Monthly Donors Give More Than One-Time Donors

By Erica Waasdorp

The M+R Benchmarks research has always been one of my favorite studies, and often one of the very few go-to statistics on monthly giving trends. That’s why I’m really excited that the "2020 M+R Benchmarks Study" is here.

It’s very interactive, so you can find the most amazing trends in all things digitally. The M+R Benchmarks studies are based on the results from 201 different organizations and millions of records.

Of course, I want to focus on monthly giving, so to stay on the theme of giving you some good news, here you go:

“Revenue from monthly gifts increased by 22%, more than twice as fast as revenue from one-time gifts (8%).
“Monthly giving accounted for 17% of all online revenue in 2019.”

Based on Figure 1, you can see that this differs by type of nonprofit. Cultural and health organizations still have a way to go, but others are well above the general 17%.

Figure 1: Monthly giving as a percentage of online revenue | Credit: "2020 M+R Benchmarks Study"

Figure 2: Average monthly gift | Credit: "2020 M+R Benchmarks Study"

As you can see from Figure 2, the average monthly gifts online are all over the map, with public media being the lowest at $13/month and hunger/poverty and international relief the highest at $33/month. On average, $25/month means $300 a year! Compared to the average one-time gift of $111, that means that monthly donors give three times more than one-time donors.

Sadly, this is just one of the (few) statistics available on monthly giving. To review what I’ve seen over time, take a look here. And please let me know if you’ve come across other monthly donor stats that are missing.

Especially now, monthly donors are extremely powerful and provide that crucial, sustainable revenue your nonprofit needs to keep going. I am optimistic, and I can’t wait to see the 2021 stats to see the growth!

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Monthly Giving

Erica Waasdorp Author's page

Erica Waasdorp is one of the leading experts on monthly giving. She is the president of A Direct Solution, a company serving nonprofit organizations with fundraising and direct marketing needs, with a focus on monthly giving and appeals. She authored "Monthly Giving: The Sleeping Giant" and "Monthly Giving Made Easy." She regularly blogs and presents on fundraising, appeals and monthly giving — in person and through webinars. She is happy to answer any questions you may have about this great way of improving retention rates for your donors.

Erica has over 30 years of experience in nonprofits and direct response. She helped the nonprofits she works with raise millions of dollars through monthly giving programs. She is also very actively supports organizations with annual fund planning and execution, ranging from copywriting, creative, lists, print and mail execution.

When she’s not working or writing, Erica can be found on the golf course (she’s a straight shooter) or quietly reading a book. And if there’s an event with a live band, she and her husband, Patrick, can be found on the dance floor. She also loves watching British drama on PBS. Erica and Patrick have two step sons and a cat, Mientje.