Read donor retention by cohort and fix the leaky bucket before pouring in acquisition, since retention is ~7x cheaper than acquisition. Reach for this on any growth question.
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---
name: protect-donor-retention
description: "Read donor retention by cohort and fix the leaky bucket before pouring in acquisition, since retention is ~7x cheaper than acquisition. Reach for this on any growth question."
---
# Skill: Protect donor retention
A leaky bucket isn't fixed by pouring faster; retention is the cheapest dollar.
## Step 1 — Compute retention by cohort
Overall (~43–45%) and first-time vs repeat (first-time ~20–30%) (§3 #1).
## Step 2 — Find the leak
Identify where donors lapse — after the first gift, a channel, or a giving level.
## Step 3 — Fix stewardship
Tie the leak to acknowledgment and reporting-back (§3 #7).
## Step 4 — Compare to acquisition cost
Frame the retention fix against the ~$1.50 acquisition cost.
## Output
A retention-by-cohort read, the leak point, a stewardship fix, and the cost comparison.
