Monthly Giving: Begin Where You're At!

Paint a picture in the donor's mind. Get specific, and get creative.

3. A donor base. Begin by targeting those donors who already have demonstrated a commitment to your organization, either by a history of loyal giving or more than one gift in the last fiscal year. Get your board members "on board." Introduce them to your e-mail list.

4. Have a solid plan in place to steward your monthly donors well. The care and feeding of monthly donors is a big question in many people's minds. By all means continue to communicate. Donor retention expert Lisa Sargent recommends sending out special versions of your regular communications, offering special opportunities (events, guided tours, president's breakfasts, etc.) and saying thank you — a lot.

Does your organization offer monthly giving but you've found that it's languishing, with few new sign-ups? Spend some time surveying your current monthly donors to find out why they give. Turn their comments into a "testimonial" sheet. Segment your database, and develop a targeted mailing for the sole purpose of recruiting new monthly donors that includes the "testimonial" note with your mailing.

Include those testimonials on your website as well to encourage new monthly gifts.

Review your monthly giving program every year with an eye to growing it. And always consider the lifetime value of your donor. FS