LYBUNT and SYBUNT: How to identify and re-engage lapsed donors

Most nonprofits chase new donors, but here’s the hard truth: acquiring a new donor costs five times more than retaining an existing one. Even worse, many nonprofits let their LYBUNT and SYBUNT donors slip away without a second thought—leaving thousands, or even millions, in lost donations on the table. 

Treating lapsed donors as “lost causes” is one of the biggest mistakes nonprofits make in fundraising. In reality, these donors are already primed to give again—you just need the right strategies to re-engage them. 

In this blog, we’ll show you how to identify your lapsed donors, understand why they stopped giving, and bring them back stronger than ever.

What do LYBUNT and SYBUNT mean? 

SYBUNT stands for ‘some year but unfortunately not this year’ while LYBUNT stands for ‘last year but unfortunately not this year.’ 

Even though SYBUNT and LYBUNT meanings are slightly different, tracking both donor groups can help you better predict yearly donations and reach your annual fundraising goal. 

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Why do LYBUNT donors stop giving? 

LYBUNT donors—those who gave last year but not this year—stop giving for a variety of reasons. While some are beyond your control, like financial struggles or shifting priorities, many can be addressed with the right strategy. 

Donors often lapse because they:

• Don't feel appreciated 🙏  If donors don’t receive thank yous or don’t see the impact of their gift, they may forget why they gave in the first place.
  
• Don’t feel emotionally connected 💛 Donors want to feel good about their contributions, and if they don’t, they’re unlikely to give again.
  
• Don’t feel a sense of belonging 👥 People give when they feel like they’re part of something bigger. When they feel connected to a cause, commitment and loyalty follow.

How to identify and segment LYBUNT donors

1. Use a nonprofit CRM to pull LYBUNT donor reports 📊

A donor management CRM can automatically generate LYBUNT reports, making it easy to identify donors who gave last year but haven’t donated this year. Here’s how:

1. Set your time frame 📅 Define the reporting period (e.g., last calendar or fiscal year) to pull a list of donors who contributed then but haven’t given since.
   
2. Filter by donation history 💸 Use your CRM’s filters to identify donors who made at least one gift last year but none this year.
   
3. Export and review the data 📊 Double-check accuracy before moving on to segmentation.

2. Break donors into meaningful segments 👥

Not all LYBUNT donors are the same. Segmenting them allows for more personalized outreach, increasing your nonprofit’s chances of re-engagement. 

When identifying LYBUNT donors, consider breaking them into segments like:

• First-time vs. repeat donors: First-time donors may need extra encouragement, while repeat donors might respond well to a reminder of their past commitment.
• Major vs. small-dollar donors: Major donors often require a personal touch (like a phone call), while small-dollar donors may be more responsive to email or text messages.
• One-time vs. recurring donors: One-time donors might need an extra incentive to give again, such as a matching gift opportunity. For lapsed recurring donors, targeted outreach that acknowledges their past commitment may be more effective.
• Donors by giving motivation: Use past interactions, survey data, or notes from donor meetings to tailor messages based on why they gave.

5 ways to prevent donors from becoming LYBUNT 

Strong donor stewardship ensures that supporters feel valued and connected to your mission year-round—not just when you need another gift. Here’s how to keep donors engaged before they become LYBUNT:

1. Thank donors promptly and meaningfully 🙏

One of the most effective ways to retain donors is by thanking them promptly and meaningfully. 

Send an acknowledgment email immediately after a gift is made, followed by a personalized thank you letter for mid-to-large donors. A thank you phone call can go a long way, too.

2. Show impact beyond the ask 🚀

Beyond expressing gratitude, it’s essential to show donors the tangible impact of their contributions. You can do this by:

• Sending regular updates: Send donors emails and newsletters and post on social media about how donor gifts are making an impact.
• Using testimonials: Highlight real stories of how previous donations have changed lives or made a difference to create an emotional connection.
• Showing behind-the-scenes: Offer videos, interviews, or special reports to make donors feel like insiders in your mission.

3. Keep donors involved in non-monetary ways 🎊

Keeping donors engaged beyond financial contributions strengthens their connection to your organization. Invite them to appreciation events, volunteer opportunities, or virtual Q&A sessions with leadership. These touchpoints help maintain their commitment and keep them engaged with your mission.

4. Provide easy, flexible giving options 💸

Flexible giving options make it easier for supporters to continue donating. To prevent donor lapse, be sure to offer:

• Recurring giving: Allow donors to give monthly, quarterly, or annually.
• Alternative giving: Offer options like donor-advised funds, stock donations, or workplace giving.
• Easy upgrades or downgrades: Give donors the flexibility to scale their donations up or down as needed. This will prevent them from dropping off completely.

5. Use your data 📉

One of the best ways to prevent donors from lapsing is by tracking donor engagement. Review your CRM or run some reports to identify donors who:

❌ Skipped their usual donation month
❌ Didn’t open emails or attend recent events
❌ Decreased their donation amounts over time

Spotting these trends early allows for proactive re-engagement before donors are lost.

6 tools you need to run SYBUNT and LYBUNT reports 

To effectively identify and engage your SYBUNT and LYBUNT donors, you’ll need a donor database or CRM system. Fortunately, Givebutter provides powerful donation management tools, including the world’s first free nonprofit CRM, to help you track, understand, and communicate with your audience.

Leverage Givebutter’s built-in CRM to push your LYBUNT and SYBUNT groups over the finish line with these features:

1. Donor segments 🔎

To run a LYBUNT report, filter donor giving history by "last year,"  and then compare those who gave last year to those who haven’t given this year to create a LYBUNT segment. Your SYBUNT segment will include past donors who haven’t given in the last two years.

Givebutter's CRM offers a robust donor segments feature, including preset LYBUNT and SYBUNT segments—so you can identify (and re-engage!) these groups with just the click of a button.

Givebutter offers administrative tools to quickly understand who our donors are and opportunities to engage them as champions of our organization.”— Givebutter review, Ali, K.

2. Advanced filtering 🔎

While Givebutter's reporting function includes preset LYBUNT and SYBUNT segments, you can also create custom segments using advanced filtering for even more precise targeting.

Organize donors into tailored groups based on giving history, event attendance, contact tags, custom fields, and other details. You can then use these segments to generate donor reports, send targeted messages, and improve donor relations and donor stewardship.

3. Targeted messages 📪

After saving your LYBUNT and SYBUNT segments, use targeted messaging to steward them. Givebutter's built-in marketing automation tools make it easy to re-engage lapsed donors and inspire them to give again.

Send your audience free SMS messages, emails, or invitations to upcoming fundraising events to help move them further down the pipeline.

4. Automated thank yous 📩

One of the easiest ways to turn one-time supporters into recurring donors is by thanking them for their contribution.

Givebutter helps you boost your donor retention rate by automatically sending donation receipts after every transaction. These can be customized with a quick thank you message and your organization’s branding.

⭐ Pro tip: Want an innovative way to express your gratitude? Leverage Givebutter’s ThankView integration to create personalized thank you videos for new and recurring supporters.

5. DonorSearch 💪

Want to learn more about the giving capacity of your lapsed donors? Givebutter’s integration with DonorSearch allows you to uncover valuable wealth screening metrics about your audience.

This helps you identify potential major donors in your audience and tailor your SYBUNT or LYBUNT messaging strategy based on their giving capacity.

6. End-of-year reports 📆

Giving donors a clear view of how their past contributions made an impact can increase the likelihood of future gifts. SYBUNT or LYBUNT reports are especially valuable for sharing this information with lapsed donors and influencing next year’s fundraising strategy.

Givebutter makes it easy to generate end-of-year reports. You can run individual or household giving reports directly from your dashboard, share reports via PDF or a unique link, and even customize them with your organization’s logo.

Best practices for LYBUNT donor re-engagement 

Once you have all your data, it’s time to bring donors back. Re-engaging lapsed donors is often more about psychology—ensuring they feel appreciated, heard, and connected.

• Encourage honest feedback 💛 Reconnecting with lapsed donors is a great opportunity to gather important insights into how they view your organization. Consider sending a short survey to understand why they stopped giving and what might encourage them to return. You can also invite them to share their thoughts via email or phone call.
• Offer re-engagement options 💸 Put donors in control by giving them plenty of engagement options—such as setting up a recurring gift, making a small donation, or even volunteering.
• Use peer influences 👥 One of the best ways to re-engage donors is to tap into your current support network. Encourage current donors, board members, or even volunteers to reach out to lapsed donors within their networks.‍
• Follow up consistently 🔄 Reconnecting with lapsed donors can take time. Send periodic updates without including a fundraising appeal. Plus, be sure to acknowledge the anniversary of their last gift with a special note or update.
• Get personal ⚡Donors should feel like they’re receiving a personalized message. When addressing donors, be sure to use their names, donation details, and other pertinent information. 
• Use multichannel follow-up 💌 Emails alone may not be enough. A multichannel approach—including mailings, SMS texts, and even calling supporters directly—can increase your chances of reconnecting with lapsed donors.
• Incentivize renewed giving 🎁 Giving donors a reason to act now can help overcome inertia. Consider offering incentives like a matching gift opportunity or exclusive perks like a behind-the-scenes look at your nonprofit.
• Leverage automation ⚒️ Re-engagement campaigns don’t need to be manual. Automate your LYBUNT email series, create workflows and tasks for follow-ups, and track engagement metrics using nonprofit CRM and marketing tools.

Free LYBUNT letter template

Once you’ve run your reports, it’s time to reach out to your lapsed donors with personalized messaging.

Need some help getting started? Download our free lapsed donor letter template and fill in the blanks with your nonprofit’s details and donor’s contact information.

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Download a customizable lapsed donor letter template ->

Run your LYBUNT and SYBUNT reports through Givebutter

To hit your fundraising goals, you need to know which supporters are most likely to give again. LYBUNT and SYBUNT segments target donors who have given before and are more likely to contribute again with the right outreach strategy.

With Givebutter’s donor management tools and built-in CRM, you can store donor data, filter contacts by giving history, run year-end reports, and track LYBUNT and SYBUNT donors using preset segments. Then, leverage Givebutter’s nonprofit marketing software to launch a donor stewardship strategy combining email automation, SMS messaging, social media, and more.

Ready to see how Givebutter’s all-in-one platform can help transform your fundraising? Create your free account today!