In 2021, we saw charities ramping up in-house donor acquisition as a response to the continued absence of donor recruitment agencies in the country due to border restrictions. Although the volume of donor acquisition improved in 2021 compared to the previous year, other key metrics such as average gift and first debit approval rates were still under pressure as new in-house teams adapted to the steep learning curve. Despite this, overall first debit approvals improved, largely driven by the more established face-to-face campaigns. Recruitment pressures in 2020 and 2021 also limited opportunities for investing into other acquisition channels.

Attrition remained constant throughout the year, narrowing the donor base negative growth gap, with several months of growth leading into the new year. In addition, the donor ratio (the ratio of cancellations to newly approved donors) and recurring debit approval rates held constant, primarily driven by an overall economic recovery, as well as the impact of process optimisation in the contact centre and debit processing spaces.