Advice On Monthly Giving
Heaps of practical advice on monthly giving programs in this exchange between Lisa Sargent and Jo Sullivan.
Jo grew ASPCA’s monthly giving program from 9,.000 donors to 140,000 in the span of ten years. That qualifies as success in my book!
Jo talks about cultivation of monthy donors, who and when to invite, whether to make additional appeals … all the questions I’ll bet you have.
Thanks for passing this along, Lisa.
Tom
One response to “Advice On Monthly Giving”
Behavioral Science Q & A
Integrating an individual giving appeal with other communications from a charity can have both positive and negative effects, and the outcome largely depends on how it’s executed. Advantages of Integration Brand Consistency: Maintaining a consistent appearance and messaging across all communications can reinforce the org’s brand identity and strengthen brand recognition and trust among your […]
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I’m not aware of any in-market tests specifically comparing recurring vs. gift frequency language. I suspect the answer might not be the same with all gift frequencies, nor with all people. It sounds like a great opportunity for you to test and find out what works for your audience. Based on the literature, here’s a couple […]
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Based on what we know from existing data, those renewal notices can actually be pretty effective in getting people to donate. They tap into our psychology – creating a sense of urgency, reminding us of past support, and using personalization to make the message hit home. They’re playing on our natural tendencies to feel obligated […]
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Interesting question. I had a quick look at the testing done on this topic. On the positive side, in all cases, over half of donors decide to cover the fee. In some cases, it goes as high as 65%. Not a negligible percentage at all. Here’s another test from iRaiser showing consistent results (see point […]
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There’s just one thing to consider when designing a supporter journey: the supporter. More specifically, you need to take into account: Who the supporter is i.e. their identity, which is the reason they support this cause, and their personality, which describes the way they “see” and process the world. These will determine the kind of […]
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I’m not an expert in this but a quick search surfaced this article on the effect of tax reforms on 2019’s charitable giving. The researchers didn’t find a reduction. Actually, they observed an “increase in charitable contributions in 2019, even with the lower tax rates and the dramatically smaller number of taxpayers who itemize their […]
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Tom:
Monthly giving is also a big factor in the fundraising programs of International NGOs in Japan. The “Monthly Pledge” program of the Japan Committee for UNICEF must be one of the world’s most successful and profitable monthly giving programs. Started in 1995, it may by now be approaching 200,000 monthly givers contributing an average donation not of 3 or 4 Euros, but of Y 2,500 per month. With today’s exchange rates, that is slightly more than $25 per month and therefore probably raises some $50 million plus per year.
Why do Japanese like to donate on a monthly basis? Probably because, like their European counterparts, they have been paying their bills with automatic funds transfers for many years, and are blessed with a postal banking system in which practically everyone holds an account. Another factor is the high level of trust that Japanese have for their institutions, including their banks, in spite of recent mishaps.
How were all these monthly donors recruited? Mainly thanks to a very aggressive and well-funded Direct Mail program that UNICEF began in 1992, that has since generated some 2 million one-off donors. Other Japanese charities have followed, but because UNICEF started doing this so many years ago, none have been able to reach the numbers that are possible if you are the first charity on the block to try it.