How to Build a Pipeline of Individual Donors: The 5-Step Framework

“If we could just get 100 more donors this year, everything would change.”

Sound familiar? For most nonprofits, the hardest part of fundraising isn’t writing the perfect grant or landing a big corporate sponsor — it’s finding and keeping individual donors.

Individual donors are one of the largest, most reliable source of nonprofit funding. According to the Giving USA 2024 report, individual contributions accounted for approximately 67% of total charitable giving in the United States in 2023.

So, how do you tap into this opportunity? How do you build a system where new donors are constantly entering your pipeline, making their first donation, and becoming lifelong supporters?

That’s what this guide is all about. We’ll walk you through a 5-step process that will take you from “Where do I even start?” to “We just grew our donor base by 30% this year!” — all with clear actions you can take right now.

Why Focus on Individual Donors?

Before we get into the strategy, let’s talk about why individual donors are so powerful for nonprofit growth.

Unlike grants or corporate sponsorships, individual donors offer:

1. Stability — Instead of chasing one big grant, you can have hundreds or thousands of small gifts.
2. Flexibility — You can use individual donations for general operating expenses or urgent needs.
3. Speed — While grants take months to process, donations can be made instantly with the right call-to-action.
4. Lifetime Value — A one-time donor can become a recurring monthly donor or a major gift contributor over time.

If you’re ready to create a steady stream of individual donors (without the constant scramble for new grants), this strategy is for you.

The 5-Step Framework to Build a Pipeline of Individual Donors

Here’s the step-by-step game plan. Follow these 5 steps to attract, engage, and retain individual donors. Each step includes practical actions you can take today.

Step 1: Define Your Ideal Donor (Who Are You Trying to Attract?)

Why it matters: If you don’t know who you’re looking for, you’ll waste time chasing the wrong people.

Donors are not all the same. Some give because they feel emotionally connected to your cause. Others give because it aligns with their values or beliefs. Some give small monthly gifts, while others are capable of giving five or six-figure donations.

Your mission? Identify who your ideal donors are.

Here’s how to do it:

• Look at past donors. What do your most loyal donors have in common? Age? Interests? Professions?
• Build donor personas. Create 2-3 profiles of your “dream donors.” Name them, describe their motivations, goals, and why they care about your cause.
• Survey your supporters. Send a short email asking donors why they support you and what motivates them to give.

Pro Tip: If you have access to a donor database, use it to see which types of donors are giving consistently and which campaigns they respond to.

Step 2: Build Awareness (How Do People Discover Your Mission?)

Why it matters: If people don’t know you exist, they can’t donate. Awareness is step one.

To attract new donors, you need to be where your ideal donors are. This could be social media, local events, or even search engines. The key is to make your cause visible and compelling.

Here’s how to do it:

• Social media storytelling: Share impact stories, personal testimonials, and real-world results.
• Use Kweet to expand your social media reach and convert followers into donors.
• SEO for nonprofit websites: Make sure your website ranks for keywords like “how to support homeless shelters” or “donate to clean water projects.”

Pro Tip: Make your “Donate” button hard to miss. Add it to the top of your homepage, your email footer, and your social bios. Visibility = action.

Step 3: Capture Leads (How Do You Turn Visitors Into Donor Prospects?)

Why it matters: Visitors come and go — unless you capture their information.

Many people who visit your website aren’t ready to donate yet. They need to be “warmed up” through follow-ups and stories. To do that, you need to capture their email, phone number, or social handle.

Here’s how to do it:

• Newsletter: Start a newsletter where you talk about your cause, the hard work you do, and, most importantly, the impact you make.
• Lead magnets: Offer downloadable guides, free resources, or webinars.
• Petitions or pledge pages: Get people to “sign up” for your cause, even if it’s not a direct ask for donations.

Pro Tip: When someone joins your email list, immediately send a welcome email sequence. Share your story, introduce your mission, and make a gentle first ask for support.

Step 4: Nurture Relationships (How Do You Turn Prospects Into Donors?)

Why it matters: People don’t give to strangers. Build trust, and donations will follow.

Once you have people on your email list, it’s time to nurture them. They may not donate right away, but if you build a relationship, they will.

Here’s how to do it:

• Email storytelling: Share emotional, human-centered impact stories.
• Social proof: Show how other people are supporting your cause. (“Join 2,000 supporters who are making a difference.”)
• Ask for small actions first: Get them to spread awareness, attend an event or volunteer before making a donation ask.

Pro Tip: Use automated email sequences to send 3-4 “welcome emails” over the first 10 days. Each email should include an introduction, a story, a small ask, and social proof.

Step 5: Retain and Upgrade Donors (How Do You Keep Donors for Life?)

Why it matters: Acquiring a new donor costs 5X more than keeping an existing one.

It’s painful to see donors give once, then disappear forever. Retention = growth. Here’s how to turn first-time givers into lifetime supporters:

Here’s how to do it:

• Build a monthly giving program (like “$10/month to change a life”).
• Thank donors like VIPs with video shoutouts, handwritten notes, or personalized messages.
• Re-engage lapsed donors by reaching out and reminding them of their past impact.

Pro Tip: After someone makes their first gift, send a personalized video thank-you. Video thank-yous have been shown to increase repeat donations by 50%.

3 Quick Growth Hacks to Build Your Donor Pipeline

1.  Use Social Proof. “500+ people have donated this year. Will you be next?” This psychological tactic boosts conversions.
2. Create Urgency. Use (real) deadlines like “Only 3 days left to reach our goal!” to increase the urgency to give.
3. Personalize Every Interaction. Include donor names in thank-you notes, emails, and even videos. People respond to personalization.

What To Do Next (Pick 1 Action Today!)

If all of this feels overwhelming, don’t worry. You don’t need to do all 5 steps at once. Start small and take one action today. Here’s how:

• If you want to attract new donors, start with social media storytelling.
• If you want to nurture donors, set up an automated email sequence.
• If you want to retain donors, launch a monthly giving program.

The goal is to create momentum. Once you see new donors coming in, you’ll realize how powerful this system is.

Pick one of these 5 steps and commit to it this week. Send 3 emails, build a landing page, or pitch a corporate partner. Small actions = big change.

If you follow this framework, you’ll have a steady stream of new donors entering your pipeline every month. No more “feast or famine” fundraising cycles — just consistent, reliable revenue.