As more organizations start monthly donor programs, it’s imperative to take these two steps to grow your monthly donors. And they’re much easier than you think! You’re probably already doing a lot of it, but you’ve not yet thought about it with your monthly donor hat on.
The First Step to grow your monthly donor program is by ensuring you keep the ones you have!
Why is this important?
Because you don’t want to run a “church-and-burn” program; you don’t want to create a “leaky bucket,” where you need to bring in more monthly donors by losing them the minute you have them.
What does this mean?
Pay attention: set one day a month where you focus on tracking the payments and identify those who are dropping out or are about to drop out.
Use your payment processor tools. Many of them provide you an overview of the monthly donors whose card is about to expire. Then follow up. Follow up. Follow up some more.
The Second Step to grow your monthly donor program is by actually asking your donors to join.
Make every Monday a #MonthlyDonorMonday!
I know. You’re busy. Time gets away from you. Before you know it, the next event is around the corner. The board report needs to be written. You’re working on your appeal. You need to meet so many major donors. Your grants are due.
I’m not recommending a fancy campaign. I recommend you keep it really simple.
So just take one hour every week, perhaps every Monday and make it #MonthlyDonorMonday. Create an email to tell your staff about it. Then tell your board about it. Next tell your volunteers about it.
Always include a few links to the monthly giving page. Then the next Monday, send a reminder. The next Monday after that consider sending an email to your donors. Do take that next step, and you’ll grow, one email at a time, one monthly donor at a time. And before you know it, you’ll reach your first milestone. Then your next…
