27/06/11
The numbers of donors who cancel their Direct Debits within a year of signing up have returned to pre-recession levels, the latest edition of PFRA’s Donor Attrition and Retention Survey (DARS) reveals.
Average ‘attrition’ levels for donors recruited on the street have fallen back below 50 per cent at the first year of giving for the first time since 2006. In fact at 44.2 per cent, they are the lowest of all the years covered by DARS.
Doorstep fundraising is showing a similar fall in average attrition levels – although starting from a lower benchmark than for street F2F. Attrition levels for campaigns runs in 2009 (the last year for which a full 12 months data is available) shows 12-month attrition level at 37 per cent. Viewed another way, this means that 63 per cent of donors recruited in street campaigns are still giving a year later.
“This is undisputable evidence that the recession was the major factor influencing increased attrition,” says Morag Fleming, head of supporter relations at social care charity Quarriers and co-founder of DARS. “It is great news for charities because lower attrition means better retention which means more money raised for good causes.”
All methods of fundraising have association ‘attrition’ levels – the percentage of donors who stop giving within the first year. However, face-to-face fundraising is the only method of donor ‘acquisition’ (i.e. finding new donors) that reports this figure in an annual benchmark.
DARS participants have already received their copy of the full report. Findings were presented at the PFRA AGM on June 21 and DARS authors Morag Fleming and Rupert Tappin (pictured) will also present the results at the Institute of Fundraising National Convention on Monday 4 July.
Professor Adrian Sargeant, of Indiana University, is currently analysing the raw data. His findings will be reported later in the year.
Further information, graphs and statistics can be found by downloading a PDF of the relevant PFRA press release by following the link to the right.
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