To your nonprofit, every donor counts. This includes not only acquiring new supporters for your mission, but also fostering reliable and consistent relationships with your current donors. By setting up a recurring giving program, you’ll allow a sustainable stream of financial support to come flowing in.

Retaining donors will take fewer resources than searching for new ones. So as you consider your online fundraising efforts moving forward, prioritize creating a dedicated program aimed toward recruiting recurring donors and establishing long-term relationships for giving.

These five steps will guide you in developing a successful recurring giving program for your nonprofit:

1. Leverage your CRM.
2. Optimize your online donation form.
3. Market recurring giving.
4. Thank and engage donors.
5. Adjust your strategy over time.

You can choose any regular time frame for recurring donations, but monthly giving tends to be the most effective. Follow these steps to get your recurring giving program up and running.

1. Leverage your CRM.

Having a comprehensive and functional CRM is essential for developing a data-driven fundraising strategy for recurring donors. By examining donor data stored in your CRM, you can identify possible candidates for recurring giving. Keep track of information such as demographics, giving habits, and previous interactions with your nonprofit to maintain and optimize online donor engagement. 

Supporters who tend to give small to mid-sized donations on a semi-regular basis are ideal prospects for your recurring giving program because they’ve already made a habit of supporting your mission.  Make sure you have fundraising CRM software that will empower you to make informed decisions on which giving level to promote to donors based on their donation histories.

Once you’ve done that, send out a survey to your supporters to gauge their interest. Figure out what they would like to get out of a recurring giving program so that you can develop it in a way that is appealing to both you and your donors.

2. Optimize your online donation form.

Now, it’s time to open up the option of recurring gifts to your supporters. To do this, you’ll need to incorporate a setting for recurring giving into your donation page so that donors will easily be able to participate in the program with just a few clicks.

Here are some other ways to optimize your donation form for recurring gifts:

• Add suggested giving amounts. Suggested giving amounts are an effective and subtle way to encourage your supporters to give more. Utilize the donor data in your CRM to determine what amounts to suggest. For instance, if donors tend to give in $15 amounts, a suggestion of $20 can inspire them to contribute more.
• Include your organization’s brand. By incorporating your nonprofit logo and colors across your donation page, you can assure your supporters that their gifts will directly help your cause. The more trust you build, the more inclined donors will be to contribute through recurring giving.
• Use a secure payment processor. Make sure your donors feel comfortable with making payments to your nonprofit online. When it comes to finding convenient and secure nonprofit payment processing software, there are a few important considerations. PCI-compliant payment options are the most secure. Supporters should be able to have several suitable options when choosing to give, such as credit card payment or PayPal.
• Embed a matching gift tool. According to 360MatchPro’s matching gift statistics, an “estimated $4 – $7 billion in matching gift funds goes unclaimed per year.” Many of your nonprofit’s supporters may be unaware that their employers have a corporate philanthropy program. To avoid expending unnecessary resources and time, use a matching gift tool to automatically notify donors of their eligibility for matching gifts.
• Ensure the form is mobile-friendly. In this modern world, smartphones are everyday necessities for many people. Provide your supporters with the helpful option to access your online donation page on their phone screens. This convenience will encourage donors to make regular contributions to your nonprofit.

To efficiently collect donor data on your recurring giving program, make sure your online donation form is integrated with your CRM or part of an all-in-one solution for your nonprofit.

3. Market recurring giving.

Once you have recurring giving options available to your supporters, spread the word! Employ a variety of marketing strategies and tools to notify as many donors as possible about your program.

Use these channels to reach out to your donors:

• Website. Create a page on your nonprofit website dedicated to your recurring giving program. This way, any online visitors will automatically learn about the option to make regular contributions to your mission.
• Social media. Design eye-catching posts to strengthen your donor relationships and educate them about the benefits of participating in your recurring giving program. You can even ask monthly donors for permission to spotlight them on your profiles as a way to show appreciation for their involvement in your cause.
• Email marketing. Send your supporters an informative series of messages guiding them on how to get started in your program. This will both alert them of your recurring giving options and help them participate with ease.
• Direct mail. To supplement your digital marketing, consider sending out information about your recurring giving program on print materials and mail them to your donors. Some may prefer having a hard copy to reference as they think about whether or not to participate.

In these correspondences, always include a link or a QR code for direct mail leading to your donation page. This way, you can encourage donors to take immediate action if they desire.

4. Thank and engage donors.

When donors support your nonprofit, show your appreciation by sending personalized thank-you messages in engaging emails. Make them feel individually recognized by including their name, gift amount, and a tangible example of how your organization will put their donation to use.

For recurring monthly donors, you can offer perks such as appreciation events, branded merchandise like T-shirts or keychains, and mentions in your nonprofit’s annual report.

Don’t forget to recommend other ways for them to get involved with your nonprofit, such as volunteering opportunities and fundraising events to attend.

5. Adjust your strategy over time.

Once you’ve gotten the gears of your recurring giving program moving, continue to gather and evaluate data to monitor your success. Take into account factors such as donation amounts, numbers of donors registering, conversion rates from marketing materials, and donor feedback. 

As your organization grows, this program can and should grow along with it! Prioritize building high-quality and long-lasting relationships with your recurring donors to keep them enthusiastic about their involvement in your cause.

Be sure to make upgrades to your nonprofit’s data toolkit if needed in order to ensure it’s actively supporting your goals like managing and growing a robust recurring giving program. This CharityEngine rundown of top CRM software offers several leading options, but if a full systems upgrade isn’t in the cards for your nonprofit, maintaining strong data hygiene and keeping your software updated over time will also help.

About the Author

Philip Schmitz

Philip Schmitz is the CEO and founder of cloud-services leader BIS Global, creators of the CharityEngine fundraising & communications technology platform. Founded in 1999, Phil has managed the vision and strategy for BIS's suite of integrated business applications & hosting tools used by more than 400 businesses & non-profits.