How to grow your donor pipeline in today’s climate
At our recent Advancement Leaders Summit, I was struck by how many VPs leaned forward when the conversation turned to pipeline development. You could sense the weight of the question: How do we grow our donor pipeline in today’s climate?
The pressure is real. Advancement teams are being asked to reverse the decline in alumni participation, attract more donors, and raise more dollars, all while navigating one of the most challenging fundraising environments in years. At the same time, donors are harder to reach and more cautious in a strained economy.
What struck me just as much was the determination to act. Leaders spoke about their eagerness to test new approaches and bring fresh ideas back to their teams. That mindset is powerful. It’s what will help institutions find new audiences and build donor relationships that endure.
In this blog, I’ll share three strategies to help you address immediate fundraising needs while also replenishing the pipeline so tomorrow’s prospects don’t run dry.
1. Invest in digital to find new donors
Reaching people is harder than ever. Alumni aren’t engaging with email the way they once did, and younger generations view print differently than their parents and grandparents. Even when they notice a mailing, they expect a simple, seamless way to respond. We also know that tried-and-true methods of acquisition (direct mail, phonathons, even big event pushes) just aren’t producing the same results on their own anymore.
This is where digital changes the game. Print and email have their place, but digital campaigns unlock what those channels can’t:
- Re-engage alumni you’ve lost track of, even those who haven’t opened an email in years.
- Show up where younger donors spend their time online, with personalized messages that meet their expectations.
- Introduce your mission to new audiences like parents, community members, and others who may never appear in your database.
And by digital, I don’t just mean tossing a few posts on social media and hoping they land. I mean a more strategic approach that uses paid, targeted ads to reach donors where they already are—whether that’s LinkedIn during the workday, Instagram during downtime, or YouTube when they’re catching up on content. For advancement, that can look like:
- Running Facebook and Instagram ads during Giving Day to capture alumni who haven’t opened your emails.
- Retargeting website visitors who browsed your campaign page but never made a gift, reminding them to complete their donation.
- Promoting scholarship stories on LinkedIn to reach alumni and parents who care about student success but aren’t on your mailing list.
- Using geotargeted ads around campus during reunion season to drive attendance or participation in class challenges.
This type of strategy goes far beyond what organic posts can achieve. It allows you to deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time—and in higher education, that difference often determines whether someone makes a gift.
2. Keep donors close with behavior-based stewardship
Bringing new donors in is only the first step. The real work is keeping them. Donors who don’t feel thanked or see the impact of their support often drift away, while those who feel recognized and connected are much more likely to renew, increase their giving, and stay with your institution for the long haul. That’s where behavior-based stewardship and donor relations come in: meeting donors with the right touch at the right time, based on their actions and preferences.
This approach doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does require consistency. A note after a first gift, a quick phone call when a donor renews early, or a short video update when they respond to a survey—all of these signal that you’re paying attention. Regular updates about how their support helps students or advances your mission further reinforces that connection in a way that feels personal, not transactional.
When your team is stretched thin, it’s tempting to prioritize acquisition over stewardship. But retaining the donors you already have, and responding to their behavior, is one of the smartest investments you can make in pipeline health. It’s what builds the base for every upgrade and major gift that comes later.
3. Focus on mid-level and leadership donors
Once you’ve brought donors in and kept them engaged through stewardship, the next opportunity is growth. Mid-level and leadership annual giving donors are often overlooked, but they can be some of the most powerful contributors to your program. They may represent only 5-10% of your donor base, but they can often account for 40-50% of individual donor revenue.
The best way to unlock their potential is through data. Patterns in giving can signal when someone is ready for a bigger ask—like the alum who has given $250 three years in a row, or the parent who quietly increased their giving this year. Noticing those moments and responding with timely, personal outreach creates the opening for that next-level gift.
Still, many teams don’t devote enough attention to this group. And that’s a missed opportunity, because mid-level donors provide the dependable revenue you count on today and are also the most likely to become tomorrow’s major gift donors. For VPs balancing today’s pressures with tomorrow’s needs, this is one of the most valuable places to focus your team’s attention.
Pipeline development has always been at the center of advancement work, but it feels especially urgent right now. The truth is this work never really ends. Donors evolve, circumstances shift, and the strategies that worked yesterday may not carry us into tomorrow.
That’s why I see pipeline building not as a project with an endpoint, but as a shared effort that is always evolving. No single team or leader has fully solved it. We move forward by testing new approaches, learning from what works (and what doesn’t), and listening closely to one another.
The future of donor growth will belong to those willing to adapt, experiment, and stay open to new ways of doing this work. If we bring that mindset, we won’t just sustain progress—we’ll give our institutions the chance to thrive for years to come.
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How to use fall to strengthen alumni relationships and grow your pipeline
Why you can’t afford to cut back on annual giving
