Revenue is Growing. Donor Files are Not.

What BDI Data Says About Digital Fundraising Today

For years, nonprofit growth in the digital space has been tied to a core assumption: if you want to grow revenue, you need to grow your donor file. 

That’s not the reality for nonprofits today. Giving behavior is changing. 

Across BDI’s Rescue Mission partners, we’re seeing revenue increase, even as donor files shrink. This creates a critical challenge for nonprofit leaders: how do you continue to succeed when the traditional model of expanding the donor file is no longer producing the same results? 

In this article, we’ll unpack three key areas around how this data is playing out in digital fundraising and how nonprofit leaders should respond:

1. Growth Is Being Driven by Donor Value, Not Donor Volume 

For BDI Rescue Missions, the total number of active donors in 2025 declined slightly by –0.45%. 

At the same time: 

• Total revenue increased by 2.3%  
• Revenue per donor increased by 2.76%  
• New donor revenue increased by 13.86%  
• Average gift size increased by 3.97%  

In other words, fewer donors are giving, but those who remain are giving at higher levels. 

This is a meaningful shift. Growth is no longer coming primarily from expanding the donor file. It’s increasingly coming from engaging current donors more and increasing their value.  

For digital fundraising programs, this has important implications. 

It requires us to move beyond a singular focus on acquisition metrics. It means building strategies that intentionally develop donors over time through second gifts, sustained engagement and clear pathways into mid-level and major giving. 

The takeaway: Revenue growth today is being driven by how well organizations grow donor relationships.

2. Digital Still Leads Acquisition, but Its Value Is Long-Term 

Digital continues to be the engine of donor acquisition. 

But when we look deeper into the data, digital’s role becomes more nuanced. 

• Online acquisition held steady in volume but saw modest softness in initial gift size.  
• The average 3-year lifetime value of online donors increased by 7.15%.  
• Online one-time gift revenue increased by 9.92%, with a 12.95% increase in the number of gifts.

This reinforces a pattern we continue to see: Digital programs often introduce donors at lower initial gift levels, but those donors grow in value as they remain engaged over time. That means the success of digital acquisition cannot be measured on the first gift alone. Its full impact is realized across the donor lifecycle. 

To fully capture that value, organizations need to ensure their acquisition strategy is directly connected to how donors are nurtured after they enter the file. Understanding where donors come from and how their giving behaviors change is essential to long-term growth. 

The takeaway: Digital acquisition is an essential, long-term value driver when paired with a strong lifecycle strategy. 

3. Acquisition Is Still Critical, but It Must Be Smarter and More Connected

In 2025, BDI’s Rescue Missions experienced an overall 13.86% increase in new donor revenue. 

In your acquisition strategy, it’s important to have an integrated approach where both online and offline channels play a distinct role. The strongest programs bring them together to drive both donor volume and long-term value. 

But acquisition today cannot operate in isolation. 

As donor participation and giving patterns change, it is no longer enough to simply bring new donors into the file. Organizations must also understand: 

•  Which channels bring in the highest-value donors  
• How those donors behave after their first gift  
• What strategies move them toward deeper engagement 

The takeaway: The most effective acquisition strategies are fully connected to the donor lifecycle. 

The Real Opportunity: Utilize Digital to Build a Stronger Donor Lifecycle 

If revenue is growing without meaningful growth in the donor file, the natural next question is: What should organizations prioritize to sustain that growth?

The donor lifecycle. 

Today’s fundraising environment requires a stronger emphasis on how donors grow over time, not just how many donors are acquired. For Rescue Missions, this means prioritizing strategies that move donors forward, including:

• Second-gift conversion  
• Sustainer development  
• Mid-level donor growth  
• Major donor cultivation  
• Thoughtful reactivation

This is where digital programs play a critical role. 

Digital is not just an acquisition tool, but also a primary channel for ongoing engagement. Email, paid media, websites and mobile experiences all shape how donors interact with your organization after their first gift. Organizations that intentionally design these touchpoints to build relationships and trust will see continued growth. 

The takeaway: Long-term growth will be determined by how effectively organizations develop donors, not just how efficiently they acquire them. 

What to Do Now:

•  Build acquisition with the lifecycle in mind. Evaluate how the donors you bring in perform over time. 
  
• Prioritize second-gift and sustainer conversion. Early retention is one of the strongest predictors of long-term value.  
  
• Measure what matters long-term. Track lifetime value, retention and donor progression – not just first-gift performance.  
  
• Align digital and development strategies. Ensure your teams are working together to move donors forward.  
  
• Design digital experiences for relationship as much as for response. Every interaction should reinforce trust and connection. 

Revenue is still growing, but how that growth happens is fundamentally different. The old growth model was built on volume. The next era of fundraising will belong to organizations that know how to grow donor value over time. That shift is already happening. The organizations that recognize this will be best positioned for success in the years ahead.