TLDR
The average mid-sized nonprofit uses three donor segments. Organizations with strong retention programs use fifteen or more. Donor segmentation in GrantPipe is a saved-filter system: build a segment once using any combination of giving history, recency, source, fund, custom fields, and demographics, and it stays current automatically as donor records change.
Donor segmentation turns a flat list of contacts into a structured view of your fundraising program. The average mid-sized nonprofit uses three segments — everyone, major donors, and lapsed donors. Organizations with strong retention programs use fifteen or more, each driving a different outreach or stewardship workflow.
TL;DR
- Build segments from any combination of giving history, recency, source, fund, and custom fields
- Saved segments are live queries — no manual refresh when records change
- Standard RFM segments (LYBUNT, SYBUNT, major, first-year) available without custom configuration
- Segments export to CSV or sync to email platform lists
- No limit on the number of saved segments
What this feature does
The filter builder accepts any field on the donor or gift record and combines them with AND/OR logic into a segment definition. A segment named “Major Gift Prospects — Not Yet Asked” might filter on: total lifetime giving between $5,000 and $24,999, last gift in the past 18 months, and portfolio tier not equal to “Asked.” That definition runs as a query against the live database. When a donor crosses the $5,000 threshold, they appear in the segment. When a prospect is moved to “Asked,” they leave.
Saved segments appear in three places: the donor list (as a quick filter), the export tool (as a segment to export), and the board dashboard (as a counted, trended metric). Building a segment once makes it available everywhere.
Who it’s for
Development directors who run annual fund appeals and need differentiated lists for LYBUNT re-activation, first-year retention, and major gift upgrades. Grants managers who need to identify donors who give to the same programs a grant supports. Executive directors who want a dashboard showing donor retention trends without asking the development director for a status report.
Workflow example
Building a first-year retention campaign using donor segmentation:
- Define the “First-year donors” segment: first gift date within the current fiscal year
- Define the “First-year donors — second gift made” segment: first gift date within the current fiscal year AND number of gifts >= 2
- Monitor the second segment count as the year progresses — this is your first-year retention rate in real time
- Export the “First-year donors” minus “second gift made” as a suppression list for the re-activation appeal
- At year-end, compare the two counts for the board report
The segments update as gifts come in. No spreadsheet reconciliation required.
RFM segmentation in practice
Recency, frequency, and monetary value are the three variables that predict future giving behavior. GrantPipe’s filter builder supports all three:
- Recency: Last gift date filters (within 12 months, within 24 months, more than 24 months ago)
- Frequency: Number of gifts filters (one-time donor, two or more gifts, five or more gifts)
- Monetary: Total lifetime giving ranges and largest single gift filters
Combining these three dimensions produces segments like “multi-year donors who have given three or more times with a largest gift over $500” — a profile that predicts high major-gift upgrade potential. AFP Fundraising Effectiveness Project data consistently shows that frequency is the strongest predictor of retention: donors who give twice in their first year retain at more than double the rate of one-time donors.
Integration with the rest of GrantPipe
Segments connect to the email platform integrations (Mailchimp, Constant Contact) for direct list sync. They feed the donor retention reporting dashboard with live counts and trend data. They are available in the export tool for any CSV-based outreach workflow. And they appear in board dashboards as configurable metrics — the executive director’s dashboard can show LYBUNT count, first-year retention rate, and lapsed-donor recovery rate without any manual data pull.
What it replaces
- The quarterly export-to-Excel process to build appeal lists
- The manual LYBUNT calculation that took half a day before each campaign
- The static segment lists that went stale between campaign cycles
- The conversation where the development director explains to the ED what “LYBUNT” means every year
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Q&A
What is the LYBUNT segment and why does it matter?
LYBUNT stands for 'Last Year But Unfortunately Not This Year' — donors who gave in the prior fiscal year but have not yet given in the current year. It is the most commonly tracked lapsed-donor segment because these donors are recently engaged and have a significantly higher re-activation rate than multi-year lapsed donors. AFP Fundraising Effectiveness Project data shows first-year donor retention averaging 19-22%, while multi-year donor retention averages 60-65%. The LYBUNT segment is where recovery campaigns focus because the cost per recovered donor is lower than new-donor acquisition.
Q&A
How do I build a major donor segment?
Define the threshold your organization uses (typically total lifetime giving above a dollar amount, or largest single gift above a threshold). Apply that filter in the donor list, save it as a segment named 'Major Donors' or 'Major Gift Prospects.' The segment updates automatically as donors cross the threshold. Add a portfolio-tier custom field if you want a manual override for donors approaching but not yet at the threshold.
Q&A
Can I segment by which grant or fund a donor's gift supports?
Yes. Gift-level filters allow segmentation by fund, grant, campaign, or payment method. Donors who have given to a specific restricted fund appear in a segment built with a fund filter. This is useful for identifying donors to steward around a specific program's funder relationship.
Frequently asked