Monthly Giving … Maybe We’ll Get Lucky

March 22, 2017      Tom Belford

In a brief, to-the point article in NonProfitPro, Erica Waasdorp, who’s written a book on the subject, gives us two ‘must-do’ steps for generating monthly donors. As simple as they are, they seem to baffle too many nonprofits.

First, you must ASK for monthly gifts!

Sound like a big ‘DUH!’? Then why don’t 50% of participants in Erica’s webinars on the subject not ask at all?! That’s where DUH! is dead right.

And once over the apparently daunting hurdle of asking …

Second, you must make it EASY for the donor to sign up.

For example, providing a dedicated donor page for monthly gift sign-up … no distractions, no other options, no extraneous fluff.

Is there something too hard about those two steps?

My impression is that recruiting monthly donors is still an afterthought for most nonprofits. It’s just about adding another giving option to the dollar string. “Maybe we’ll get lucky,” seems to be the attitude.

But acquiring monthly givers is so important, so lucrative, that it deserves a dedicated campaign of its own, not just routine placement on your reply cards and online order forms (although even that would constitute a step up for many groups).

That means explicit recruitment targets and accountability therefor, a case/message specifically constructed to support that ask, a dedicated schedule of appeals, dedicated capture and well-oiled follow-through (including attention to expiring credit cards).

So, do you want to get real about monthly giving? You might start by reading Erica’s Monthly Giving. The Sleeping Giant.

Tom

P.S. Roger’s a huge fan of Erica. Here’s his case for pursuing monthly gifts, along with his Cliff’s Notes on Erica’s book.

 

3 responses to “Monthly Giving … Maybe We’ll Get Lucky”

  1. Erica Waasdorp says:
    March 22, 2017 at 6:42 am

    Thank you for the shout out Roger! The good news is that the systems have made it all so much EASIER for organizations to ask… but we said it, you do have to ASK. Cheers, Erica

  2. Erica Waasdorp says:
    March 22, 2017 at 6:47 am

    Oops, sorry, Tom, thank you!!!

  3. Gail Perry says:
    March 22, 2017 at 9:21 pm

    Love this. Erica’s work on monthly donors is exemplary. Love her book.

    Thanks Erica, for prodding us all to push harder in this most lucrative area!

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