What Can Your Nonprofit Do With Just $1?
A few months ago, I went to a conference where they had an actual bookstore. It was great and fortunately I had a big suitcase in which to carry some books home. There, I found a little book called “What Can You Do With Just $1?” written by Teresa Vasilopoulos, the executive director of the WoodGreen Foundation, a […]
Now Is an Exciting Time to Ask for a Monthly Gift Upgrade
If you have a sustainer program that’s been around for a few years, you must consider upgrading them at least once a year. And while you may be hesitant, now is an excellent time to consider asking for an upgrade. Everything has become more expensive — food, pet food, gas, utilities, etc. Hence, operating your nonprofit has […]
Which Giving Frequencies Should Your Nonprofit Provide?
I love it when CRMs and payment providers churn through their data to show trends, especially when it comes to recurring giving. There simply isn’t enough yet (in my view). That’s why I was excited to read the most recent “The State of Modern Philanthropy 2022” from Classy. One of the key messages from the report is to give […]
Can You Have Multiple Monthly Donor Programs?
A colleague of mine recently asked me, “Can you have multiple monthly donor programs?” She and I both work with an organization that has multiple monthly donor programs, with the total revenue making up about 60% of all giving. This question is especially relevant when it comes to unrestricted versus restricted gifts. As may you know, […]
The M+R Benchmarks 2022 Are Here: Monthly Giving Up by 24%
One of my favorite statistics were just published: the M+R Benchmarks 2022. Not surprisingly, in the second year of the pandemic with still few in-person events, online giving grew, although not by as much as you’d expect, only 3%. Monthly giving however was the major driver of that growth. It increased by 24%, while one-time revenue […]
Case Study: How a Small Charity Keeps Growing Its Monthly Donor Base
As you may know, I love hearing from nonprofits. That’s how I learn. And that’s how I believe we all learn together. And I’m always amazed, especially at how small nonprofits keep growing and doing more — even with few resources. I think the biggest asset they have is the conviction, the belief that they […]
What If Checks Were Going Away?
As a Dutch native and international fundraiser, who grew up with a central banking system, automatic payments and payment forms called acceptgiros, I’ve been following some recent payment trends. In the next few years, the Netherlands and several other European countries are planning to do away with acceptgiros, which are somewhat equivalent to checks. The Netherlands […]
Nonprofits Should Make Donating Easier Amid Cost of Giving Crisis
We’re not alone in experiencing food, gas and other prices going up. And, as fundraisers, we should be concerned about the impact on giving. I’ve been following the great Donor Pulse quarterly trend analysis for a while now. U.K-based Enthuse did the research and recently released the spring 2022 edition to address this concern: “There is no doubt that […]
How Do You Get Your Board on Board With Monthly Giving?
Someone from a nonprofit recently asked me to address one of its organization’s biggest challenges with monthly giving: How to get its board on board with monthly giving. I’m baffled that board members still need to be convinced that monthly giving is a thing and that monthly giving is a great way to provide ongoing […]
Is There Room for Monthly Giving in Your Fundraising Appeals?
Earlier this week, a copywriter friend of mine asked a great question. And I’m sure many of you are struggling with this same predicament. Here’s her question: Often a strategy calls for including so many offers in one direct mail fundraising appeal — the basic ask, maybe a matching gift, sometimes a push for monthly […]
