At RevUp Growth Partners, we work with both for-profit and nonprofit organizations. And while the tax codes may be different, the goal is often the same: grow the number of people who believe in what you’re doing and keep them coming back.
We (Brian and Cheryl) happen to be married, raising kids, and running a company together, and we still manage to like each other most days. One of the things we consistently agree on, aside from our shared love of Taco Tuesday, is that retention is almost always more powerful and more profitable than acquisition.
So we sat down and asked each other a few big questions about customer and donor retention in 2025. Here’s what we had to say, drawing on lessons from nonprofit development, for-profit sales and marketing, and years of spirited dinner debates.
1. What’s one of the biggest mistakes organizations make when it comes to retention?
Cheryl: Too many nonprofits treat donors like ATMs. They reach out when they need something, not when they have something meaningful to share. This is true for both major donors and for grassroots campaigns like email and direct mail. If the only time I hear from you is when you’re asking for support, that’s not a relationship. That’s a transaction.
Brian: In the business world, same thing, just with flashier branding. I’ve seen companies roll out the red carpet during the sales process, with personalized demos, follow-up calls, and all the bells and whistles. But once the deal is done, they vanish. It’s like a car salesperson who works overtime to earn your business, then never checks in to see if you’re enjoying the ride or if you know anyone else who’s car shopping.
Cheryl: It always comes back to a car metaphor.
2. What role does technology play in building stronger relationships with customers or donors?
Retention is not just about showing up at the right time. It is also about using the right tools to do it well. So let’s talk tech.
Cheryl: It’s a superpower if you actually use it consistently and well. Your CRM and email system should help support your team in staying organized about building relationships, not give them another reason to avoid logging in. And most importantly: your relationship strategy should come first. A good tech stack should support the fundraising strategy that you identify, not the other way around. Too many organizations use a feature just because it’s there, not because it is aligned with their goals or audience.
The great news is that you don’t need a fancy, expensive system to do this. There are so many tech tools out there now that can accomplish basic personalization and automation. Many of them are free or very affordable.
Brian: Yes to all of that. Tech should help you scale your relationship with your customers. Know what they care about, when they last engaged, and what they might need next. And if your CRM gives you anxiety every time you open it, call us. We’ve been in that therapy session.
One of our clients set up a simple workflow that flagged customers who had not engaged in 90 days. Instead of blasting them with a promo, the sales team reached out with a helpful check-in. No selling, just support. That small shift led to a 23% reactivation rate over two months.
3. How should teams balance automation with personalization in 2025?
Cheryl: Automation is the scaffolding, not the house. It supports your communication but doesn’t replace the work of actually knowing your audience. The best-performing campaigns we’ve seen use automation to remind humans to act like humans. A thoughtful email or handwritten note still works in 2025, I promise.
Brian: I’ll play devil’s advocate here. That is also my unofficial title at RevUp. When done right, automation can feel incredibly personal. But the key is intent. If you’re automating a message just to check a box, people know. Use automation to create space for real, timely moments of connection, not to replace them.
Cheryl: Did you just say I was right?
Brian: Let the record show I said you were mostly right.
4. What’s a retention strategy you’ve seen recently that really impressed you?
A lot of advice about retention is theoretical. So we asked ourselves what strategies we’ve actually seen work in the wild.
Cheryl: It sounds really simple, but my favorite relationship-building strategy for priority donors is a simple, three-bullet-point email directly from the CEO. It’s like, “Hey, I wanted to share these things, I’m thinking about these things, and I appreciate you. Can we get coffee?” A really informal tone that invites donors to “peek behind the veil.” You can write a version of this that gets slightly personalized for each donor, and send it out to 15-20 people in a really short amount of time.
The best part? It’s not overproduced. These updates are short, honest, and focused on people, not stats. – You don’t need perfect outcomes or data, just authentic headlines. Sometimes what builds trust is less polish and more purpose.
Brian: A SaaS company we work with built a quarterly value scorecard for each customer. Instead of assuming the client understood the value, they spelled it out with data. How much time they saved, what features they used, what they accomplished. It helped reposition the relationship from vendor to strategic partner.
We even helped them tweak the format so account managers could present it in live check-in calls. Suddenly, retention was no longer reactive. It became proactive. Customers were not wondering if the product was working. They were excited to see how much more they could get from it.
Cheryl: So the takeaway is, don’t just say thank you. Show them the difference they’re making.
Brian: Exactly. Help people see their impact, not just their invoice.
5. If you could wave a magic wand and fix one thing about how most orgs approach retention, what would it be?
Cheryl: Stop treating it like a fundraising strategy and start treating it like a relationship strategy. If you wouldn’t speak to a friend the way you speak to your donors, maybe don’t.
Brian: For businesses, have a real plan after the sale. Don’t assume customers will remember your value. Remind them. Deliver it. Build on it. If you ghost your customers, don’t be surprised when they move on.
Cheryl: He’s right again. Twice in one blog. Write it down.
Whether you’re running a business or a nonprofit, retention is not about clinging. It is about cultivating. Your customers and donors want to feel seen, valued, and part of something that matters.
One of the most powerful ways to build that connection is by showing them the impact they’re having. Not just saying thank you, but proving their time, money, or loyalty is creating real results. When people can see the difference they’re making, they’re far more likely to stick around and bring others with them.