The First 90 Days
7 steps · Email, Phone, Meta, SMS
The weeks after a first gift decide whether there is a second one.
Sample charity: the people and numbers in these screens are made up, so the picture shows the tool, not a result.
The problem it solves
Second gifts asked for on time.
Why your CRM misses this. First gifts made on giving platforms without a live connection arrive in batches, so the thank-you waits until someone imports them and notices. Where the first gift came from often isn’t recorded at all.
Data
3 of its 4 sources usually sit outside the CRM
Signals
it reads 5 of them
Reach
4 channels: email, phone, meta and more
Journey
7 steps, start to finish
Connect: the data it draws on
Mission joins these into one record per person, beside your CRM.
Sources
Analyze: who it finds
- Days To Second Donation How long did this supporter take to give a second time? Use it to judge your welcome series, since donors who give again quickly stay far longer.
- Second Donation Within 90 Days Did this supporter give a second time soon after their first gift? Give these quick converters immediate stewardship, since they are the most likely to stay.
- Second Donation Speed Band How quickly did this supporter give a second time? Group donors by how fast they gave again, since fast converters stay longer.
- First Event When did this supporter first take part in an event? Compare supporters who came in through events with those who came in through giving.
- Campaign Name A field from Campaigns.
Audience: Second Gift Push
Which new supporters will give a second time? These supporters have given once and are still in the window for a second gift. A faster second gift is strongly associated with long-term retention.
What to do: Send a second ask within 60 days of the first gift. Reference their first gift specifically.
Activate: the journey
Each step names when it happens and the channel it uses. Under the steps is the campaign as it is built in Orbit, in 3 parts. Read them in order.
Day 0
Email
A thank-you goes out automatically when a first gift lands, naming the campaign or event that brought them in.
Day 0
Goal and objectives
The thank-you carries a second-gift objective with a 90-day window that starts when each person receives it, so the journey is measured on second gifts, not opens.
Day 2
Call list
Your largest first gifts get a thank-you call.
Day 14
Email
An impact story: what their gift made possible.
Day 30
Meta Ads
The same story appears in their Facebook and Instagram feeds.
Day 60
Email
A second ask that names their first gift.
Day 65
SMS
Did not open the ask: a short text nudge.
- Exit: a second gift ends the journey and starts stewardship.
The campaign in Orbit
Learn: what flows back
Second Donation Within 90 Days flips to 1 for anyone who gives again inside 90 days, and Second Donation Speed Band records how quickly they came back. Compare each month’s new supporters with First Donation Month Band.
Results land on the same supporter record, so the next run starts from what just happened.
Proven. A welcome journey for new campaigners: 13% became highly engaged, taking several actions within 6 to 12 months, and the journey accounts for 56% of supporters who took a campaign action in the past year. See a similar use case
Questions people ask
What problem does The First 90 Days solve?
Second gifts asked for on time. The weeks after a first gift decide whether there is a second one.
Who does The First 90 Days reach?
Second Gift Push: Which new supporters will give a second time? These supporters have given once and are still in the window for a second gift. A faster second gift is strongly associated with long-term retention.
Which data does it need?
Donations: supporter ID, gift amount, gift date; Campaigns: the campaign behind their first gift; Participants: events attended; Emails: email address and bulk mail status
Why can't my CRM do this on its own?
First gifts made on giving platforms without a live connection arrive in batches, so the thank-you waits until someone imports them and notices. Where the first gift came from often isn’t recorded at all.
Which channels does it use?
Email, Phone, Meta, SMS. Day 0: Email Then Day 0: Goal and objectives Then Day 2: Call list Then Day 14: Email.
Who runs it?
Fundraising.
This pathway is one of the four in the capstone of Learn Mission, a free course.
Build it yourself
You build the audience, the email, the schedule and the guardrail in Orbit, one stop at a time.
Open the capstone