Top Donors Report

Overview

The Top Donors Report helps you identify, recognize, and steward your most generous supporters. View ranked lists of highest contributors, analyze giving concentration, and develop personalized engagement strategies for major donors.

What Data Is Shown

This report provides two key views of top donor information:

Top Donors Ranking Chart

Visualization: Horizontal Bar Chart

Displays donors ranked by total giving:

• Top 10, 20, or 50 donors
• Horizontal bars for easy name reading
• Sorted from highest to lowest
• Color-coded by giving tier

Use Case: Visual identification of major donors at a glance.

Top Donors Detailed Table

Visualization: Data Table

Lists top donors with comprehensive information:

• Rank - Position by total giving
• Partner Name - Donor identification
• Total Donations - Lifetime or period total
• Number of Gifts - Donation frequency
• Average Gift - Mean donation amount
• Last Donation Date - Most recent gift
• First Donation Date - Initial gift date
• Donor Since - Years of giving

Use Case: Detailed analysis for personalized stewardship and thank you communications.

Leaderboard View (Optional)

Visualization: Visual Ranking Cards

Shows top donors with:

• Partner photo (if available)
• Name and rank
• Total giving with badge
• Tier designation (Diamond, Gold, Silver, Bronze)

Use Case: Recognition displays, donor appreciation events.

How to Use Filters

Date Range Selection

Affects total donations calculated:

• This Year - Year-to-date giving (most common)
• Last Year - Previous year for comparison
• All Time - Lifetime giving totals
• This Quarter - Quarterly review
• Custom Range - Specific campaign or period

Top N Filter

Control how many donors to display:

• Top 10 - Executive summary
• Top 20 - Recognition events
• Top 50 - Major donor program
• Top 100 - Broader analysis

Campus Filter

View top donors by location:

• Individual campus leaderboards
• Multi-campus comparison
• Organization-wide ranking

Minimum Amount Filter

Set threshold for inclusion:

• ₦50,000+ - Major donors
• ₦100,000+ - Principal donors
• ₦500,000+ - Leadership circle
• Custom amount

Donor Type Filter

Focus on specific donor categories:

• Individual donors
• Corporate partners
• Recurring donors only
• One-time major gifts

Understanding the Charts

Reading the Horizontal Bar Chart

Y-Axis: Donor names (top to bottom)

X-Axis: Total donation amount

Bar Length: Indicates total giving amount

Ranking:

• #1 (Top) - Highest donor at top
• Descending order downward
• Clear visual gaps between tiers

Color Coding (if implemented):

• Diamond - Top 1-3 (₦1M+)
• Gold - Top 4-10 (₦500K-1M)
• Silver - Top 11-20 (₦250K-500K)
• Bronze - Top 21-50 (₦100K-250K)

Example:

1. John Doe - ₦2,450,000 (Diamond)
2. Jane Smith - ₦1,800,000 (Diamond)
3. Bob Johnson - ₦1,250,000 (Diamond)
4. Alice Williams - ₦890,000 (Gold)

Tooltips: Hover to see:

• Exact donation amount
• Number of gifts
• Average gift size
• Donor since date

Reading the Data Table

Columns Explained:

Rank: Position in giving hierarchy (1 = highest)

Partner Name: Click to view full partner record (if linked)

Total Donations: Sum of all gifts in selected period

• Format: ₦1,250,000.00
• Sortable column

Number of Gifts: Frequency indicator

• High number + high total = Consistent major donor
• Low number + high total = Large one-time gift

Average Gift: Total ÷ Number of gifts

• Indicates typical gift size
• ₦100,000 average = major donor capacity

Last Donation Date: Recency indicator

• Recent date = Active donor
• Old date = May need re-engagement

First Donation Date: Loyalty indicator

• Old date = Long-term supporter
• Recent date = New major donor

Donor Since: Calculated tenure

• "5 years" = Established relationship
• "6 months" = Emerging major donor

Sorting: Click any column header to sort

• Sort by Total (default) - Highest to lowest
• Sort by Average - Identify capacity
• Sort by Last Donation - Find donors to thank
• Sort by Donor Since - Recognize loyalty

Common Use Cases

Annual Donor Recognition

1. Open Top Donors Report
2. Set date range to "This Year"
3. Set filter to "Top 20"
4. Review ranking chart
5. Export to Excel for recognition planning
6. Prepare personalized thank you letters

Recognition Tiers:

• Top 3: Personal meeting with leadership
• Top 10: Handwritten thank you + special gift
• Top 20: Formal recognition letter + certificate
• Top 50: Inclusion in annual report donor list

Major Donor Stewardship

1. Set filter to "Top 50" and "All Time"
2. Review detailed table
3. Sort by "Last Donation Date"
4. Identify donors who haven't given recently
5. Export for personalized outreach

Stewardship Actions:

• Recent gift (0-30 days): Immediate thank you call
• 31-90 days: Update letter with impact stories
• 91-180 days: Personal meeting invitation
• 180+ days: Re-engagement campaign

Analyzing Donor Concentration

1. Set to "Top 20" donors
2. Note total giving from top 20
3. Compare to organization total (from Donation Summary)
4. Calculate concentration percentage

Example Calculation:

• Top 20 donors total: ₦12,500,000
• Organization total: ₦15,450,000
• Concentration: (₦12.5M / ₦15.45M) × 100 = 81%

Interpretation:

• 70-85% concentration = Typical (but risky)

• 85% concentration = High dependence (diversify needed)

• Less than 70% concentration = Well-diversified donor base

Action: If concentration >85%, prioritize donor retention and new donor acquisition.

Identifying Emerging Major Donors

1. Set date range to "This Year"
2. Set filter to "Top 50"
3. Sort table by "Donor Since"
4. Identify donors with Less than 2 years tenure
5. Note their giving levels

Strategy:

• New donors in Top 20 = High potential
• Develop personalized cultivation plan
• Invite to special events
• Assign relationship manager

Comparing Year-Over-Year Changes

1. Set range to "This Year", note Top 10
2. Change to "Last Year", note Top 10
3. Compare rankings

Questions to Ask:

• Who moved up in ranking? (Celebrate and thank)
• Who moved down? (Check on wellbeing, re-engage)
• Who is new to Top 10? (Welcome and cultivate)
• Who dropped off? (Major concern, reach out immediately)

Export Options

PDF Export

Best For: Recognition certificates, board presentations

Includes:

• Horizontal bar chart
• Top 20 table (formatted)
• Date range and parameters
• Professional layout

Use Case: Print for donor appreciation event, board meeting handout

Excel Export

Best For: Detailed analysis, personalized communications

Includes:

• Complete donor table (all columns)
• Contact information (if available)
• Sortable and filterable
• Pivot table ready

Use Case: Create custom thank you mail merge, assign stewardship tasks

CSV Export

Best For: CRM integration, external databases

Includes:

• Donor records with giving totals
• Dates and frequency data
• One row per donor

Use Case: Import to donor management system, update wealth screening tool

Best Practices

Regular Recognition

Immediate (upon gift receipt):

• Email/SMS thank you within 24 hours
• Personalized acknowledgment

Monthly:

• Review new entries to Top 50
• Send personalized updates on impact

Quarterly:

• Phone calls to Top 20
• Impact reports tailored to their interests

Annually:

• Special recognition event for Top donors
• Annual impact report
• Personalized year-end thank you

Donor Retention Focus

80/20 Rule: 80% of donations come from 20% of donors

Priority:

1. Retain Top Donors - Highest ROI
2. Upgrade Mid-Level Donors - Move into top tiers
3. Acquire New Donors - Build pipeline

Retention Strategies:

• Assign relationship managers to Top 20
• Quarterly touchpoints (calls, meetings, updates)
• Exclusive events and experiences
• First access to new initiatives
• Transparent impact reporting

Personalized Stewardship

Segment by Giving Level:

• Top 10: Personal relationships, exclusive access
• Top 11-20: Regular personalized communication
• Top 21-50: Periodic updates, event invitations
• Top 51-100: Formal recognition, newsletters

Know Your Donors:

• Track interests and motivations
• Note communication preferences
• Remember important dates
• Respect giving capacity and timing

Diversification Strategy

If High Concentration (>80% from Top 20):

Risks:

• Loss of one major donor = significant impact
• Organizational sustainability threatened

Mitigation:

1. Strengthen relationships with Top donors
2. Develop mid-level donor upgrade program
3. Launch new donor acquisition campaigns
4. Build recurring donor base
5. Diversify revenue streams

Combining with Other Reports

• Donation Summary - Context for total giving trends
• Donation Purpose - See what top donors support
• Partner Engagement - Ensure consistent communication
• Partner Demographics - Understand donor profiles

Troubleshooting

Top Donors Not Giving Recently

Possible Causes:

• Natural giving cycle (gave large gift, now pausing)
• Donor circumstances changed (financial, relational)
• Dissatisfaction with organization
• Lack of communication or engagement

Solutions:

1. Personal phone call from leadership
2. Request meeting to understand concerns
3. Share impact stories and organizational updates
4. Ask for feedback on programs and communication
5. Respect their decision if they need a pause

Top Donor Concentration Too High

Possible Causes:

• Small overall donor base
• Recent major campaign with few large gifts
• Underdeveloped mid-level donor program
• Lack of donor acquisition efforts

Solutions:

1. Launch mid-level donor cultivation program
2. Increase donor acquisition marketing
3. Promote recurring giving
4. Diversify fundraising channels
5. Develop planned giving program

Ranking Changes Unexplained

Possible Causes:

• One-time major gift skewing comparison
• Different date ranges selected
• Data entry errors or duplicates
• Donor consolidation (merged records)

Solutions:

1. Verify date range consistency
2. Check for data quality issues
3. Distinguish between lifetime and period giving
4. Run data quality report to find duplicates

Related Reports

• Donation Summary - Overall giving trends and totals
• Donation Purpose - What top donors support
• Partner Engagement - Communication frequency with top donors
• Executive Dashboard - High-level donor metrics

Next Steps

1. Review Current Top Donors: Open report and identify Top 20
2. Assess Concentration: Calculate percentage from top donors
3. Plan Recognition: Design thank you and stewardship plan
4. Assign Relationships: Designate staff to manage top donor relationships
5. Schedule Touchpoints: Set up regular communication calendar