Monthly Giving

Have No Fear! Monthly Giving Help Is Near
August 21, 2017 at 10:05 am

Over the past few months, I hope I showed you how monthly giving has become so much easier for nonprofits to organize and then actually start. That’s because so many payment processors and donor bases now have built-in tools to create giving pages, add the recurring/monthly option and capture new monthly donors without a lot of jumping through hoops...

Let’s Say ‘No’ to Automatic Sustainer Upgrades
August 14, 2017 at 11:07 am

At the recent Bridge Conference, I enjoyed several wonderful sustainer sessions. During one of those, someone asked about the automatic sustainer upgrade process some nonprofits are apparently using. My hair immediately started standing up straight! What happened to being donor-centric?...

It’s Prime Hurricane Month: Monthly Donors to the Rescue!
August 7, 2017 at 10:06 am

My first experience with a hurricane came in August of 1991, when “Bob” hit Cape Cod. I was actually still in the Netherlands, but I watched video of my then future in-laws wade through chest-high water near their beach house. Power was out for many days. Life came to a screeching halt...

What to Do If Your Monthly Donor Doesn’t Want to Give Online
July 31, 2017 at 10:34 am

While online giving is growing, it’s our assumption that donors are comfortable filling out their personal information into an online donation form and hitting the submit button. Then, where does that information go? For donors, that can be unnerving...

When Is Not a Good Time to Upgrade a Monthly Donor?
July 24, 2017 at 11:18 am

I’ve been a monthly donor for many years. Two years ago, I did a little experiment: I joined 20 organizations to see what they would do (10 small and 10 large organizations). I wanted to experience their “thank you” process, their subsequent communication stream, tax letters, emails, lapsed recapture (if any) and upgrade process...

Fundraisers, Get Out There and Try ‘Something Different’
July 17, 2017 at 10:31 am

As fundraisers, we deal with people all the time—those who work in, those who serve by or those who support your organizations. Some of them may have been born and raised here for many generations. Others may have emigrated from other countries, like myself. Differences in culture and new impressions have formed our experiences...

Crowdfunding Monthly Donors: Don't Get Them 'Lost in Space'
July 3, 2017 at 10:37 am

My husband introduced me to the series, “Lost in Space,” many years ago. Growing up in Holland, I had never heard of it, but it’s a wonderful show. (This was before Star Trek, of course). So, why am I bringing up this series? Because it’s what I think about monthly donors and crowdfunding...

Should You Invest in Account Updater for Monthly Donors?
June 26, 2017 at 11:45 am

Account updater (also called account recycling or account recovery) is becoming more and more popular. Some donor base systems have started offering it for a small fee. Some systems charge a flat fee every month, and some charge a small fee based upon the amount to be recovered...

What Can You Do If Your Monthly Donors’ Payments Are Not Coming In?
June 19, 2017 at 10:56 am

Two weeks ago, I was checking my credit card statement and noticed several iTunes charges on it. The charges were going up in value. Believe it or not, I don’t have an iTunes account, so that was an immediate flag. I called the credit card company right away to dispute the charges. They, of course, canceled my card and sent me a new card...