A Monthly Giving How-To: Annualize the Value
What a difference a simple calculation can make. When I ask the question, “How many monthly donors do you have?” fundraisers typically know that number. But then when I ask how much they’re worth, fundraisers sometimes struggle to answer. Or they only look at the monthly gifts, so it doesn’t seem that powerful. That’s why […]
How a Monthly Giving Program Helps in Times of Crisis
First, I hope you’re doing okay? Are the kids getting used to being homeschooled? Are you getting used to working from home? Perhaps you worry about your job. Perhaps you worry even more about how your nonprofit is going to survive this worldwide coronavirus pandemic disaster! When you started the year, you knew your plans […]
Is It Time to Pivot?
If you asked me how many times I’ve seen the word “pivot” in an email, a webinar or a virtual conference, I simply couldn’t tell you. I know this word from ballroom dancing classes. I know it as part of my excel sheets. But I had never heard it used in conjunction with fundraising. As […]
Create a Monthly Donor Retention Day
OK — there’s no official monthly donor retention day (yet), but I think it’s time we started one. After all, with Daylight Savings Time, St. Patricks’ Day, World Wildlife Day and so many other special days on the calendar, why not create yet one more special day? Except, it should not be a special day! […]
2020 Monthly Giving Intentions
To start the year and decade off right, I thought I’d share 20 ideas and intentions to help you grow your monthly donor program to the next level. No matter what your current number of monthly donors is, you can always use more. No matter what your current overall communication schedule is, you should be […]
2 New Ways to Calculate the Value of Monthly Donors!
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I’m always looking for ways to help you convince your boss or board that it’s time to put a bit of time into generating more monthly donors. Time is really all it takes now, because the tools are already there. You just have to make […]
How Should You Treat Your Monthly Donors on Giving Tuesday?
As you’re getting ready for Giving Tuesday — or the campaign season starting before Thanksgiving — this question comes up often: Should I include my monthly donors in my Giving Tuesday campaign? My answer is: Yes! Absolutely, BUT… Why do I recommend including your monthly donors? Because this is an exciting time to give, and […]
Supercharge Sustainer Retention from Face-to-Face Fundraising
Part One of a Two Part Guide: Boosting Donor Retention From Day One – Top 10 Tips for Professional Fundraising Agencies By Paul Tavatgis & Sherry Bell, Professional Face-to-Face Fundraising Association and Erica Waasdorp, A Direct Solution. Introduction Face-to-face fundraising is one of the best ways to inspire people to make an ongoing and sustained […]
Why ACH/EFT Increases Your Monthly Giving Retention
As I’m putting the finishing touches on the presentations and inputs for the Sustainer Workshop at the Bridge Conference, a colleague sent me this. It was part of the membership renewal she just received on her phone. Can it be any easier? Why are more and more nonprofits focusing on ACH/EFT (also called direct debits, eChecks)—automatic […]
How to set up your nonprofit’s site for monthly giving
What Was A Monthly Giving Program Like Before Computers And The Internet? It existed but it was a lot harder! The channels used were mail, phone and in-person. When I first started managing a monthly giving program, now many (26+) years ago, nonprofits’ websites didn’t exist! Emails were just used for internal communication and even that was […]
