Sustainer programs have grown substantially over the past few years, especially for those organizations that took advantage of generating new donors before, during and after the 2016 elections. In this article, I’m going to address two questions: Why has sustainer giving become so popular? How can you create a winning sustainer program? Why Has Sustainer Giving Become Popular? It’s all around us: subscription programs, small amounts taken...

I’m sitting on a plane, thinking about the coronavirus and a movie I watched a while back called “Contagion.” Scary. Totally realistic now! We’ve become world travelers. We’re on planes, trains, boats, buses, Uber and Lyft rides, etc., all the time. For this most recent trip, I packed some masks and gloves, and I am wiping down everything possible, hoping to stay healthy. (Whenever I travel, I swear by Airborne, sanitary wipes and hand...

The decision to add monthly giving to your annual fundraising plan is probably one of the most important ones you’ll ever make. It’s probably also one of the best you’ll ever make. Now if it were two decades ago, it would have been a costly one. But now, with the internet, email marketing, social media and the numerous ways giving has been made easy, adding monthly giving has become a ‘no brainer’. Adding monthly giving to your fundraising plan...

As you know, I do a ton of blogging and presenting on monthly giving. I talk to organizations about their monthly donor programs all the time. But I haven’t been able to solve the biggest monthly giving mystery: “What’s holding organizations back to start or grow their monthly donor program?” I’d love to find out from you what you think it is, because I’ve not yet been able to answer that question. I can guess at some of the reasons (or...

I still come across nonprofits that have virtually no sustainers. Why? Because they weren’t pushed to do it, or they didn’t know that they could do it. Sadly, some organizations had the bad luck of agencies and consultants not thinking that monthly giving was a “big deal.” Some worried it would take away from their direct mail numbers and revenue. It made me think of the movie “Pretty Woman.” Do you remember the scene where Julia Roberts needs...

Last week, I was talking to a prospect about how to best set priorities when it comes to monthly giving. She wanted to know how crucial it is to only focus on monthly giving compared to other activities. They had fewer than 5,000 donors to work with. They have a small staff and a separate communications department that’s not that fundraising focused, which, in my experience, is (sadly) very typical. A few months ago, I started talking to an...

If you haven’t started focusing on monthly and sustainer giving yet, think again. At the start of the new year, it’s a good time to take a fresh look at this tremendously sustainable way for donors to make a difference to your organization in ways that are most comfortable for their budget. When I ask monthly donors the question, why they like giving that way, most indicate they like to support the organization. They care about the mission....

As you’re going into the next decade, it might be a good time to take stock of some old ideas that can be new again. But how do you find those old ideas? Go back to some of your old packages and emails, and retest them. See what happens. When I worked at Reader’s Digest in Amsterdam several decades ago, we took two approaches that worked over and over again: We had a huge stock room of samples of prior campaigns. And every seven years or so,...

As you know, I’m always looking for statistics, especially on monthly giving. And as someone who has raised money internationally for a number of years, I’ve found that it’s always good to look at international fundraising trends. Yes, cultures and languages can be different. Yes, fundraising channels may be a bit different, but overall: What works in one country, typically works in another. Because you’re raising funds from individuals, and...

Blog by Michael W. Kahn, Nacha Did you finally clear out your inbox from Giving Tuesday? Congratulations. And if you helped a cause or two that’s near and dear to your heart, good on you! But now’s a great time to take the next step and help those charitable organizations make the most of Giving Tuesday. That means converting one-time donors into sustaining donors who give more frequently by ACH. Some experts in the field of giving believe the...

You’ve most likely read that giving days/year-end/holidays are a really good time to ask your monthly donors for an extra gift.  It’s true, especially with that special personal touch. But that brings up the next question: Should you send a thank-you letter to your monthly donors for that extra gift? You’re most likely not sending thank-you letters for their ongoing monthly gifts now. My recommendation is an unequivocal YES. Do send a thank-you...

As we’re getting ready for Thanksgiving, I wanted to talk about something not often talked about:  how nonprofit clients move from one fundraising agency or consultant to another, and how this can be a smooth transition or a difficult one. I’m very fortunate that I was recently asked to start working with an organization where its “old” agency was extremely gracious, supportive and forthcoming with any and all information. It made the...

This past weekend, I spent several hours going through the stack of direct mail packs I had  received in the past two weeks. I reviewed each one, identified organizations I’d like to donate to and then I scanned in those that could help give me some new ideas for year-end giving appeals for organizations I work with. Every year around this time, I talk to nonprofits, struggling to decide if they should send out a direct mail appeal at year-end....

I’m not going to write about monthly donors for a change. Instead, now is the time to get as many one-time gifts, which will help feed your monthly donor program next year. The year-end appeal season is here. The clock is ticking… The mail pile is growing… The inbox is overflowing… The question is: How do you stand out from the crowd? The second question is: Must you stand out from the crowd, or is it more important you get my attention at the...

There are many opportunities to generate monthly donors, if you’re willing to use them. I’ve given you several options in past blogs, but here is one of the BEST ways to make a real splash and generate a substantial number of new monthly donors in a very short period. It’s by using a MATCH.  It literally sets your program on fire! A match is a special gift you’ll receive if you reach a certain fundraising goal.  A match will help motivate...

During a recent webinar, someone asked me: “Does the timing of the launch of your monthly giving program make a difference? Are there certain times of the year that are better to start a monthly giving program?” My answer is twofold: If your organization is really gung-ho about monthly giving — as in, you almost care more about generating sustainers than one-time gifts — then by all means, go for it! There is really no bad time to launch your...

As it’s almost Halloween, I thought I’d discuss the “creepy” topic of asking monthly donors for an extra gift this giving season. Remember this post from a few months ago? I described the biggest reason why sustainers give monthly — it’s because they care about your mission. So knowing that, why on earth would you NOT give your monthly donors the opportunity to make an extra gift? You’re doing them a favor by asking them to make an even bigger...

Fundraisers are fascinating. Sometimes, they want to try something new and forget about proven approaches and channels. Other times, they are too afraid to even consider something new. I get it. If you’re worried that you’re not going to make your goals, you’ll put on the brakes. If you think that your donors might get upset about what you’re trying to do, you’ll walk on eggshells. Most times, you’re scared because someone who doesn’t...

Article written by Erica Waasdorp and Naseem Saloojee Let’s start with the definition first: Face-to-Face (F2F) is a term originally coined in Europe. According to the UK Institute of Fundraising, “Face-to-face fundraising activity enables charities to engage with the public in an effective and compelling way to reach new supporters.” F2F is not to be confused with major gift fundraising in the U.S. You’ll see that the key words in the F2F...

Last week was a tough week. My father-in-law passed away after five days in hospice care and three weeks of going in and out of the hospital with an infection. Before that, he was quite healthy and very much with us. He told the most amazing stories of his World War II fighter pilot flights in Germany and France, especially as a young airman. He lived to be 95 — a very full and incredible life — serving our country for more than 40 years. And...

This is one of those recurring questions I get whenever I present on monthly giving, so it may be time to address it again.  Organizations often “agonize” about the name for a monthly giving program. Many are holding up the launch of it. Do yourself a favor: Don’t delay. You can always recognize donors later! Before you start thinking about names (and possibly stalling the start of the program), consider this: On your online form, your...

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 the monthly gift option easy to find and start directing your donors to go there. You may also know that I always recommend annualizing the value of monthly gifts....

By Erica Waasdorp , Paul Tavatgis and Sherry Bell Retention. It’s something every single one of us struggles with. And no matter how a new sustainer came on board (digitally, direct mail, telephone, face-to-face, TV or other), the first three months after sign-up are critical to retaining new sustainers. But when it comes to recurring donors acquired via face-to-face (also referred as F2F, street, canvassing, door), retention becomes even more...

I hope you were convinced from one of my earlier blogs that direct mail for nonprofits is still the most effective way to generate donations from your existing donors and generate new donors. The next question you might ask yourselves then is how often and how can you best reach out to your donors, so they’ll be most likely to respond. Let’s Start With How Often You Can Reach Out To Your Donors, So They’ll Continue To Love You. It’s always one...

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 donation. You may also hear terms like canvassing, street, F2F, door, etc.  All mean that...

Spoiler alert: It’s not by doing more social media. It’s not by running more events. It’s by focusing on asking your donors to upgrade, to make monthly gifts and leave gifts through their will. It’s all about asking your donors to give more money, more often, ongoing. It’s getting long term results by doing things now. Why is this important? Because the latest trend reports are here and donor numbers are down once again. Donors down -5.8%...

You probably know by now that monthly giving is not a one-shot deal. It’s a matter of “chipping” away at it. And if you’re a golfer, you know, it’s those chip shots that can make all the difference. With monthly giving, it’s all about consistency. It’s about a continued and committed focus. It’s about finding ways to build in a monthly giving ask wherever you possibly can. There are numerous (almost endless) online opportunities, but don’t...

As a monthly donor, I support many organizations. Frankly, until I sit down at the end of the year to prepare for my taxes, I don’t even know how many great nonprofits I give monthly to. Organizations I support fall into the categories of animal welfare, environmental advocacy, human services and religion. I have a hard time remembering why I started supporting every individual organization, but I know it was for a good reason and the...

If you’ve heard me speak or read some of my blogs, you already know that I always advocate for the following:  The more opportunities you offer donors to give monthly, the more monthly donors you will find!  But for most organizations, there is always that fine line of having to bring in one-time short-term funds versus long-term sustainable monthly giving revenue. I get it. Trust me, I’ve been there. Let’s Start With A Monthly Giving Case...

As I’m getting ready for my second cataract surgery this week, it has started to dawn on me the tremendous eye-opening results I’ve already experienced from the first one. For me, going to the beach and swimming in the ocean was never an option, because I wouldn’t be able to find my spot unless there was nobody else there. Snorkeling was not possible, because I simply wouldn’t see anything. Now hopefully all that will be possible. I may have...