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Giving Stage Reference

Use this guide to understand how Parable classifies donor behavior. These patterns appear on the Parable: Giving tab in Planning Center People — once Giving Engagement sync is enabled under Settings → Engagement — and power automation recipes, reports, and AI insights.

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Pattern Overview

Parable’s model is adaptive, not fixed-day-only. For repeat donors, Parable learns cadence from the median gap between gifts and treats two missed cycles as the lapse threshold. ACH-backed recurring donors get a small grace buffer to account for pending timing.

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Trend Reference

Trends describe the direction of a donor’s giving over time. Use trend language alongside the pattern:
  • Growing — Trailing 12-month giving is meaningfully above the prior 12-month period
  • Stable — Trailing 12-month giving is roughly flat year over year
  • Declining — Trailing 12-month giving is meaningfully below the prior 12-month period

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Payment Alerts

Payment alerts are operational flags — not pastoral labels. More than one can be active at once.

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Communication Guidelines

Keep the language people-focused and factual. Never shame or pressure — frame every insight as an opportunity to notice, care, and encourage next steps.
  • Pair pattern language with action language: “Second Gift donors should receive a personal thank-you and a recurring invitation.”
  • Use adaptive phrasing instead of rigid day buckets: “They are past their normal giving rhythm” is better than “They crossed day 121.”
  • Reference specific numbers when available: “12 donors are currently in a recovered window after returning to give again.”