We’re now 4.5 years removed from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, yet its influence continues to be felt across the nonprofit space.  

Food banks saw a historic surge of generosity in 2020 and 2021, followed by supply chain and inflation challenges in 2022 and 2023. All the while, we wondered when the dust would settle in fundraising revenue when compared to pre-pandemic figures. 

Through the first half of 2024, we’re seeing positive trends that indicate we may have arrived. And we have the data from 66 food banks to share those numbers. 

Here is a look at our top three takeaways: 

1. Revenue and retention have stabilized

First-half revenue in 2024 totaled $130 million. That’s right on par with the $133 million in 2022 and 2023, and it’s 70% higher than the pre-pandemic total in FY19.   

As one-time COVID donors have moved through food banks’ files, we’ve seen retention begin to steady. In the first half of 2024, the retention rate was 22.3%, down slightly from 23.2% in FY23 but up from 19.5% in FY22. 

2. Acquisition challenges persist

Donor files declined by 8% in the first half of 2024 to the lowest level in the last five years. Acquisition revenue was down 12% year over year as the industrywide softness in post-pandemic acquisition continues to leave its mark.  

3. Donor value continues to rise

Donor value reached $372 in FY24, crashing through its previous high point by 9%. This all-time high is largely due to an all-time high in gift frequency of 2.45. Average gift is also up slightly (4%), from $146 to $152. 

Based on this benchmark data, RKD’s strategy and decision science experts developed three recommendations for food bank programs going forward:

1. Elevate AI modeling to lift retention

Retention seems to have stabilized, but 22.3% is simply not high enough to offset the challenges in acquisition.  

Start incorporating AI modeling to deliver content, messaging and engagement opportunities that resonate on an individual level. Modeling will identify segments that are deeply connected and those that are at risk of lapsing. 

Creating personalized donor journeys for each audience will reinforce connection with your mission and foster deeper relationships.  

2. Shift your acquisition strategy

Consider allocating resources from direct mail acquisition into digital media to find new donors. By casting a wider net through digital channels, you can build a more robust and sustainable acquisition strategy. 

At the same time, look into your lapsed donor file and adopt a recapture-first mindset. Treat these lapsed donors as new donors and reignite their spark.  

3. Embrace an always-on approach

Monthly and mid-level donors—note that major donors are not included in these benchmarks—can be thanked for the rise in donor value. It’s time to commit to an always-on, omnichannel strategy to acquire and retain more of these dedicated donors.  

You must consistently engage these donor audiences through a variety of channels, including direct mail, email, video and even personalized outreach. AI should also be used to optimize ask arrays for these audiences. 

In the following sections, we’ll review the data from the first half of 2024 in greater detail.

What we measured 

The 2024 Food Bank Mid-Year Report contains full-file data from 66 RKD food bank clients across the United States through June 30, 2024. The data includes overall program metrics, like total revenue, active donors, retention rate, average gift size, donor value and gift frequency.   

We’ve broken this data out into five regions across the U.S.: West, Southwest, Midwest, Northeast and Southeast. We’ve also categorized the data by organization size:   

• Large (10,000 or more donors) 
• Mid (5,000 to 9,999 donors) 
• Small (2,000 to 4,999 donors) 
• Emerging (under 2,000 donors)  

Trends are based on all donors and all gift types. Donors with a gift of $10,000 or more were excluded.  

Total Revenue

A look at year-over-year revenue would show a 2% decline from 2023 to 2024. But pulling back for a wider look, we better understand the new post-COVID normal. Revenue has stabilized in the last three years, and it was 70% higher in the first half of 2024 than it was in the same period in 2019. 

Even when accounting for the 23% rise in inflation from 2019 to 2024, first-half revenue is still 39% higher than it was five years ago. As a result, food banks today are in a stronger position than they were in 2019. 

Average Gift

Speaking of inflation, it may be a while before the average gift size surpasses the $176 figure of FY20, but the $152 average gift in FY24 is the highest figure since that year. It also marks a 4% increase over FY23 and a steady rise from a floor of $139 in FY22. 

Gift Frequency

As food banks have focused more on building sustainer programs, gift frequency reached a new height of 2.45 in FY24. That’s a 3% lift over FY23 and a 47% jump since FY20. 

Donor Value

With increases in average gift size and gift frequency, it’s no surprise that donor value has continued to soar. In FY24, donor value reached an all-time high of $372, a 6% increase over FY23 and a 27% increase over FY20. 

Active Donors

Active donors are down 8% year over year as part of a steady decline since the dramatic peak in FY20 during the pandemic. To help turn this trajectory around, elevate the use of AI modeling to improve retention and adopt a recapture-first mindset to help mitigate the softness in acquisition​. 

Donor Retention

Donor retention was down 4% from FY23 to FY24 but was up 14% over FY22. The universe of available donors has also continued to decline from the peak in FY22, dropping 4% year over year. 

Retention by Lifecycle 

Breaking this down into donor lifecycles, we see a slight increase, from 43.5% to 44.1%, for core donors—those who have been with the organization for two or more years. The lift may seem small, but this is a big deal since it’s the most important segment of donors. 

Recently, lapsed donors are also up 9% year over year, thanks to a mix of tactics that includes telemarketing and ask-string changes.  

However, transition donors are down 27% from FY23 to FY24. Adopting new donor welcome tactics that convert donors to give a second gift in their first year can help improve this number. 

We divided the U.S. into five distinct regions to analyze how giving trends look across the country.

West region shows best performance

With food banks, we often find differences in trends across regions—particularly if an area saw a disaster (like a hurricane, wildfire or flood).  

In early 2024, most performance index patterns were down or flat across regions. The West outperformed other regions, with most metrics up slightly year over year. However, it is important to note that the Maui wildfires impacted these numbers. 

We categorized the data by organization size to analyze how giving trends look:   

• Large (10,000 or more donors)  

• Mid (5,000 to 9,999 donors)  
• Small (2,000 to 4,999 donors)  
• Emerging (under 2,000 donors) 

Mid-sized food banks continue growth

All food bank sizes saw increases in average gift size and donor value, with declines in active donors. Mid-size food banks saw the highest lifts in those areas, leading to a 1% increase in revenue. 

RKD Group is North America's leading fundraising and marketing solutions provider to hundreds of growth-focused nonprofit organizations. With five decades of experience, RKD leverages technology, advanced data science and award-winning strategic and creative leadership to accelerate net revenue growth, build long-term donor relationships and drive the best return on investment.