How to use the High Lift Donors Aug CFY analysis
This analysis identifies individual donors whose giving in the target month of August for the current fiscal year significantly exceeds their own average giving for August across the previous three years. It draws from your organization's gift transaction data, comparing each donor's total giving in August this year to their historical August giving, and highlights those whose contributions have increased (lifted) above their personal norm.
For each qualifying donor, the analysis provides the average amount they gave in August over the past three years, their actual August giving this year, the dollar increase ( Personal Incremental Lift ), and the percentage increase over their baseline. Alongside these calculated fields, additional columns such as donor names or organization affiliations can help you craft more personalized recognition or engagement strategies tailored to the individual donor's history and context.
The most important metrics revealed are the incremental lift in dollars and percentage for each donor. These highlight not just absolute increases, but also identify donors whose engagement is accelerating relative to their own patterns-key signals for stewardship, timely recognition, or deeper cultivation. By focusing on positive lift donors, you ensure your outreach prioritizes those demonstrating new or increased commitment, rather than simply repeating past behavior.
Additionally, if this month overperformed relative to your expectations, this analysis may help you identify the reason.
Use this analysis to prioritize follow-up with donors who are showing new momentum. Development officers, stewardship staff, and anyone responsible for donor engagement should review it, ideally in August and in the subsequent months, to ensure that increases in giving are acknowledged in a timely and meaningful way. Consider tailored thank-you calls, handwritten notes, or invitations to special events for these high-lift donors. Fundraising directors can also use these insights to refine segmentation strategies and to identify broader trends in donor responsiveness to August campaigns or appeals.
You can measure the success of using this analysis by tracking retention rates, year-over-year lift in giving for this cohort, and the conversion of high-lift donors into higher giving societies or multi-year pledges. This analysis is recommended to be reviewed periodically as part of your Constituent Intelligence routines, ensuring you consistently surface and act on emerging opportunities within your donor base.