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Fundraising Benchmarks for Nonprofits (U.S.)
Below is a summary of key fundraising performance benchmarks in Acquisition, Retention, Upgrade, and Financial categories. These industry averages can help nonprofits gauge their fundraising health. Metrics are presented in tables and lists for clarity, with historical context and sources cited for reference.
Acquisition Benchmarks
Acquisition metrics measure the effectiveness and cost of acquiring new donors. Nonprofits often spend significant resources to attract first-time supporters, so tracking acquisition cost and response rates is critical. Industry studies show new donor conversion rates tend to be low, and first gifts can be expensive to secure, underscoring the importance of strong follow-up and retention efforts.
First-Time Donor Acquisition Cost: Approximately $1.25–$1.50 per dollar raised for acquiring a new donor (industry average). In other words, nonprofits may spend more than the first gift’s value to acquire a donor ([ASK AN EXPERT] What's A Good 

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Segment Concentration Risk
Nonprofit fundraising is often heavily skewed toward a small number of large donors. Sector-wide data show an extreme Pareto distribution: for example, donors giving over $5,000 represented only about 1.8% of the donor pool but contributed roughly 73% of all donation dollars in early 2023​ nonprofitpro.com
. Conversely, micro donors (<$100) and small donors ($101–$500) made up over 88% of donors but only around 10% of total contributions​
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. This imbalance means many organizations are highly reliant on mid-level and major donors, raising concerns about financial stability if those donors reduce or cease giving. Recent trends have exacerbated this risk: overall donor counts have been declining (especially among small donors), even as total dollars have risen due to big gifts. In 2022, the number of donors dropped over 7%, driven largely by steep declines in small donors, while total fundraising dollars increased ~6%, buoyed by major gifts​
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