Overall Incremental Lift By Month Analysis

Overall Incremental Lift By Month

How to use the Overall Incremental Lift By Month analysis

This analysis enables you to measure how your current fiscal year s fundraising performance compares to the average of the prior three years, broken down by month and by donor type: retained, new, and recaptured. It leverages gift and donor data to show precisely how much you are raising each month this year, and contrasts that against what you typically raised in the same months over the last three years. The analysis draws on all gifts from living constituents, classifying donors as "Retained" (giving in consecutive years), "New" (first-time donors), or "Recaptured" (lapsed but returning), so you can see not just overall trends but also shifts in donor composition and behavior.

Key metrics include baseline giving (the three-year monthly average), actual giving in the current fiscal year, and the percentage lift or decline month over month. Separate columns for retained, new, and recaptured donors reveal whether your gains or losses are coming from loyal supporters, successful acquisition, or reactivation of lapsed donors. This breakdown is essential for prioritizing stewardship, acquisition, and re-engagement strategies. For example, if you notice that actual new donor giving is significantly above baseline, you may want to intensify your acquisition tactics. If recaptured donor giving is lagging, it may indicate a need to refresh your outreach to lapsed donors.

Use this analysis to inform monthly strategy discussions among your fundraising and leadership teams. Major gifts officers, annual fund directors, and campaign managers will benefit from reviewing it together, mainly to spot emerging trends early in the fiscal year. It is particularly powerful for quickly identifying which months and donor segments are outperforming or underperforming typical results, helping you target interventions where they will have the most impact. This analysis is recommended to be reviewed periodically as part of your Constituent Intelligence routines.

To maximize its impact, assign responsibility for monthly review to your development operations team, and encourage fundraisers to use the insights to tailor messaging and engagement plans for each donor segment. Success can be measured by improved monthly fundraising compared to the baseline, increased retention and recapture rates, and a more efficient allocation of time and resources toward segments with the greatest incremental lift. Over time, effective use of this analysis should translate to sustained revenue growth and deeper constituent relationships.