Let me tell you a story.

It’s May 24, 1815. Some well-meaning folks in a fledgling nation decided they could collect money on a regular basis. For charity. Subscription-style. Recurring generosity. Monthly giving.

They got it right two hundred and ten years ago.

Now jump to the present day, where most nonprofit boards still stare blankly when you mention monthly or recurring giving, as if it’s alchemy. Or worse, as if it’s a burden. The question isn’t why it took so long. The question is: “What the hell is still stopping you?”

Let’s be honest. We’ve been talking about this—shouting about this—for over 17 years in The Agitator. Recurring giving is not a fringe idea. Monthly giving, Regular Giving, Sustainers (call it what you will) isn’t a gimmick, or some Gen Z fundraising fad—it’s the bedrock of financial sustainability. If you want to build a future, not just survive till next quarter, this is where you start.

A Brief History (with Thermofax)

Back in 1971, at the founding of the Southern Poverty Law Center, Morris Dees and I created a monthly giving program using the tech of the time: Thermofax paper. It was how doctors and dentists kept records of appointments and did their billing. We used it to track every monthly donor. Each month, the donor received their Therrmofax. Proof of another gift, another month of commitment. A perfect attendance ribbon for justice.

It wasn’t sexy. It was effective. People loved it. It made them feel seen, appreciated, part of something. We weren’t optimizing click-through rates—we were building a movement, month by month.

And now, in 2025, there’s a new crop of evangelists and authors Dana Snyder, Erica Waasdorp, Dave Raley, Harvey McKinnon, Ken Burnett —carrying the gospel forward. And good on them. Some are old-timers in mail and some are younger digital acolytes. But they all say the same thing: monthly giving is your lifeline.

Do Yourself and  Your Organization a HUGE Favor

Invest an hour of your time and take in the insights, practical advice and enthusiasm of this group of experts and check out this recording of the online panel: Friends for Life: Recurring Giving’s Rich History and Bright Future featuring the experts listed above and ably chaired by Tim Sarrantonio.

Excuses for Avoiding a Recurring Giving Program Are Getting Old

So what’s the problem?  Why are so many organizations –small, mid-size and large—failing to launch these regular giving programs that may well save their hides in the future?

Some say, “Our donors aren’t ready.”
Some say, “We don’t have the tech.”
Some whisper, “It’ll cannibalize our major gifts.”

I shout, “Bullshit.”

You don’t need a 50-page strategy deck. You need guts, intention, and a damn good reason why your donors should care enough to give every month. As Dana put it in the webinar: “This isn’t just about a moment—it’s about a movement”.

Only 2% of new donors in the U.S. currently give monthly. If we raise that to just 7%, that’s $10 billion in sustainable revenue. Think about that. Let it sink in. What are we doing with our time if we’re not chasing that?

The Numbers You Can’t Ignore

Let’s go to the math. For the bean counters:

• Retention rates for one-time donors hover around 20-30%. For monthly donors? 80-90%. That’s not a small bump—that’s a moon landing.
• Value per donor: Monthly givers are 7 to 20 times more valuable than one-time donors over the long term.
• Stability: Regular Giving smooths out the peaks and valleys of budget hell. You can plan with it. Sleep with it. Build with it.
• Bequests: Your monthly givers are your likeliest legacies. Six times more likely to leave a bequest. That’s your rainy-day plan right there.

And yet…

The Investment Paradox

Your board invests in stocks. Bonds. Money market funds. All in the name of prudence. All in the name of fiduciary responsibility. And they get, what, a 5% annual return if they’re lucky?

Compare that to a well-run monthly giving program, where the return can hit 20%, 30%, even 50%.

And these august board members and CEOs say investing in fundraising is risky?

What’s actually risky is putting your future in the hands of the S&P 500 while ignoring the only people who actually careif your organization lives or dies—your donors.

No More Excuses

There’s a myth that says monthly giving is for the big guys. But in fact, smaller organizations often do better—they connect faster, personalize more, pivot quicker.

There’s a myth that it’s too much work. As Erica Waasdorp put it so well in the webinar: “Don’t overthink it.” It’s really not that complicated and most of the work is frontloaded. Once you get it rolling, monthly donors don’t need a gala. They just need consistency and care.

There’s a myth that monthly gifts are small potatoes. But $25/month from 100 donors is $30,000 a year. And those donors stick with you. They don’t ghost you after Giving Tuesday.

The Real Problem

The real problem is leadership.

Nonprofits don’t lack the tools. They lack vision and nerve. The courage to stop playing defense and start building something bold. The humility to learn from decades of best practice. The wisdom to understand that philanthropy isn’t a transaction—it’s a relationship. A promise renewed every month.

Erica has a great label for it:  “Monthly giving is the sleeping giant”. Sadly,  too many nonprofits are still asleep at the wheel.

What To Do (Starting Now)

If you’re a fundraiser reading this and still waiting for permission—you have it. Start with what Dana  Snyder calls the “Five Pillars”:

1. Create the product. Give it a name. A voice. A promise.
2. Make it easy. Mobile-friendly, default to monthly, zero friction.
3. Call in your believers. Start with your loyalists. They’re waiting for the invite.
4. Ask proudly. Put monthly giving front and center.
5. Celebrate every damn month. Make them feel like part of the mission.

And above all, stop acting like this is hard. What’s hard is surviving without it.

Final Word

We’ve been preaching the importance of building a recurring giving program for decades. From Thermofax to TikTok, the message hasn’t changed.

Recurring giving is how you build a future. How you build loyalty. How you build community.

If your leadership doesn’t get it, walk them to the mirror and ask: Do you want to play it safe with a 5% return? Or do you want to build a base of believers who will fund our mission through recessions, scandals, and storms?

And if they still don’t get it, remind them: this is fundraising’s last land grab. And the land is running out.

So,  get moving.

Roger