Winning Back Lapsed Members & Donors: How to Leverage Targeted Salesforce Campaigns

Are You Ignoring Your Greatest Growth Opportunity?

Here’s a fun little experiment. Open up your CRM (preferably Salesforce) and pull a report of all the members and donors who’ve lapsed in the past 12 to 24 months. Now, ask yourself: How many of these people have we actively tried to win back?

If the answer is “not nearly enough,” you’re not alone. Most organizations focus their energy on acquiring new members and donors, but that’s the expensive route. Retaining and re-engaging those who already have a history with your institution isn’t just more cost-effective, it’s often an untapped goldmine.

The good news? They left for a reason, and that means you have the power to fix it. And Salesforce? It’s got the tools to help you do it at scale.

Let’s break down how to identify, target, and reconnect with lapsed audiences in a way that’s both strategic and effective.

Identifying Lapsed Members & Donors in Salesforce

Before you craft a compelling re-engagement strategy, you need to define exactly who you’re trying to win back.

Defining “Lapsed” for Your Institution

"Lapsed" doesn’t mean "lost forever," it means "waiting for a better reason to return." But defining what “lapsed” looks like will vary by organization.

• For membership-driven attractions like zoos, aquariums, and museums, a lapsed member might be someone whose membership expired 3, 6, or 12 months ago and hasn’t renewed.

• For donor-centric institutions, lapse could mean someone who donated yearly for three years… until they didn’t.

• For visitor-focused institutions, it might be a season pass holder who disengaged after a peak period.

Common warning signs? Expired memberships, declining donation frequency, radio silence on emails, and lack of engagement with your content. The key is to set clear parameters so you’re working with the right audience.

Leveraging Salesforce Data & Automation

Once you've defined your lapsed supporters, it’s time to find them. Salesforce does the heavy lifting if you use it correctly.

• Reports & Dashboards: Run segmented reports that capture key disengagement indicators.

• Automations & Alerts: Use triggers and automations to flag lapsed members for follow-up. No more “Oops, we should have emailed them six months ago.”

• Engagement Scoring: Assign scores based on behaviors (e.g., event attendance, donation habits, or email engagement) to prioritize potential re-engagement.

The key here is to make sure you’re evaluating and relying on the data not someone’s gut feeling. Salesforce can keep you disciplined in targeting the right lapsed supporters before they disappear entirely.

Crafting Targeted Re-Engagement Campaigns

Knowing who to reach out to is one thing. Getting them to care again? That’s where real strategy comes in.

Personalized Outreach Strategies

Nobody wants a generic “We miss you!” email that clearly went out to 10,000 people. If you’re going to re-engage effectively, you need personalization at scale, and that starts with segmentation.

• Past behavior matters: A lapsed donor who gave to conservation programs should hear about new initiatives in that area, not a random gala invite.

• Dynamic content works: Salesforce allows for email personalization based on member history, last visit, or past donations. Use it.

• Multi-channel efforts win: Not everyone reads emails, so layer in SMS reminders, retargeting ads, or even an old-school direct mail postcard if it fits your audience.

This isn’t about selling. It’s about showing them that their past support mattered and that they’re still an important part of your mission going forward.

Win-Back Incentives & Personalization

Sometimes we all need an extra nudge.

• Membership renewal perks: Discounted re-enrollment, exclusive behind-the-scenes tours, or early access to exhibits make it hard to say no.

• Donor gratitude gestures: A personalized impact report (“Your past gifts helped build X and fund Y”) can reignite their sense of purpose.

• Social proof storytelling: Show them what they missed! Recent institution wins, community success stories, and real human connections drive emotional reattachment.

If you want to win them back, make them feel valued, not just solicited.

Measuring Success & Optimizing Campaigns

If you’re not tracking results, you’re simply guessing, and in the world of CRM-driven nonprofits, “guessing” is another word for “wasting time and money.”

Defining Key Success Metrics

How do you know if your re-engagement efforts are working? Look at:

• Renewal Rate: How many lapsed members renewed?

• Re-Engagement Rate: Are emails getting opened? Are links getting clicked?

• Conversion Rate: Did people act on the win-back offer?

If people aren’t responding, don’t assume they don’t care, assume you need a better approach.

Refining Strategies Based on Data

Data-driven optimization is the difference between a one-time campaign that flops and a long-term system that drives retention.

• A/B Testing Matters: Test subject lines, messaging styles, and incentives. Learn what works and iterate.

• Behavioral Trends Tell a Story: If SMS reminders work better than email, double down. If members return 30 days after a specific call-to-action, time campaigns accordingly.

• Salesforce Analytics Keep You Honest: Build dashboards that track long-term trends so you're not making short-sighted decisions.

This isn’t rocket science, but it does require discipline. Winning back lapsed members and donors isn’t about hoping they come back, it’s about knowing why they left and giving them a compelling reason to return.

Final Thoughts: It’s Time to Stop Leaving Money on the Table

Lapsed members and donors aren’t a lost cause. They're untapped potential. You just need the right approach:

✅ Identify them: Use Salesforce data to clearly define and segment disengaged supporters.

✅ Target them intentionally: Personalized, value-driven outreach always beats generic "we miss you" emails.

✅ Optimize relentlessly: Track results, adapt your strategy, and make data-driven decisions to improve retention over time.

Think about it: If even 5%, 10% or 20% of your lapsed members and donors returned, what kind of revenue impact would that have on your organization?

So, here’s my challenge to you: Run the report. Analyze the numbers. And take action. Every day you wait is another day your former supporters drift further away. Use Salesforce to win them back before they’re gone for good.