The $810 Donor Most Nonprofits Are Overlooking

What if your most valuable donor isn’t your largest donor, but someone who starts with a single gift and later becomes a monthly supporter?

In this episode of the NextAfter Minute, Ben Smithee shares findings from NextAfter’s 2025 Recurring Giving Benchmark Study, which analyzed five years of donor data to better understand the long term value of recurring giving.

The study explored what happens when donors who initially make a single gift decide to upgrade to monthly giving. While acquiring new recurring donors is important, the research revealed a significant opportunity among donors who are already supporting an organization.

The result? The average lifetime value of a recurring donor was $594, but donors who upgraded from a single gift to monthly giving had an average lifetime value of $810. That’s a 36% increase. Yet the five year average conversion rate for upgrading donors was just 2.4%.

These findings highlight an important opportunity for nonprofits. Growing recurring revenue isn’t just about attracting new monthly donors. It’s also about creating intentional opportunities for existing donors to deepen their commitment, particularly within the first 60 to 90 days after their initial gift.

NextAfter Insight: Help existing donors become monthly supporters to grow their long term value.

About Ben Smithee

Ben Smithee is the Chief Growth Officer at NextAfter, where he leads marketing, sales, and events while helping nonprofit organizations grow through strategic thinking, research, and meaningful relationships. With more than 15 years of experience in consumer intelligence, analytics, and digital marketing, Ben brings a unique perspective on how organizations can inspire generosity and build lasting donor relationships.