Why Automatic Monthly Gift Upgrades Are a Bad Idea
A few weeks ago, The New York Times published an article on automatic upgrades of monthly gifts and the number of upset supporters when that happened. This is scary stuff and could have a very negative impact on other nonprofits looking to grow their monthly donor programs. I’m going to leave politics out and look at that […]
Turn Instant Gratification Into Something Surprising
Have you noticed? Lately, when you order something through Amazon, you get an email with a picture of the item showing up in front your door. This happens as you’re hearing the delivery truck’s engine rev up to leave. Is that cool or what? I call that instant gratification. Often, until I open the package, […]
Is the Interest in Recurring Giving Really Growing?
Nonprofit PRO just published its “2021 Nonprofit Leadership Impact Study” and while I like what I’m reading there, it’s still not quite where I’d like it to be. Or should I say, where it really ought to be to make and keep nonprofits sustainable. One of the conclusions from the report is: nonprofits need to […]
Does Your Nonprofit Have Backup Plans?
For the past few years, my husband and I have been escaping to the sunshine for a week or two. We discovered the Phoenix area as one that typically sees great weather in February/March. With COVID-19 and our vaccine shots, we had to juggle our schedule, so this year we arrived in Phoenix during spring […]
What Is Your Monthly Giving Soft Cancel Process?
When I was reviewing my monthly gifts for the year, I realized that I hadn’t given monthly to several organizations since May. I call this a soft cancel. I didn’t mean to stop giving monthly, and I didn’t take action to stop. I had received a new card at the time, but things were very […]
Offer a Monthly Giving Save Option
While I was doing some research, I came across this interesting study. Brightback’s research is more aimed at the commercial subscription world, but a lot of what happens there can be applied to monthly giving for nonprofits. What I find interesting is the shift to an online/digital model. Take note: Online consumers expect the experience to be […]
Monthly Giving Is All About Donor Retention
This is always an exciting time of year as donor base providers and analytics groups release their giving trends from the prior year. We are continuing to see so many changes. Not many were prepared for this disaster. And many, especially smaller organizations, almost froze when the shutdown happened. Many assumed that their donors did […]
Protect Your Monthly Donors
I’ve seen the following happen several times in different ways. Donation platforms and donor base companies merge. A community foundation providing donation form support for organizations decides it is not their focus any longer. Nonprofits have to scramble and find a payment processor and the best forms to use quickly. And now with the GoFundMe announcement, what […]
Monthly Giving Programs Are Like Eating Your Veggies
Recently, I was on Facebook Live with a colleague, and we were discussing some tips for growing monthly gifts. The question of why so many nonprofits are still hesitating about introducing monthly giving to their donors came up. It’s still a real mystery to me. It made me think of my childhood. My mom and […]
Book Review: ‘It’s Not Just About the Donor’
This past weekend, I read the second book by the Veritus Group principals Richard Perry and Jeff Schreifels: “It’s Not Just About the Donor.” This was written during COVID-19, and one chapter is especially focused on fundraising during a crisis. You may ask, why would someone like me who typically only deals with small(ish) and monthly donors […]
