Ten Year Top 5 Diamond in the Rough Donors
How to use the Diamonds in the rough who started as Bottom Donors analysis
This analysis helps you identify donors who began their support in the lowest giving tier but have since demonstrated exceptional growth. By tracking donor giving patterns over time, it surfaces individuals who started with modest gifts, and within three fiscal years, increased their giving to levels at least three times higher than the bottom segment threshold. It uses historical giving data from your Gifts table, including annual totals, first-year giving, and subsequent three-year performance, and filters for recency and living status to ensure the results are actionable.
You receive a ranked list of standout donors for each acquisition year, focusing on those whose initial support placed them in the lowest tier but who have since shown outsized commitment. Each donor profile includes acquisition year, original giving amount, total giving over the subsequent three fiscal years, their most recent gift date and amount, and the donor's name and ID. These supporting columns, such as last gift date and amount, are especially helpful for planning personalized stewardship and tailored outreach, as they provide context on each donor's recent engagement and preferred giving level.
The key metric here is the subsequent three Fiscal Year giving -the total donated in the three years after acquisition. By limiting the list to donors whose giving tripled the bottom-tier maximum, and ranking the top 10 per year, you can quickly spot high-potential individuals who have responded well to cultivation. This empowers you to recognize and nurture emerging major donors who might otherwise be overlooked if you focused only on initial gift size.
You should use this analysis to inform upgrade strategies, stewardship planning, and personalized communications for donors with strong upward trajectories. Annual and major gift officers, as well as stewardship leads, should review it to flag diamonds in the rough for targeted engagement, invitation to special events, or inclusion in upgraded portfolios. You can also use these insights to recognize the effectiveness of acquisition and cultivation programs designed to grow smaller donors.
Success can be measured by tracking the retention and upgrade rates of these identified donors, monitoring increases in their future giving, and assessing the effectiveness of personalized outreach efforts. This analysis is recommended to be reviewed periodically as part of your Constituent Intelligence routines, ensuring you consistently surface and act on emerging donor growth trends.
Analytics Reference: QX75
Focus: 2.4: Upward Segment Migration
Type: Cohort | Lifecycle: Growth/Upgrade | Time: Retrospective | Audience: Operational
Segments: Top, Middle | Scope: Individual Donor
COLLECTIONS: Growth & Upgrade Pipeline
WORKFLOWS: Upgrade Pipeline Assessment (Step 5)
VARIANT FAMILY: Diamond in the Rough (variant variants)
Other members: QX76 Diamonds in the Rough who started as Middle D
ALSO TRY: QX149 Multi-year Donor Upgrade Analysis; QX23 Average Time to Top Segment Donor -First; QX25 Middle to Top Donor Pathway
Columns included in this analytic: Acquisition FY, Rank, Donor Name, Acquisition Year Giving, Subsequent 3-FY Giving, Last Gift Date, Last Gift Amount, Constituent ID, Constituency, Assigned Fundraiser, Total Writeoffs, Net Lifetime Giving