Historical Year over Year Analysis

Historical YOY Analysis

How to use the Historical YOY Analysis analysis

The Historical YOY Analysis gives you a year-over-year view of donor giving patterns, donor retention, and overall fundraising performance, all built from your actual giving data. By tracking each donor's total giving by fiscal year and categorizing them into dynamic segments based on giving thresholds (Top, Middle, and Bottom), you gain actionable insights into how different donor groups contribute to your mission over time. The analysis draws from the Gifts table, leveraging gift dates and amounts, and uses custom thresholds stored in your system to define donor tiers. It also identifies key donor lifecycle moments, such as who is retained, who is new, who has been recaptured after lapsing, and who has lapsed, so you can better understand the flow of your donor base.

You will see annual metrics including the number of donors, total amount raised, median and average gift size, and the breakdown of giving by donor segment. The analysis calculates retention rates, lapsed donors, and the share of giving from top, middle, and bottom donors, all of which are essential indicators for evaluating the health and sustainability of your fundraising program. For instance, the retention rate indicates how well you're keeping donors engaged year after year, while the recaptured donor metric highlights your success in reactivating lapsed supporters.

Strategically, this analysis empowers you to identify trends—such as shifts in donor retention, growing dependence on top donors, or changes in the median gift size—that should inform your stewardship and cultivation plans. If you notice a decline in retention or a spike in lapsed donors, you can target re-engagement campaigns more effectively. The segmentation allows you to tailor communication and recognition strategies for top, middle, and bottom donors, optimizing your approach for each group. Scheduling note: This analysis is recommended to be reviewed periodically as part of your Constituent Intelligence routines.

Development directors and donor stewardship teams should review this analysis together, ideally before strategic planning cycles and after major campaigns. Use the insights to set retention goals, allocate stewardship resources, and personalize outreach, especially by focusing on recaptured and new donors to build long-term loyalty. Success should be measured by improvements in donor retention, growth in the number of recaptured donors, and increases in both total and median giving over time. Regular use of this analysis will help you make data-driven decisions, strengthen constituent relationships, and drive sustainable growth in fundraising.

Analytics Reference: QX85

Focus: 1.1: Year-over-Year Donation Trends

Type: Summary+Detail | Lifecycle: Acquisition, Retention | Time: Retrospective (Multi-Year) | Audience: Operational

Segments: All/None specified | Scope: Organization

COLLECTIONS: New Development Director Starter Kit, Board Meeting Prep, Annual Fund Health Check

WORKFLOWS: Annual Fundraising Review (Step 2)

ALSO TRY: QX38 Historical Summary Data; QX162 Simple YOY Retention by Segment View; QX139 Multi-Year Revenue Projection; QX180 Global Revenue Bridge Waterfall -LFY

RUN FIRST: QX38 Historical Summary Data