Donors & fundraising

Lapsed donor survey template

Why a donor stopped giving and what would bring them back, sent with no ask attached.

4 questions · about 2 minutes to complete · free on every plan

Free account required. The template is copied into your workspace; edit anything before publishing.

When to use it: Twelve to eighteen months after the last gift.
Who it is for: Donors who have not given in a year.

How to use this template

Send it after a thank-you, never with an ask.
Ask about communication preferences; it is the cheapest retention lever.
Share what you learned and one change you made. People answer the next survey when the last one visibly mattered.

Questions in the lapsed donor survey template

1. Which best describes why you have not given recently?
single choice · My finances changed, I give to other causes now, I did not hear how my gift was used, Too many appeals, I lost touch with the organisation, No particular reason, Other
2. What would make you consider giving again?
multi choice · Clear impact reports, Fewer appeals, A specific project to fund, An event or visit, Nothing at the moment
3. How would you like to stay in touch, if at all?
single choice · Email updates, Annual report only, No contact please
4. Anything you would like us to know?
open text

What the results look like

IllustrativeSynthetic sample of 120 responses generated for this preview, not real survey data. Your results page shows the same charts for your own responses.

1.Which best describes why you have not given recently?

120 answered

Answer distribution
Answer	Count	Percent
My finances changed	11	9%
I give to other causes now	20	17%
I did not hear how my gift was used	29	24%
Too many appeals	29	24%
I lost touch with the organisation	8	7%
No particular reason	11	9%
Other	12	10%

2.What would make you consider giving again?

113 answered

Answer distribution
Answer	Count	Percent
Clear impact reports	49	43%
Fewer appeals	77	68%
A specific project to fund	36	32%
An event or visit	73	65%
Nothing at the moment	57	50%

3.How would you like to stay in touch, if at all?

120 answered

Answer distribution
Answer	Count	Percent
Email updates	19	16%
Annual report only	56	47%
No contact please	45	38%

How to read these questions

single choice: Read the share choosing each option, then cross-tab by a segment question to see who differs.
multi choice: Percentages add up to more than 100% because people can pick several. Compare options by share of respondents, not share of picks.

Frequently asked questions

What should a donor survey ask?

Why they first gave, what impact they want to see, how often and through which channel they want updates, and whether they would consider recurring giving.

How long does the lapsed donor survey take to complete?

About 2 minutes: 4 questions, most of them single-tap. Every question can be edited, removed or reordered in the builder before you publish.

Is this template free to use?

Yes. Every template is included on the Free plan. Sign up, click Use this template, and it is copied into your workspace where you can edit it, add your logo and share it by link, email or embed.