How to Write a Reactivation Note to Lapsed Donors and Volunteers

Lapsed donors and volunteers are your easiest reactivation targets because they have already given or served. They know your work, they have given you their money or their time, and they have moved on—not because they oppose you, but because life happened or your program lost their attention. A reactivation note to a LYBUNT (Last Year But Unfortunately Not This) or SYBUNT (Some Year But Unfortunately Not This) list works because it does not ask them to believe in you from scratch. It asks them to come back to something they already believed in.

The reactivation note has three jobs: acknowledge the gap without guilt-tripping, remind them of a specific win they helped create, and ask for one concrete thing.

Acknowledge the gap without guilt

Do not open with "We haven't seen you since 2022." That is guilt. It is also boring. The reader already knows they have not been in touch. They do not need you to document their absence.

Instead, open with the thing that happened while they were away—the win they were part of building, or the work that continued because of what they did.

For a donor: "When you gave in 2021, we were fighting to flip the state house. We did it. Here's what happened next."

For a volunteer: "You phonebanked for us in 2020. We won that race. The representative you helped elect just passed the bill we were fighting for."

This is not flattery. It is fact. They gave or volunteered. Something won or advanced. They were part of that chain. Say it plainly.

Then, one sentence acknowledging the time gap: "It's been a minute." Or: "A lot has changed since then." Or: "We know life gets busy." No apology. No "we should have stayed in touch." No "we hope you haven't forgotten us." Those are all about your feelings, not theirs.

Reference a specific moment or outcome

The reactivation note must prove you remember what they actually did, not just that they were on a list.

If you have the data, reference the specific thing: "You volunteered for three canvass shifts in October 2022." "Your $50 donation in March helped us hit our end-of-quarter goal." "You attended the fundraiser in Springfield."

If you do not have that level of detail, reference the program or the moment: "You were part of our phonebank team in 2020." "You gave during our primary push." "You helped us get out the vote in the final weekend."

Then connect that moment to a concrete outcome. This is the mechanism that makes reactivation work.

Example for a donor: "Your $100 in the final week of the campaign helped us reach 50,000 doors. We won that district by 800 votes."

Example for a volunteer: "You made 200 calls that weekend. The turnout in your precinct went up 12 points from 2018."

Example for an event attendee: "You were in the room when we announced the education plan. That plan is now law."

If you do not have specific numbers, use the outcome: "You gave when we needed it most. We won." Or: "You showed up on a Saturday morning. That shift was part of the 50,000 doors we knocked on."

The point is not to brag. The point is to show them that their money or their time was not wasted. It did something.

Make one concrete, low-barrier ask

Do not ask them to come back to everything. Ask them to come back to one thing.

For a donor: "We're raising $10,000 by the end of the month. If you can give $25 or $50, it moves the needle." Or: "We're running a new program this fall. A $100 gift gets us 500 more doors knocked."

For a volunteer: "We're phonebanking next Saturday from 10 to 1. Can you take that shift?" Or: "We're hosting a meet-and-greet with the candidate next month. Will you come?"

For someone who gave and volunteered: "We'd love to have you back. A single shift next month, or a $50 gift if that's easier right now."

The ask must be specific enough that they can say yes or no without confusion. "We'd love your support" is not an ask. "Will you give $50?" is.

The ask must be low enough that it does not feel like a test. A lapsed donor who gave $100 in 2021 does not need to give $500 to prove they are serious. A volunteer who did three shifts does not need to commit to a captaincy. One shift. One gift. One event.

The discipline: no second ask in this note

A reactivation note must not contain an ask for anything else. Not a survey. Not a volunteer shift and a donation. Not a donation and a social-media share. One ask.

This is the exact discipline that makes reactivation work. The reader's brain can hold one thing. If you ask for two, they will do neither.

Closing

Close with a reason to believe you will use their help well. Not a promise. A reason.

"We know what we're doing now. We've won before. We'll win again if people like you show up."

Or simply: "We're ready. Are you?"

Then sign it with a name and a title. A real person, not the campaign.

A complete example

Here is what a reactivation note to a lapsed donor looks like:

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Dear Sarah,

You gave $75 to our campaign in October 2022. We won that race by 1,200 votes, and the representative you helped elect just passed the education bill we were fighting for.

It's been a minute. A lot has changed.

We're running again, and we're doing it smarter. We need to raise $15,000 by the end of the month to fund our field program. If you can give $50 or $75 like you did before, you'll help us reach 10,000 more doors than we did last time.

Can you give this week?

Thanks for what you did before. We're ready to win again.

Sarah Chen

Finance Director

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And here is what it looks like for a lapsed volunteer:

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Dear Marcus,

You phonebanked for us in October 2020. You made 300 calls that weekend. We won that race by 2,100 votes.

It's been a while. We know life gets busy.

We're running again, and we're doing it right. We're phonebanking next Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Can you take that shift?

One shift. Three hours. Same impact.

Thanks for what you did before. We're ready to win again.

Sarah Chen

Volunteer Coordinator

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The reactivation note works because it does not ask the lapsed donor or volunteer to believe in you. It asks them to come back to something they already believed in, and to do one small thing to prove it. That is the highest-ROI ask in the whole program.