Simplify Your Life. Give Monthly!

By Erica Waasdorp

Life is busy. Life is messy. Time can get away from us all — no matter how perfect we are at multitasking.

Donors are no different. Especially donors with kids and/or grandkids. Having just spent the weekend with our grandkids (ages two, three and 11), I can totally relate. You can’t leave them alone one minute, and they love having you sit with them when they’re watching the next repeat of “Minions,” “Blaze” or “Umizoomi”!

I had virtually no time to do anything else, but maybe glance at my phone here or there. So, if you’re like me, and like so many other donors, wouldn’t you want to simplify your life?

Monthly giving does exactly that. Donors want to support you, but they’re busy, so make it easy for them to give.

Use the approach as part of your messaging.

I’ve used the “simplify your life” approach with a client who created a great short video of a donor who explained how her life was simplified by giving monthly. You can check it out here.

It worked very well, and the client reached their goal of bringing in 50 new monthly donors in a short period of time.

Why? Because this approach does several things:

You tell the donor you need him/her.
One donor tells another donor how easy monthly giving is. It’s social proof, using a donor testimonial.
It makes the donor think how monthly giving can be so much easier on his or her budget and his or her time. What’s not to like? Why not start now? Typically, the link is right there, or the message (with or without video) sits right on the monthly giving page.

Use the winter and spring to continue to tell your donors you need them, but also tell them how they can simplify their life by giving monthly. It’s certainly an approach worth testing for your donors, don’t you think?

0 Comments

View Comments

Categories:
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.