Nonprofits are gearing up for their busiest season. After all, most nonprofits raise most of their money in the last quarter of the year! So why would we think it’s smart to ask you to add another item to your packed to-do list?
Because it’s the busiest time of the year. You have more people than ever hitting that donate button. You’re putting more resources into creative campaigns or annual events that draw new donors. It’s the perfect time to capitalize on all that traffic and see if you can convert some one-time donors to monthly donors.
Why Monthly Giving Matters
If you missed us talking about how to get a monthly giving program started or how technology can help your recurring giving program grow, you surely know why starting and growing a monthly giving program is one of the foundations of nonprofit success and sustainable revenue (this is why monthly donors are also called sustainers).
Consider this. If you have 100 donors who give $25 a month, you’re looking at a $30,000 fundraising lift for your nonprofit. It’s easy to multiply that by two or three (or ten) to see how quickly this type of giving can provide a solid fundraising base, punctuated by different campaigns throughout the year.
Whether you’re a nonprofit with a monthly giving program you’d like to grow or a nonprofit convinced that starting a monthly giving program needs to be a top priority, this article will contain some tips to show you why it’s the best season to focus on these donors.
When Should You Make the Ask?
We always think the year-end season is a great time to convert one-time donors to sustainers because goodwill is abundant around the holidays. Heartfelt campaigns hit home; when they’re intentional and strategic, they can help convert donors.
Dave Raley at Imago Consulting has a theory we love. He says the best time to invite a new donor to commit to a recurring gift is “unwaveringly clear”—in the first 30 days.
Furthermore, he says that if you miss this optimal window, your next best chance to convert that donor is from days 30 to 60 after the one-time gift. After 60 days? You’re outta luck. It’s significantly harder to convert those donors.
Inertia, he says, is the problem:
“Donors tend to continue to give in the same way they initially gave – inertia is a powerful force. If we are going to change the pattern for a donor from one-time to recurring, it’s best to do so upfront before inertia sets in and it becomes harder to influence the behavior.”
So, year-end is a great time to capitalize on the influx of one-time donors and offer them the opportunity, through an optimized donation form, to commit to monthly gifts right then. If they choose to proceed with a one-time donation, the clock starts counting down the thirty days in which you should approach them to become monthly donors.
But what about the vast number of one-time or occasional donors you already have in your database? Is it too late to get those donors to convert?
It’s not, but it will be more challenging. We recommend a thoughtful campaign for those supporters, one that demonstrates the impact of monthly gifts with case studies, stories, infographics, or poignant photography. Clearly show the benefit of being the solution to a problem.
We sometimes recommend offering an incentive as part of this campaign. It can be branded merchandise or tickets to an online event; Wounded Warrior Project, which has a highly successful monthly giving program, sends a blanket to those who convert.
November and December are proven winners for getting monthly donors to commit, but these tips can be used at any point. If you miss this year-end window, give May a shot…research has shown that there’s something about April 15 that ignites a focus on increasing tax deductions for the year! 🤔
The Art of the Ask
And finally, what’s the best way to ask a donor to double down on their commitment and make a one-time gift a recurring one?
At CharityEngine, we recommend email automation. The second someone clicks the donate button, an automatic thank-you email can be sent. Personalization will make it highly effective, and it should be easy to do in your nonprofit CRM. Call them by name, thank them for their gift (and name the amount), and tell them how their donation will be used.
And then extrapolate! Tell them that one $50 gift impacted your mission, but the impact grows significantly if they give $25 a month (a $300 annual gift).
We’ve talked to some experts about the power of storytelling when appealing to donors. Angel Aloma, who served as the Executive Director of Food for the Poor, told us how he approached fundraising for one the largest international charities out there. It was easy, he said, once he realized asking donors for help was actually offering them the wonderful feeling of helping. Potato/pot-a-to, but it changed the way he approached donors, and it was a success.
After the initial email, create a sequence (again, easy in your fundraising software) for those who donated (ongoing success stories, stats about your impact, articles from your board, or news from your nonprofit) as well as those who didn’t. You can send these emails weekly; you’ll want to nurture your sustainers and continue equipping others with the information or incentives they need to commit to an ongoing gift.
Seize the Season! Turn Goodwill into Sustained Support
As the year-end giving season approaches, the opportunity to boost your monthly donor base is greater than ever. By strategically timing your asks and leveraging tools like email automation, you can transform one-time gifts into reliable, recurring support that sustains your mission all year long.
Remember, an intentional, well-timed appeal invites donors to see the amplified impact of monthly giving. Whether they’re new contributors or long-time supporters, this is your chance to foster lasting connections and multiply your impact. So, seize this season of goodwill to turn one-time generosity into enduring change.
