What’s the #1 Reason you need to have a recurring giving program as part of your overall online fundraising strategy? Let’s take a look.
Sustainers in Focus Part 1 revealed that donation revenue has the potential to increase by a whopping 50-300% per donor when you can get them to commit to sustained giving.
Which leads me to the number one reason you need a recurring giving program.
It’s about converting more online donors into recurring givers at the point where they give you that first gift.
It’s a win-win. You reduce cost and increase the likelihood of retaining donors while your donors benefit from simplicity – especially if you make all this happen online.
Here are ten more benefits of a recurring giving program along with a few great examples.
10 Benefits of a Recurring Giving Program
Benefits to your nonprofit:
- Reduces “donor inertia” by requiring the donors to put forth effort to cancel their gifts.
- Is among the most cost-effective, long-term fundraising methods. The gift is only solicited once, and, because it is handled electronically, processing costs are kept low.
- Provides a steady and reliable stream of income. Over time, dropout rates are low and predictable, so organizations can rely on future income more safely than upcoming direct mail or telemarketing efforts.
- Recurring givers tend to be excellent major and especially planned gift prospects due to their sustained commitment to your organization and cause.
- Is convenient and easy. Once set up with an appropriate technology solution, thousands of gifts can be handled electronically, reducing the burden on staff.
- Easily integrates with other fundraising methods being deployed at an organization. It is simple to add an option to your direct mail response cards, telemarketing scripts and online fundraising initiatives.
Donor Benefits:
- The cost-effective nature of recurring giving supports donors’ desire to know their money is going to programs instead of fundraising costs.
- Donors appreciate your need to have a reliable source of income that helps your organization make long-term commitments to projects, producing sustainable change over time.
- Recurring gifts are convenient and easy for donors. In addition to eliminating the need for checks and cutting down on direct mail and telemarketing calls a donor receives, recurring giving enables donors to give more over time vs what they could in a one time gift.
- With fewer direct mail pieces and acknowledgements going back and forth, recurring giving has a legitimate argument of being better for the environment.
Humane Society
The Humane Society of the US did something very clever. Notice the BIG Orange button at the top? It stands out pretty well and asks you to “Donate Monthly”. You don’t see that on many nonprofit website. Most of the time you see “Donate Now” or something to that effect. “Donate Now” is good, but the Humane Society of the US is taking it up a notch and encouraging recurring giving from the beginning.
National Wildlife Federation
If you go to the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) donation page you’ll see the very top section asking you to select a gift amount along with a very visible “make this a monthly donation” check box. Although it’s not as in your face as the Humane Society, they are making this a core part of their donation form. They’re also keeping it simple by only requiring a donor to check a box.
Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles
Similar to NWF, but not identical, the Children’s Hospital of LA (CHLA) makes it clear that they support recurring giving on a monthly basis. They’ve made it one step more difficult by requiring a donor to click away to another page, but they’ve also done something very smart by attaching added value to becoming a monthly giver. They let you know that you’ll get your tax write off and become a “Miracle Maker” … and who doesn’t want to be a miracle maker?!
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Great article!
Thanks Alyson!!
Great post and examples, Frank.
I really like that Children’s Hospital of LA has given their monthly donors a name. Best Friends Animal Society also does well, calling their monthly donors “Guardian Angels.” This is an effective way to get donors to “join the club,” so to speak, and provide added value.
To take it one step further, organizations can promote monthly giving as the best way to support their cause.
Hey there Mike!! Now I need you to point out more good examples 🙂
Thanks, Frank. These are great ideas. Many of the small nonprofits I work with deal with serious cash flow issues. I always receommend that they give some attention to developing monthly giving and today’s online giving programs make it so easy to do. I will use your article for reference for sure.
Marion
Glad it was useful Marion!! 🙂
Over the last few years, the needs of developmentally disabled adults in our region have increased significantly as state and local funding for these support services have fallen and several other facilities have closed their doors.To help ensure we can preserve our programs, RES SUCCESS has developed an easy, yet effective way for individuals and businesses to donate to our cause. It’s called the RES SUCCESS Recurring Giving Program.