I just wrote an ebook on how monthly donors provide important unrestricted revenue nonprofits need to support their operating costs.
If you’re using terms like annual fund or annual appeals to identify your operating revenue, please realize that monthly gifts are typically part of this. Monthly donors support your annual fund. Monthly donors support your ongoing operating needs and your mission.
One of the questions fundraisers immediately ask is: “Does unrestricted mean you can’t use specific examples to invite donors to start giving monthly?”
The answer there is: If you’re using examples of how a donor can make a difference for your organization, you can absolutely make those unrestricted.
As a fundraiser, you help the donor set the price. Giving specific examples always helps!
But just because you give those examples doesn’t mean that the (monthly) gifts then must become restricted and limit you in what you can use the received funding for.
Just make it clear on the reply form or online giving/payment form. Adding a few words can un-restrict the gift and make sure you can decide where best to use the money raised. For example:
“Here is my gift to provide children with food for a month and to support all your other programs.”
By adding these few extra words, you’ve just unrestricted the revenue.
Most organizations have donors who can get excited about brick-and-mortar needs. They typically raise more money if they can be specific in the fundraising needs. But by adding those few extra words, the organization can use the funds for that specific purpose and for whatever else the money is needed most — to keep the lights on, to keep computers and database running, and to keep the staff who can then continue to serve the children, animals, clients, etc.
Donors want to make a difference. Examples are key to help them understand how much and where, but you’ll also want to make sure the operating costs are covered first. Monthly donors will help you do just that.
