Now is the Time to Rethink your Fundraising Strategy and Prioritize Monthly Giving

(3-5 minute read)

Right now, many nonprofits are setting their budget and revenue goals up for the new fiscal year.?That makes this the perfect time to rethink your fundraising strategy to prioritize your campaigns and calls-to-action in favor of monthly giving and long-term revenue.

Think about it – if a donor makes a one-time gift of $100, they will often not give again for a year. If a donor gives a $10 monthly gift, assuming you retain that donor for a year, you’ve made $120 in the first year, and will very likely continue to make more in following years.?This example makes it easy to see the benefits of the monthly giving strategy.

Many of our clients do see the value in promoting monthly giving, but they are wedded to revenue goals that require immediate returns to hit monthly and yearly goals that have been previously set. As you’re thinking through next year’s goals, consider lowering your monthly revenue targets and immediate return on ad spend (ROAS) expectations, and factor in what monthly giving strategies could do for your program in the long run.?

With a monthly-first strategy, your monthly revenue goals might need to temporarily decrease, but over time, your ROAS will exceed that of immediate return strategies and your program will continue to build on your monthly-first investment.

So, what are some easy and effective ways to make your fundraising program “monthly-first”??Here are a few to get you started:

• Default your website donation page to a monthly ask.
• Make sure a monthly call-to-action is present everywhere your donors are: ad campaigns, emails, social media.
• Make monthly giving feel like a community.?You can include “peer pressure nudges” on your website and donation page that lets users know how much other monthly donors are giving on average.
• Implement an upsell lightbox that asks one-time donors to change their gift to monthly.
• Explain why monthly giving is important for your program and mission.
• Create a new donor welcome series that makes the case for one-time donors to become monthly donors.

Have questions or want to hear more about how you can transform your fundraising program to prioritize long-term growth??Contact us.

Written by Hannah Leigh-Brown