Incremental Lift by New/Existing Analysis

Incremental Lift by New/Existing

How to use the Incremental Lift by New/Existing analysis

This analysis enables you to measure how giving from new and existing donors in each month of the most recent fiscal year compares to a three-year historical average, broken out by donor lifecycle stage. It draws on your last four years of gift data, tagging each donation as either from a "New Donor" (their very first gift) or an "Existing Donor" (any subsequent gift), based on the donor's entire giving history. For each calendar month, it calculates two key metrics for both groups: the average monthly giving over the baseline period (the three fiscal years prior to last year) and the actual giving in the most recent full fiscal year. The analysis then computes the "Incremental Lift (%)", which shows the percentage change in giving compared to the historical average.

You can use this to pinpoint months and donor segments where your fundraising efforts are outperforming or underperforming the typical pattern, helping you assess the effectiveness of recent campaigns, stewardship, or appeals. The side-by-side comparison of new versus existing donors allows you to see whether your strategies are driving more first-time gifts, retaining donors, or increasing gift amounts.

The most important calculations to focus on are the "Baseline Giving (3yr Avg)", "Actual Giving (Last FY)", and "Incremental Lift (%)". These tell you not only whether giving is up or down, but also highlight seasonal trends and the relative impact of your outreach on different donor groups. Identifying months with strong positive lift among new donors, for example, can help you replicate successful acquisition tactics. In contrast, negative trends among existing donors may signal a need for renewed stewardship or re-engagement.

You should schedule this analysis for regular review as part of your Constituent Intelligence routines. Directors of development, annual giving managers, and donor stewardship teams will benefit most from these insights. Use the findings to tailor your communication calendar, plan targeted campaigns, and set realistic monthly performance benchmarks for both acquisition and retention. For example, if you observe a dip in existing donor giving in the first quarter, consider launching a stewardship initiative during that period. If a new donor giving spikes in a particular month, analyze which campaigns contributed and consider scaling them.

To measure success, track whether your monthly incremental lift improves year-over-year, especially in priority donor segments. You should also monitor whether adjustments in your outreach lead to stronger retention of new donors and higher average gifts from existing supporters. By integrating this analysis into your Constituent Intelligence toolkit, you can make more informed, data-driven decisions that directly support your fundraising goals.