni donor" recognition opportunities
Still No Response? Try direct mail postcard, add "we understand if priorities have changed" messaging, offer newsletter-only option
Defensive Reactions? Lead with gratitude for past support only, remove any giving requests, focus purely on updates and friendship
Segment by Lapse Reason? Create variations for moved away, financial hardship, dissatisfaction, or lost interest
Major Donor Stewardship Journeys
🎯 GOAL: Provide white-glove treatment for high-value donors to maximize retention, increase gift sizes, and cultivate long-term major gift relationships.
Why This Matters: Major donors expect and deserve premium treatment. This template ensures they receive executive-level attention and detailed reporting that justifies their significant investment in your mission.
Repeat for Three Entry Sources:
First Donation filtered on donation amount (e.g., $1,000+)
Next Donation filtered on donation amount (e.g., $1,000+)
Initial Recurring Donation filtered on donation amount (e.g., $1,000+)
Prioritization: Prioritize these three journeys above the First-Time Donor Welcome & Retention, Convert to Recurring Donor, and Recurring Donor Onboarding journeys
Step | Timeline | Channel | Purpose |
1 | Immediately | Premium welcome with CEO video, exclusive content access | |
2 | Immediately created, due in 2 days | Staff Task | Assign constituent to a relationship manager |
3 | Immediately created, due in 2 days | Staff Task | Mobile Video Acknowledgement or personal call from the assigned Relationship Manager or the development officer, invite to tour |
4 | 90 days later | Detailed quarterly impact report | |
5 | Every 90 days | Ongoing quarterly updates with exclusive content |
Key Features: Executive attention, exclusive access, detailed reporting, ongoing cultivation
Use cases:
A sequence of tasks is automatically generated to help cultivate and steward major donors, moving them toward their next major donation, and paving the way for the next personal ask.
🔄 Variation Guidelines:
Overwhelming Donors? Reduce to bi-annual updates, consolidate into single comprehensive report, add "digest" vs. "detailed" options
CEO Unavailable? Use board chair or program director videos, create "inside look" documentary-style content
Diverse Wealth Levels? Create tiered approach: $1K-$5K (email focus), $5K-$25K (phone calls), $25K+ (in-person meetings)
Donorversary Celebration
🎯 GOAL: Strengthen emotional connection and increase donor lifetime value by celebrating the anniversary of their first gift and showcasing cumulative impact over time.
Why This Matters: Donorversaries are a powerful but underused stewardship tool. Celebrating these milestones makes donors feel truly known and appreciated, leading to increased retention and upgrade potential.
Entry Source: Donor Anniversary
Step | Timeline | Channel | Purpose |
1 | Immediately | Celebrate giving anniversary, show cumulative impact | |
2 | Immediately | Task | Personal call or Mobile Video Acknowledgement to 3+ year donors |
3 | 7 days later | Email or Task | Email or mail an anniversary card for 2+ year donors |
Key Features: Timeline of impact, cumulative difference, long-term appreciation
🔄 Variation Guidelines:
Low Engagement? Create visual timeline infographic showing their giving journey, add "then vs. now" program comparison
Older Donor Base? Switch to mailed anniversary card with printed photos, add phone call option instead of video message
Limited Historical Data? Focus on organizational milestones during their giving years, acknowledge their role in key achievements
Happy Birthday Celebration
🎯 GOAL: Create moments of joy and personal connection that make donors feel valued as individuals, not just funding sources, strengthening emotional bonds with your organization.
Why This Matters: Personal touches like birthday recognition make donors feel seen and appreciated on a human level. It's relationship marketing at its finest—low cost, high impact emotional connection.
Entry Source: Happy Birthday
Step | Timeline | Channel | Purpose |
1 | Immediately | Email or Task | Personal birthday message from DD or beneficiaries via email or mobile video acknowledgement |
2 | Immediately (optional) | Birthday surprise: e-card, photo album, or digital gift |
Key Features: Personal video messages, beneficiary involvement, surprise element
Use Cases:
They receive an email inviting them to use their birthday as an occasion to fundraise and advocate for your organization.
🔄 Variation Guidelines:
Low Open Rates? Try text message delivery instead of email, use more personal subject lines ("Happy Birthday from [Beneficiary Name]!")
Privacy-Conscious Donors? Make birthday messages optional opt-in, focus on giving anniversary instead of personal birthday
Large Donor Base? Create seasonal birthday batches (quarterly video messages), use voice messages instead of video for efficiency