People ask me this question a lot: “My monthly donors only make up 3 percent of my donors. Is that good? What’s the percentage I should strive for?” The answer is: “It depends!”...
Erica Waasdorp
It’s tax season. Phew, I just finished mine. It’s such a bear. The good news is that this also means last year’s giving updates are coming in. It is statistics season, and, of course, I’m always on the lookout for the latest statistics when it comes to monthly giving...
If you think about it, monthly donors are like little snowflakes. And flake by flake, one by one, they create a winter wonderland. They also create that very special “survival blanket” for your organization...
As more organizations start monthly donor programs, it’s imperative to take these two steps to grow your monthly donors. And they’re much easier than you think! You’re probably already doing a lot of it, but you’ve not yet thought about it with your monthly donor hat on...
If you’re sending out direct mail appeals, include the “Make This a Monthly Gift” option on every reply form. It’s there, and nobody can take it away from you. When it comes to monthly giving, try to use as many opportunities in the year as possible...
Choices. Opportunities. There are so many ways for donors to give now—it can be overwhelming. Not just for donors, but especially for you as the organization. Text-to-give. Crowdfunding. Facebook. YouTube. Instagram? Donate buttons anyone? You worry that you’re losing out on funds if you don’t offer it all...
Trust me, I’m all for growing your monthly donor program. I’m all for making it easy for the donor! I’m all for trying to ask as often as you possibly can, but there are a few things I recommend you steer away from because they’ll make for a very bad donor experience...
Some may think that monthly donors are just “little” men and women, “little donors.” But boy, they’re so powerful and mighty. You can see their character. You can see their impact on your organization, not to mention their value(s). Remember that even “little” men and women can make a huge difference!...
I have a confession to make: until this week, I had not yet used Uber. As a woman often traveling by myself, I always felt it a bit unnerving to get into some stranger’s unmarked car. But when I was in Dallas recently, I had to try Uber as that’s what the hotel offered as the shuttle from the airport...
Growing a monthly donor program is a drip-by-drip, bit-by-bit approach. That’s why January is such a great month to go for it. But there are two important things to bear in mind. First, I recommend creating a monthly-only page. When you’re trying to drive donors to give monthly, it must be very easy to find...
Let me start off with wishing you and yours a happy and healthy new year! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season. I also hope you had some time to relax, in between working with donors and systems to try to optimize the donations coming in by the end of the year...
My husband Patrick and I got married 13 years ago, just after Thanksgiving. That first year, I started the annual Christmas newsletter tradition...
A few days ago, I received this wonderful email from an organization in Alaska. “Erica—we are up to 35 monthly donors, with an annualized income of $10,500!” It always makes me happy to hear from organizations that keep chipping away at their program...
The push is on. Its year-end, so one more month to bring in as much money as you can to support your cause. With or without #GivingTuesday campaigns, I bet you have at least a few messages going out in the next few weeks to ask your donors and those on your email list for money...
As you’re getting ready for Thanksgiving and your year-end campaigns, I hope you’ll make one resolution: include your monthly donors in your thank-you messaging...
