Fundraising Tip: The Monthly Donor
Monthly donors can catapult your organizations’ fundraising.
Several years ago I decided to begin giving to one of my favorite nonprofits in a new way. In addition to making an annual donation, I decided to make a monthly donation.
$15.00 a month.
The nonprofit explained to me why this type of donation mattered. They shared the impact of giving monthly.
It all made sense to me. As someone who creates monthly donor fundraising campaigns for nonprofit clients, this nonprofit was doing everything right, and I was more than happy to begin donating this way.
If you haven’t delved into the world of monthly (recurring) giving, for whatever reason, I recommend giving it a try. Those you serve with your nonprofit’s mission will benefit. Your fundraising team will benefit. The person making the monthly donation will benefit.
There is nothing to fear in creating a monthly donor program, or even just starting to bring it up in conversations with donors. A donor will either say yes or no, and the no typically means not yet.
A yes is more likely if you have taken the time to think this through. What impact does a monthly donation have that an annual donation doesn’t? Isn’t it all the same thing? If I as a donor begin monthly donations, does that mean I wouldn’t give an annual donation?
All of these answers are easily answered and depend on your mission, your programs, and who you serve.
I believe a monthly donation is a wonderful way to add support to a nonprofit I believe in. That means that I give monthly in addition to an annual donation (or more) that I make.
While you begin having conversations with donors about monthly giving, spend some time on your website, specifically your donate page. It helps if you have a specific page dedicated to monthly giving. This way you can send that link to donors and everything they need is there, specific to monthly giving and not mixed up with other types of giving.
On this page, you’ll also share impact stories, along with a quote from someone who already gives monthly.
You can also start adding an option to give monthly on your e-appeals and direct mail appeals. Simple additions.
The main way to have success with monthly donors is to keep asking people to donate monthly while building infrastructure to support monthly giving and those considering a monthly donation.
Just start. And don’t stop.
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Take a risk. Be of service. Support your friends and colleagues. Be kind.
Upcoming nonprofit fundraising conferences:
Build Good Summit May 22 -23, 2025
Colorado Planned Giving Roundtable Summer Symposium August 5-6, 2025