Monthly Giving So Easy Your Pet Could Do It
I must admit I didn’t totally come up with this line on my own. It’s based on an email from Chewy, the company that delivers my cat’s litter and food to my front door. No more carrying heavy bags home from the pet store. I love it.
The subject line said: “Reorders so easy your pet could do it.”
Our cat, Mientje, jumps on my computer table all the time. Maybe with a bit more training, he could definitely do it!
And it made me think about monthly giving.
Because it really is that easy. The donor signs up once and the gift just keeps on giving. With a few clicks of a button, the donor can make that commitment to support an organization they care about on a monthly basis at an amount with which they’re comfortable for as long as they want.
It’s important to remember though that just because it seems easy, you, as the nonprofit, will have to make it easy for the donor to keep on giving. You must show you’re grateful. You must keep them engaged, so they never waver in their commitment.
It starts with setting up the right forms, testing them out and asking some others outside of the organization to test them out. Are they really that easy to complete? And will the donor know that they’re signing up to give monthly?
That must be totally and utterly clear to them. Most companies ask you to confirm that your order is correct before you hit that submit button. Showing some copy on the donate button that makes it clear to the donor that they are ready to give monthly, like “Process my $xx monthly gift,” is equally important. And the email thank you and thank-you popup or landing page should confirm the same.
Make it easy for the donor to start giving monthly and make it even easier for them to continue to give monthly because of the confirmation, the gratitude you show and your continued engagement with them. You must be even more committed than the donor to making that happen.
And no matter how big or small you are, please no excuses! I work with organizations of many sizes. Some small one-shop organizations do an amazing job because monthly donors are worth every effort!
Of course, if you’re an animal charity, your pet really could do it by sending a cute animal gif or video. But I’m sure you can do something like that in your organization — a thank-you card, a thank-you video, a personal email or an invitation to a virtual tour. You must make it easy for the donor to start and you must make it easy for them to want to continue.
- Categories:
- Acquisition
- Monthly Giving
- Retention
Erica Waasdorp is one of the leading experts on monthly giving. She is the president of A Direct Solution, a company serving nonprofit organizations with fundraising and direct marketing needs, with a focus on monthly giving and appeals. She authored "Monthly Giving: The Sleeping Giant" and "Monthly Giving Made Easy." She regularly blogs and presents on fundraising, appeals and monthly giving — in person and through webinars. She is happy to answer any questions you may have about this great way of improving retention rates for your donors.
Erica has over 30 years of experience in nonprofits and direct response. She helped the nonprofits she works with raise millions of dollars through monthly giving programs. She is also very actively supports organizations with annual fund planning and execution, ranging from copywriting, creative, lists, print and mail execution.
When she’s not working or writing, Erica can be found on the golf course (she’s a straight shooter) or quietly reading a book. And if there’s an event with a live band, she and her husband, Patrick, can be found on the dance floor. She also loves watching British drama on PBS. Erica and Patrick have two step sons and a cat, Mientje.
