As someone who’s been working with and on monthly donor programs for almost 30 years now, the order of operations comes up a lot. It often creates a pause or a stop in the growth of monthly donors. Of course, we’re only human and, as fundraisers, we often tend to focus — and agonize — about things that are least important. But they’re easier. They make us feel we’re more in control...
Erica Waasdorp
If you look at the most recent statistics on donor retention, the year 2020 was not great. One reason was that many organizations put a hold on asking for contributions in the first half of the year because they worried about donors not giving. Many continued to be reluctant well into the second half. Hence, many donors who gave in 2019, never gave in 2020...
For many of you, this, too, may be a good time to sit down and take a moment and look at the plan for the fall. Sometimes all it takes is writing something down and putting it somewhere you can see it. Nothing happens magically, but just putting it on your to-do list will make it much more likely to happen...
Sustainer giving is not the latest shiny new thing. Instead, it should already be part of your fundraising strategy as it will permeate all your giving and all levels of donors. It will help you keep your lights on. It will help you with your operating revenue. All it takes is a little bit of time to focus on it. So, if you’re looking to grow your monthly donor program, make sure you’re looking at it as an important thing that can be very exciting and fun to work on, just a little bit at a time...
Recently, I read "The Post-Pandemic Nonprofit: 12 Disruptive Trends Your Nonprofit Must Master" by Jeremy Reis. I like how Jeremy broke up the book by: who we are, how we operate, how we grow and where do we go from here?...
Last week, I heard some very shocking news. Geoff Biddle, CEO of Payment Solutions, 66, was found shot in his own home. Geoff was the kindest, pleasant, and most knowledgeable man. I had the opportunity to work with him and his colleagues at Payment Solutions for one of my clients...
There’s so much that goes right with monthly giving, and the results are showing. But every now and then, I see some goofs. I’m sharing these mistakes because I hope you will not make them in your organization. Let’s look at four examples of how things can go wrong...
Today I wanted to start your week off with a little music. It’s been a very loooooong year, and as many of you are about to wrap up your fiscal year, you might need some encouragement to keep pushing. Let me share with you one of my all-time favorite songs with you: "Wake Up Everybody"...
I was looking back at some questions posed in a webinar I presented recently, and this was one of them: “What’s the most common mistake you see is made when it comes to monthly giving?” Of course, I’d love to say that most of you are not making any mistakes, but that’s not totally true...
As I’m sure you can imagine, I receive questions about how best to grow monthly donor programs all the time. One of the first things I do is look at the organization’s website. How easy is it to find the monthly giving option? How easy is it to find the donation page to begin with?...
Take a break. Go for a walk or run. Look at your program with a fresh look. Think of your goals. Imagine you’re in a plane, hovering above your organization. You can much clearer see the roads and paths that lead to those mountains you’re trying to get to...
Much has changed since Harvey McKinnon wrote the book "Hidden Gold" in 1999 and since I wrote "Monthly Giving. The Sleeping Giant" in 2012. Much more emphasis on social media. Much more use of email. Much more in paid digital approaches. Yet, there’s still not enough attention on monthly donor retention...
I see so many organizations with so much great content to share. It’s often all squished into one humongous monthly email update.
Sometimes, fundraisers ask me: “What’s the cost per sustainer?” Let me explain a few different types of cost.
Face-to-face/door-to-door fundraising, also known as canvassing, came to a screeching halt during COVID-19.
