P.O. BOX 757 Marstons Mills, MA 02648

When and How Do You Record Monthly Gifts Financially?

This question also came up at the recent sustainer workshop, and I know it’s something people struggle with, especially when you talk with your treasurers or finance folks. Monthly gifts are different from the major gift pledges most organizations are used to. Those pledges are typically set up for a specific purpose with an end […]

What’s the top # Game Changer for Monthly Donor Retention?

I’m still on a sustainer “high.” I just came back from a fabulous “Sustainer Day,” organized by the Direct Marketing Association of Washington. In just four fast hours, nonprofits and service providers shared trends, best practices and ways they’re working to bring in new sustainers and improve monthly donor retention. Steve Froehlich from ALSAC/St. Jude finished […]

Top Characteristics Needed to Successfully Run a Nonprofit Sustainer Program

You’ve heard me say this before: ”Assign a driver!”—if you’re serious about growing your nonprofit sustainer program.  Just one driver who pulls it all together and who makes sure the car keeps running and is being maintained to keep on running for a very long time.  So, when I mentioned this at a recent conference, […]

8 Reasons to Start a Nonprofit Monthly Giving Program NOW

One of the key annual fundraising strategies I recommend you add (or rev up) this year is monthly giving. It’s one of the best ways I know to move the needle in improving your mid-level giving program, and to also serve as a pipeline to acquire new donors, upgrade current donors, and influence major and legacy giving. To […]

How to Create a Smooth Monthly Giving ‘Drive’

I still come across many organizations that are actively trying to grow their monthly giving program, but they’re not sure who’s “running the show.” Nobody feels responsible. People wait until someone comes up with the next idea. Some think they only need to be focused on one aspect of monthly giving. Nobody is taking control […]

What to Do When Your Monthly Donors Click and Leave?

This problem doesn’t just occur with monthly donors, but with all donors. That last step, finishing the donation is the key. But often, the donor clicks through. They’re ready to make a gift, but for some mysterious reason, they leave. They never finish the donation. What can you do? Should you just let that donor […]

3 Crucial Steps to Converting Rage Donors to Long-Term Supporters (and 3 Bonus Steps)

You’ve probably heard about the latest trend in donors, called rage donors. In a way, these have been around for years, but they used to be called “disaster donors.” Donors were often called “episodic” donors. Donors who only give at the moment of disaster, at the moment of “rage,” when something is really “hot” in […]

Celebrate Your Monthly Donor Wins

Now is the time to celebrate your monthly donor wins.  As this is the new fiscal year for many organizations, make sure to celebrate your wins in number of monthly donors over the past year. Of course, this all started with your goals. Goals will be different for different sized organizations. You have wanted to […]

Should You Ask Your Monthly Donors to Create an Account or Login?

As you may know by now, when it comes to monthly giving, I’m all about making things easy and simple for both monthly donors and the organizations. So when I start working with an organization on growing their number of monthly donors, we first look at the online donation forms to see what’s already in […]

Are You a Monthly Donor Yet?

At a workshop last week, I asked the question: “Are you giving monthly to your own organization?” I was expecting everybody’s hand to go up. But boy, was I unpleasantly surprised! Out of the 52 people in the room, only eight people raised their hand. Fortunately, a few days later at another presentation, it was […]