{"id":1074,"date":"2020-12-08T10:04:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-08T15:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gayleboyer.com\/?p=1074"},"modified":"2022-07-15T00:03:16","modified_gmt":"2022-07-15T04:03:16","slug":"how-to-start-a-monthly-giving-program-that-gets-results","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gayleboyer.com\/how-to-start-a-monthly-giving-program-that-gets-results\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Start a Monthly Giving Program that Gets  Results"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Attracting and retaining dedicated supporters has always been essential<\/strong>.&nbsp;Now more than ever, it is key to your nonprofit\u2019s sustainability, and monthly donor programs are an often overlooked method to cultivate donor relationships and provide a source of reliable income.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Still need a little convincing<\/strong>?&nbsp;Consider this.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/nonprofitssource.com\/online-giving-statistics\/online-fundraising\/#:~:text=The%20average%20monthly%20online%20donation,of%20online%20revenue%20in%202017.\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">NonprofitsSource.com<\/a> reports:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>The average monthly online donation is $52 ($624 per year) compared to the average one-time gift of $128.<\/li><li>Donors who set up recurring donations give 42% more annually, compared to one-time donations.<\/li><li>52% of Millennials are more likely to give monthly over a sizeable one-time donation.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Given the challenges all nonprofits are facing<\/strong>, adding a monthly donation program makes sense: it&#8217;s easier for donors to give small amounts over 12 months rather than a 1 time donation.&nbsp;That leads to higher annual donations and more frequent communication with your donor base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here is what you need to get started:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>A <\/strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/offers.techimpact.org\/reports\/consumers-guide-to-low-cost-fundraising-software\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>nonprofit CRM<\/strong><\/a> to track your donors, automate sign up, and process payments.<\/li><li><strong>A dedicated page on your website<\/strong> for donors to sign up for monthly donations.<\/li><li><strong>A product or case for support<\/strong> to offer your donors.&nbsp;What does their contribution &#8220;buy&#8221;?&nbsp;For example, <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/secure.feedingamerica.org\/site\/Donation2?df_id=29218&amp;mfc_pref=T&amp;29218.donation=form1&amp;s_src=Y20YP1B1Z&amp;s_subsrc=c&amp;s_keyword=feeding%20america&amp;&amp;gclid=CjwKCAiA_Kz-BRAJEiwAhJNY73FCqEhsJtM6UrmkB-aDcD-cu-jpnSq5JKPaCdczG44nEITpJxRvVxoC3HsQAvD_BwE\" target=\"_blank\">Feeding America<\/a> notes that \u201cevery $1 of your monthly gift will help to provide $9 worth of food.\u201d&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.unicefusa.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">UNICEF<\/a> gives a compelling reason for donors to give monthly:&nbsp;\u201cYour monthly donation is processed automatically, helping us reduce our costs \u2013 which allows us to fund more programs and help more children.\u201d<\/li><li><strong>Target potential recurring givers<\/strong> by identifying existing donors who give more than three times in one month.&nbsp;Individuals that contribute at lower levels may be more interested in participating in a recurring program and giving smaller amounts.<\/li><li><strong>Offer multiple levels of giving<\/strong>.&nbsp;Even if users start out at a small level, if the relationship is cultivated well, the amounts will rise over time.&nbsp;It is essential to give your monthly donors an easy way to change the amount of their donation.<\/li><li><strong>Make them feel special<\/strong>.&nbsp;Automate thank you notes from your CRM- and change the language every 3 months.&nbsp;Providing routine communication to your monthly donors to show them the impact of their contributions regularly with images, stories, statistics, and other concrete examples.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Once you get started, measure your program.<\/strong> Of course you will want to monitor net revenues booked per month.&nbsp;But it&#8217;s also essential to monitor and measure key metrics with a longer view, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Response metrics for your marketing activities.&nbsp;<\/strong>For example, knowing your open email rate and click-throughs can inform future marketing and promotional activities.<\/li><li><strong>Number of recurring donation sign-ups<\/strong> per month versus one-time gifts<\/li><li><strong>Year to year retention<\/strong> of one time donors versus monthly donors.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Creating a successful monthly giving program can be challenging,<\/strong> but by forming lasting relationships with dedicated donors that continuously support your organization, it is worth it.&nbsp;If you are looking for a little help, <a href=\"https:\/\/gayleboyer.com\/contact\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">schedule a free consultation<\/a> so that we can discuss your needs and possible solutions in more detail.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Attracting and retaining dedicated supporters has always been essential.&nbsp;Now more than ever, it is key to your nonprofit\u2019s sustainability, and monthly donor programs are an &#8230; <a title=\"How to Start a Monthly Giving Program that Gets  Results\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/gayleboyer.com\/how-to-start-a-monthly-giving-program-that-gets-results\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about How to Start a Monthly Giving Program that Gets  Results\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5868,"featured_media":1664,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/gayleboyer.com\/files\/2020\/12\/aaron-burden-kdB1ptZTyXs-unsplash.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gayleboyer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1074"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gayleboyer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gayleboyer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gayleboyer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5868"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gayleboyer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1074"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gayleboyer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1074\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1621,"href":"https:\/\/gayleboyer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1074\/revisions\/1621"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gayleboyer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gayleboyer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1074"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gayleboyer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1074"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gayleboyer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1074"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}