This is some text inside of a div block.
Explore more blogs
Nonprofit operations

15 fundraising performance metrics every nonprofit should track

Learn the fundraising KPIs that reveal more than total dollars raised—with formulas, benchmarks, and a free tracker for creating a board-ready report.

Kate Romain
August 19, 2026
Nerd Mr Butter

Table of contents

This is some text inside of a div block.

Table of contents

Share this article

share email
Email icon
https://givebutter.com/blog/fundraising-performance-metrics
Copied!
share linkedin
Linkedin icon
share twitter
Twitter icon
share facebook
Discover how to set a SMART fundraising goal →

15 fundraising performance metrics to track over time

The list below provides a roadmap for evaluating your fundraising performance and informing your strategy. We’ll explain what each metric measures, why it matters, and how to use it to make better fundraising decisions.

Use these fundraising benchmarks as a guide alongside your organization’s own results over time. Don’t get disheartened if you fall below a benchmark—even a little progress can make a big difference to your fundraising effectiveness.

MetricGood benchmarkWhy it matters
Donor retention rateAbout 45% sector average; 50%+ is strongIndicates long-term investment in your mission and greater financial stability
Average gift sizeStability or steady growth over timeShows whether individual donations are growing or shrinking and helps you set realistic fundraising goals
Cost per dollar raised (CPDR)Under $0.25 per dollar raisedMeasures how efficiently your fundraising dollars are spent
Donor acquisition rate50% or higherIndicates interest in your mission and helps predict growth
LYBUNT & SYBUNTStability or steady decrease over timeIdentifies lapsed donors who may be ready to reengage
Donor lifetime value (DLV)Stability or steady growth over timeHelps determine how much to spend acquiring or retaining a donor
Recurring donor rate20% or higherIndicates long-term stability and more predictable revenue
Donor upgrade rate10%–20% of retained donorsShows whether existing donors are deepening their support
Campaign conversion rateVaries; track and improve over timeMeasures how effectively campaign-page visits turn into gifts
Revenue per campaignVaries; compare similar campaignsHelps identify your strongest campaign formats
Online giving rateStability or steady growth over timeSignals donor engagement and campaign effectiveness
Major donor concentration70% or less of revenue comes from major donorsHigh concentration signals risk and highlights the need to diversify revenue
Average time between first and second gift90 days or lessHelps you connect with new donors when they’re most likely to reengage
Lapsed donor rateStability or steady decrease over timeSignals when to invest in donor reengagement
Average net revenue per fundraising eventSteady or increasing net revenue per eventSignals which events are worth repeating

💡 Pro tip: You don’t have to track all 15 metrics at once. Start with 2–3 KPIs, review them regularly, and add more as your fundraising priorities and strategy evolve.

1. Donor retention rate ❤️

Donor retention rate measures how many supporters continue giving from one year to the next.

📐 Formula: (Returning donors ÷ last year’s donors) × 100
🎯 Healthy benchmark: Recent Fundraising Effectiveness Project data puts Keep donors coming back with the top donor retention strategies →

2. Average gift size 💵

Tracking average gift size over time helps you plan for dips and growth in total revenue. Plus, you can estimate how many new donors you’ll need to reach a particular fundraising goal.

📐 Formula: Total donation revenue ÷ number of gifts
🎯 Healthy benchmark: There’s no universal target—look for stability or steady growth over time.
🌟 Why it matters: Even a small increase in average gift size can have a big impact on total revenue. Healthy gift growth over time can give you more resources to invest in your mission and programming.

3. Cost per dollar raised (CPDR) 🪙

Cost per dollar raised measures how much you spend to raise each fundraising dollar.

📐 Formula: Total fundraising expenses ÷ total funds raised
🎯 Healthy benchmark: Aim for less than $0.25 per dollar raised.
🌟 Why it matters: Alongside fundraising ROI, cost per dollar raised helps you evaluate fundraising efficiency and keep campaigns on budget. A lower CPDR means more of every dollar raised can support your mission.

4. Donor acquisition rate 🧑‍🤝‍🧑

Your Learn how to find & reengage LYBUNT & SYBUNT donors →

6. Donor lifetime value (DLV) 👵

Donor lifetime value helps you estimate the total long-term revenue you’ll receive from each donor.

📐 Formula: Average gift × average gift frequency × average donor lifespan
🎯 Healthy benchmark: There’s no universal benchmark—focus on maintaining steady growth over time.
🌟 Why it matters: DLV helps you consider the full value of each donor instead of measuring their support based on one campaign or gift. Plus, it can help you identify key Launch your monthly giving program in just a few steps →

8. Donor upgrade rate 🌟

Your donor upgrade rate measures the percentage of retained donors who increased their total giving compared with the previous year.

📐 Formula: (Retained donors who gave more this year ÷ total retained donors) × 100
🎯 Healthy benchmark: An upgrade rate of 10%–20% of retained donors is a solid target.
🌟 Why it matters: A higher upgrade rate shows supporters deepening their investment in your mission. Monitoring upgrades helps you create more targeted engagement opportunities and strengthen donor loyalty.

💡 Pro tip: Givebutter’s customizable Use nonprofit analytics to raise more →

11. Online giving rate 💻

Your online giving rate tracks the percentage of donation revenue received online compared with other giving channels, such as in-person events or direct mail campaigns.

📐 Formula: (Online donation revenue ÷ total donation revenue) × 100
🎯 Healthy benchmark: There’s no universal benchmark—look for stability or steady growth over time.
🌟 Why it matters: Tracking your online giving rate helps you understand your donors’ payment preferences and determine how much to invest in your digital fundraising experience.

12. Major donor concentration 💰

Major donor concentration measures the percentage of total fundraising revenue that comes from your largest donors.

📐 Formula: (Revenue from your top 10 donors ÷ total fundraising revenue) × 100
🎯 Healthy benchmark: 70% or less
🌟 Why it matters: If your major donor concentration is high, your organization is at greater risk if one or two major givers lapse. Tracking this metric can help you diversify your revenue streams and minimize that risk.

13. Average time between first & second gift 🎁

The time between a donor’s first and second gifts can reveal whether a new supporter is developing into a long-term donor. NonProfit PRO recommends How to avoid donor ghosting: Do’s & don’ts for nonprofits →

15. Average net revenue per fundraising event 🎉

This metric measures how much net revenue each fundraising event generates after costs.

📐 Formula: (Total event revenue − total event costs) ÷ number of events
🎯 Healthy benchmark: There’s no universal benchmark—look for steady or increasing net revenue per event.
🌟 Why it matters: Measuring net revenue per event helps you identify your most successful events, budget for future fundraisers, and make smarter decisions about which events to repeat.

lightbulb icon
Report your impact
Turn your results into a compelling nonprofit annual report →

Download your free fundraising metrics tracker

Ready to put these fundraising metrics into action? Our free fundraising metrics tracker does the math for you. Enter your nonprofit’s data to automatically calculate all 15 KPIs, compare your results with helpful benchmarks, and create a board-ready summary of your wins, priorities, and next steps.

Freebie alert!
Download your free fundraising metrics tracker →

Track your fundraising performance metrics with Givebutter

You don’t need to start with all 15 metrics. Begin with four key KPIs, review them over time, and add more as your strategy grows. Even a few small changes based on your data can have a major impact on your organization’s long-term financial stability.

Givebutter is an all-in-one fundraising platform and CRM that takes the heavy lifting out of data tracking. Its free core tools make it easy to view transaction data, create donor segments, access campaign reports, and export your data across fundraising campaigns and events. With Givebutter Plus, you can also create charts and visualizations, save report configurations, and uncover even deeper donor insights.

Do more with your data with Givebutter Plus

Sign up - it’s free
Learn more

Sign up for a free Givebutter account and start turning your fundraising data into smarter decisions.

FAQs about fundraising performance metrics

What are the most important fundraising metrics to track?

Donor retention rate, average gift size, cost per dollar raised, and recurring donor rate provide a strong picture of your financial health. If your team only has the bandwidth to track a few metrics, start with these before branching out to KPIs like lapsed donor rate or revenue per campaign.

How often should nonprofits review fundraising metrics?

Review your core fundraising metrics monthly or quarterly, as well as after major campaigns and events. Comparing results over time will help you identify meaningful trends and give your board a clearer picture of your fundraising performance.

Do I need special software to track fundraising metrics?

No. You can start with a spreadsheet or a free fundraising metrics tracker. However, the right CRM makes it easier to keep donor, campaign, event, major gift, and recurring donation data organized in one place.

Givebutter’s free fundraising platform and CRM help you organize and export your data. With Givebutter Plus, you can also generate reports and save report configurations to monitor trends over time.

Share this article

Subscribe

Don’t miss out on weekly insights!
150K+ changemakers already subscribed
Newsletters
Success! Check your inbox, good news is on its way 💛
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Copy Page

Raise funds better, faster, and for free with Givebutter

Request a demo →

More to explore

Butter character holding heart with donor profiles in background

Top 5 donor retention strategies for nonprofits

Learn how to calculate your donor retention rate and discover the top five ways to keep supporters coming back year after year.

by 
Rachel Ayotte
Top 5 donor retention strategies for nonprofits
Butter character standing next to target

How to set a fundraising goal (step-by-step guide for nonprofits)

Learn how to set SMART fundraising goals that fuel your mission and help you raise more—plus fundraising goal examples to guide your strategy.

by 
Kate Romain
How to set a fundraising goal (step-by-step guide for nonprofits)
Individual explaining donor segmentation to their team

Donor segmentation cheat sheet: Your path to growth

One-size-fits-all fundraising doesn’t work. Learn how to create a donor segmentation strategy that boosts engagement, retention, and donations.

by 
Rachel Ayotte
Donor segmentation cheat sheet: Your path to growth
Mr Butter having its board member orientation

Board member orientation: What to include & how to run it

Many new board members receive no orientation and are left to figure it out on their own. Improve confidence and engagement across your board by introducing a simple and clear orientation experience.

by 
Nicola Scoon
Board member orientation: What to include & how to run it
Mr Butter checking a board member application

Nonprofit board member application template (free download)

Get your free nonprofit board member application template so you can find, vet, and onboard best-fit candidates.

by 
Nicola Scoon
Nonprofit board member application template (free download)
Explore all blogs

Never miss a thing

Stay updated on our latest insights, events, and good news
Newsletters
Success! Check your inbox, good news is on its way 💛
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Raise more. Pay less. Give better.
Solutions
Donation formsFundraising pagesFundraising eventsAuctionsNonprofit CRMDonor engagementWalletMobile appIntegrationsGivebutter Plus
Resources
Butter BlogFreebiesSuccess storiesEventsFundraising ideasGivebutter ExpertsProduct educationAll features
Support
Help centerContact usProduct roadmapChangelogFree demoTrust & safety
About
About GivebutterPricingCareersPartnerPress
Receive fundraising tips and product updates every week, sent straight to your inbox
Success! Check your inbox, good news is on its way 💛
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Givebutter partners with Stripe Payments Company for money transmission services and account services with funds held at Fifth Third Bank N. A., Member FDIC. Givebutter Wallet Visa® Commercial cards are powered by Stripe and issued by Celtic Bank.