If your organization is just starting to look into recurring giving, it can feel daunting to know exactly how it works. This type of giving sustains so many organizations – but how do they secure more recurring donors, and what tools help them do it? In this article, we’ll answer those questions and outline how Donorbox’s unique recurring giving features help organizations collect more donations.
We’ve all seen the commercials – “just a dollar a day” is enough to solve some big problems in our world. While this may seem like a cliche, this type of giving is actually what helps many nonprofits maintain their mission.
Recurring giving, like donating a dollar a day for 30 days, allows donors to give more and have a greater impact on the causes they care most about. At the same time, it enables nonprofits to get the support they need to do more good. That’s a win-win!
But many nonprofits struggle to get donors to participate in recurring donation programs. In this article, we’ll look at how Donorbox helps nonprofits secure more of these sustaining donors with comprehensive recurring giving tools.
Recurring donations are typically smaller than one-time donations and they repeat at a specific interval of time. Most recurring giving is now automated, so organizations charge a donor’s card or bank account on a regular basis – without them having to remember to give.
This type of giving is incredibly valuable for nonprofits, too! On average, it allows donors to give 42% more than one-time donations. Think about it: a mid-level or smaller donor may not be able to afford a $500 one-time donation. But $42 a month? That’s more doable!
As inflation and other economic factors continue to affect donors’ ability to give, pushing recurring giving is your chance to recoup some lost contributed income while converting one-time donors into more sustaining, long-term supporters.
And with the right tools, it’s easy to do! This organization created a donation form just for recurring donors. They provided the option for weekly, monthly, and quarterly gifts, marking monthly as the default and preferred option.
Having the right tool to secure more recurring gifts is crucial. You’ll want something that streamlines the process for both you and your donors, so getting more recurring gifts isn’t a hassle.
Donorbox is designed to help you get more donors to participate in recurring giving. Let’s look at how it’s done!
Providing many different donation interval options means you can meet recurring donors at their level – while still choosing the intervals that work best for your organization.
Donorbox allows you to choose up to four of the following intervals to add to your donation form:
You can also choose which interval you wish to serve as the default and which is your preferred interval, which will be marked with a heart.
New Beginnings allows donors to give monthly (their preferred interval), quarterly, or annually on their donation form.
A one-time donor won’t convert to a recurring donor if your donation form isn’t set up to encourage them to do so.
Donorbox’s donation forms include a unique multi-step layout so your donors never feel overwhelmed with information – and their donation interval option is the first choice they make.
Then they can easily complete their donation with UltraSwift™ Pay, which allows them to use their preferred digital wallet like Google Pay or Apple Pay to avoid entering their contact and payment information. This makes our checkout up to four times faster than our competitors!
Plus, several customization options allow you to match your donation form to your branding. This boosts donor trust and makes them more likely to give – and give more.
Bonus resource: Watch this playlist on donation page best practices:
Sometimes all a one-time donor needs to be transformed into a recurring donor is the right ask. Donorbox’s recurring donation upsell feature, available for all Premium users, asks donors giving a one-time donation of $200 or less if they would like to upgrade to a monthly donation.
This helps you secure more recurring donors – without lifting a finger. Learn more.
A current fundraising trend is focusing on donor trust and empowerment. Donors want to feel secure and in charge of their giving – which is where the Donorbox Donor Portal comes in!
When someone gives a recurring donation on your Donorbox form, they are automatically invited to sign up for the Donor Portal.
In the Donor Portal, your supporters can review their transaction history, edit their recurring giving amounts and payment options, and even repeat donations in one click with QuickDonate™. Plus, they’ll receive recommendations for your other campaigns on their My Recommendations page, meaning your campaigns will get more exposure to those most likely to support them.
With the ability to change their recurring giving plan at any time, more donors will feel comfortable giving more – and more regularly.
Things happen. Sometimes a recurring donation card on file might expire or get lost. Typically, an organization would simply miss out on that amount.
Donorbox retries a failed recurring payment six times to ensure your organization doesn’t miss out on that sustaining contributed income. Additionally, Donorbox covers the fees associated with Stripe or PayPal’s efforts to find updated card information in the case of an expired card.
This helps you keep recurring donors who may not even realize their donation has stopped or been paused.
When someone cancels or updates their recurring giving plan through their Donorbox Donor Portal, you will receive an alert on your account with Donor Moments. This allows you to connect with these donors to do the following:
Knowing when someone makes a change is the first step toward figuring out why – and determining what you can do to prevent losing recurring contributors in the future.
Bonus Resource – Listen to this short podcast how to keep your year-end donors and grow your cause in 2024:
In your latest appeal letter or email, did you highlight how important recurring donors are to your organization?
If the answer is no, consider demonstrating the impact recurring gifts have on your ability to do more good. For example, if recurring donations help fund your outreach program, share that!
Use storytelling to convey the importance of these gifts. Once donors understand the value of recurring giving, they’re more likely to set up a recurring donation.
Sometimes the most robust recurring giving programs offer different tiers and incentives to encourage more giving.
Whether you’re creating a monthly giving program or one based on any other donation interval, adding incentives like special newsletters, branded merchandise, and exclusive access is a great way to get more recurring donors.
Acknowledging your current recurring donors can go a long way to both retaining them for years to come and inspiring one-time donors to make recurring gifts.
Whether you’re giving them a shoutout in your next newsletter, sharing their gift on a donor wall, or highlighting them on social media, seeing how you appreciate recurring donors can encourage more supporters to join this exciting club.
What’s better than one gift? A gift every week, or every month, or every year! Recurring giving allows you to secure these kinds of sustaining gifts automatically, without having to remind donors that their gift is due.
Donorbox has several features and tools that make it simple to build a stronger recurring giving program. With easy-to-use donation forms that highlight recurring giving, donor-empowering features like the Donor Portal, and supportive back-end features to help you retain more donors, you’ll be on your way to collecting more recurring payments – without more work.
For more fundraising know-how, check out the rest of our Nonprofit Blog. Subscribe to our newsletter for a monthly collection of our best blog posts delivered right to your inbox.
Lindsey spent years wearing many hats in the nonprofit world. Whether she was helping arts nonprofits with their messaging and content, planning a fundraising gala, writing an NEA grant proposal, or running a membership program with over 400 members, she learned how to navigate – and appreciate! – the fast-paced world of fundraising. Now, she loves sharing those hard-earned lessons with the Donorbox community.
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Lindsey Baker Bower