The nonprofit’s monthly giving program guide

Every donation to your nonprofit is a cause for celebration, but for an organization looking to grow revenue sustainably, monthly giving programs should be on your radar.

In this step-by-step guide, we’ll review the benefits of monthly giving, share examples of the best monthly donor programs, and show how to launch your own campaign with the help of our free outreach templates.

What is monthly giving?

A monthly giving program empowers nonprofit donors to commit to giving a specific amount to a cause every month. Instead of making a one-time donation whenever they remember to, supporters make a consistent contribution as an automatic recurring payment, much like setting up auto-pay for a cell phone bill. 

The “subscription economy” is continuing to skyrocket. This is not a Taylor Swift Era that is going to end. Consumers want subscription models because they enable authentic ongoing engagement that we, modern consumers, desire. There's a reason that we’re seeing the growth of recurring giving in our sector because it's how we're purchasing products as well.” - Dana Snyder, Positive Equation 

Savvy nonprofits offer supporters a range of monthly donation amounts to choose from, so they can give regularly in a way that matches their budget. You can also provide quarterly or annual enrollment, although 94% of recurring donors prefer giving monthly. Overall, the more options you provide, the wider the audience you can reach.

Why is monthly giving important?

Monthly giving introduces more sustainable funds and is quickly becoming a popular option for donors. M+R Benchmarks reports that while revenue from one-time online donations decreased in 2023, monthly giving revenue increased by 6%, accounting for 31% of all online contributions.

When it comes to benefits for nonprofits, monthly giving helps to: 

• Bring in more revenue 💸 According to M+R, the average monthly gift last year was $24, resulting in an annual donation total of $288, while the average one-time gift only came to $115. ‍
• Foster donor retention 💛 From the same M+R report, one-time donors’ retention rate was just 23%, but continuous donors retained at a rate of 61%.‍
• Lower stress and fundraising costs 😅 Monthly giving reduces the uncertainty of random, one-time donations. Plus, it lessens the need for constant donor acquisition, which can be expensive. 

How do you encourage donors to give monthly? 

If it works for their budget, many donors prefer to give regularly—in fact, 57% of donors are enrolled in a recurring giving program, up 46% from the previous year. Your community members get to support a cause they care about every single month in a way that feels effortless. 

To attract more recurring donors, highlight the benefits of a monthly contribution and share how easy it is to provide ongoing support for your charity or organization.

Don’t know where to start? Our free monthly giving outreach templates have everything you need to encourage new and existing donors to opt in, whether you want to connect with them on social media, by text message, or with good, old-fashioned direct mail. 

Freebie alert!

Launch your monthly giving campaign with these free outreach templates ->

How to launch a successful monthly giving program for a nonprofit

Recurring donations feel good for everyone involved. These nine steps will help you start a monthly giving program you can feel proud of. 

Step 1: Assess your resources 🔎

Before you’re knee-deep in planning and outreach, check in with your board members or team leadership to ensure everyone is on the same page.

Discuss answers to essential questions like:

• Do we have the time and resources to nurture recurring donors?
• Do we have the capacity and funds to promote our program?
• Who will take the lead? How often will they work on this project?

Step 2: Identify potential monthly givers 🧐

While most nonprofits first target their most loyal donors or those who already give several times each year, it’s critical to broaden your search, too. Your would-be monthly donors can be anywhere.

Here are some prime monthly giving prospects:

• One-time donors who contribute less than $200 annually
• Current donors who give three or more times each year
• Long-term donors who have supported previously but didn’t give last year
• Past board members, volunteers, and event attendees 

⚡ Pro tip: Tap a few passionate, influential supporters to recruit recurring donors for your program. Think of it as peer-to-peer fundraising but for monthly giving!

Step 3: Get set up ⚒️

Once you’ve identified potential donors and assessed your resources, you’ll want the right tools and workflows for success. Using your all-in-one fundraising platform, set up and automate the following:

• First-time follow-up 👋 Set up a workflow so that every new monthly donor receives a prompt thank you and welcome email in addition to the standard donation receipt. 
• To-dos ✅ Workflows can also create a task every time your nonprofit gains a new recurring donor, such as sending a reminder to conduct a more personal follow-up (like a phone call). 
• A monthly giving welcome email series 🔄 To keep new recurring donors engaged, create an exclusive, automated drip campaign to give them a behind-the-scenes look at your mission.

Step 4. Suggest giving levels 💸

The beauty of recurring giving programs is that most offer several options for supporters so they can choose their contribution amount. This flexibility equals more funds for you and happier donors.

To help supporters decide how much they want to donate monthly, nonprofit organizations should suggest a few different giving levels and a clear idea of what each gift amount provides. Here are some examples:

• $10 per month covers healthy snacks for one class
• $20 per month covers art supplies for one class
• $40 per month covers STEM kits for one class

‍⚡ Pro tip: Another way to decide how much to ask for is to work backward. Look at your average online donation and then calculate 10-20% of that number. If your average gift is $75, then between $7.50 and $15.00 per month is an ideal figure to aim for.

Step 5. Brand your program 💛

Branding your program makes your donors feel special and emphasizes the value of monthly giving. With higher retention rates and more dollars contributed over time, monthly givers deserve some recognition. 

The Red Cross, for example, calls its monthly donors “Champions” to elevate their role and make them feel they’re making a significant difference.

Not sure what to name your valued monthly donors? Here are a few ideas for monthly giving program names:

• Acronyms: Humans Against Trafficking (HAT), People Protecting Our Parks (PPOP)
• Mission-based: Peacekeepers, Sustainers, Protectors
• Team members: Friends, Advocates, Allies, Sisters/Brothers
• Alliteration: Literacy Leaders, Pet People, Hunger Heroes
• Call to action: Save Our Oceans, Feed The World, Show You Care 

Step 6. Craft your appeal ✏️

Don’t make the mistake of adding a “turn it into a monthly gift” option to your online donation form and calling it a day. To captivate your community members, you need to craft a compelling appeal that motivates increased giving.

Just like writing an effective donation request letter, your monthly giving program should have a focused message that is:

• Emotional 💛 Motivate donors to give with heartfelt messages (think impact stories!).
• Easy to read 👀 Prioritize clarity and brevity.
• Simple ⭐ Include a prominent donate button so supporters know exactly where to give.
• Monthly-giving focused 🗓️ Emphasize how consistent funding makes a more significant impact.
• Flexible ⚖️ Offer multiple recurring gift-giving levels and payment methods.

⚡ Pro tip: Providing ACH (bank transfer) as a payment method makes recurring giving even smoother. Rather than credit or debit card payments, which frequently require updating expired information, ACH donations are directly deposited monthly from the donor’s bank account. Plus, processing fees from ACH are typically lower than other options. 

Step 7. Promote your program 📣

Develop a marketing and donor engagement plan solely for your monthly giving program. Within your plan, consider how you can highlight new monthly giving options in your fundraising efforts. Think of the channels that your donor base already knows and loves, including:

• Social media
• Text messaging
• Email
• Direct mail 
• Website 
• Phone calls

Step 8. Prepare your team 😀

Set yourself up for a smooth rollout by educating your staff and volunteers on the ins and outs of your program well before launch day. Make sure everyone feels comfortable with all the details, including: 

• Monthly giving levels and options
• Payment methods
• How to change giving frequency

Step 9. Show appreciation and follow up 🙏

Create a plan to engage with, thank, and retain your donors long term. After all, saying “thank you” on a regular basis is one of the easiest ways to secure their loyal support.

This strategy should align with your overall fundraising strategy and probably won’t look too different from your usual donor stewardship, which may include:

• Segmentation ✂️ Create custom donor segments for your monthly givers so they receive targeted communications.
• Multiple communication touchpoints 📣 Think welcome emails for new donors, thank you letters via direct mail, social media testimonials, and quarterly or annual progress updates.
• A plan for engaging lapsed monthly supporters 👋 It may just be that their credit card has expired. Reach out with a friendly message to get them back on board.
• Exclusive benefits 🎁 Throw in a few perks like special events, insider news updates, and fun merchandise to encourage donors to join your monthly program.

Download your free monthly giving outreach template 

You don’t have to craft your monthly giving appeal from scratch. Use Givebutter’s free templates and samples for all your monthly giving requests (including mailings, emails, text messages, social media, and more!).

Simply add in your details, customize the messages with your unique voice, and you’re ready to go. We’ve also included an automation and workflow checklist to make your recurring giving program more impactful than ever.

Freebie alert!

Save time and grab supporters’ attention with outreach templates for monthly giving ->

Monthly giving best practices and resources

Use these best practices to secure a solid base of recurring donors who can become the backbone of your mission.

• Simplify the sign-up process 👍 Keep the sign-up process quick and easy. The fewer steps, the better—make it simple for donors to set up their recurring gifts.
• Leverage automation ⚒️ Take the stress out of donor stewardship. Use tools like automated welcome emails, follow-ups, and workflows so you never miss a chance to connect. 
• Offer exclusive perks 👀 Consider giving special incentives for monthly donors, such as early access to events, special reports, or a behind-the-scenes look at your work. These perks can increase the perceived value of joining the program.
• Use social proof 💛 Highlight testimonials and stories from current monthly donors to show the impact of their contributions and encourage people to join. Seeing the recurring support of others can inspire new donors to do the same.
• Create belonging 🫂 Foster a community feeling among your monthly donors by establishing a special group or club for them to join. This can be as simple as a named recognition group or a private online community.
• Test and iterate 🧪 Don’t be afraid to experiment with different messaging, offers, or donor incentives. Use data and feedback to refine your approach and make your monthly giving program as effective as possible.

Top monthly giving programs examples

Looking for some monthly giving campaign ideas? Check out these five monthly giving program examples to get your team inspired!

Membership programs 🤝

Offer monthly giving options as part of a membership program. By joining, members may receive benefits like newsletters, access to webinars, or even merchandise. One example of a membership program comes from Yea Alabama, which provides several membership levels on their monthly giving “fans” page. Each tier includes access to various opportunities like special events and exclusive content from student athletes. 

Mission milestones 🏆

Give monthly donors the opportunity to help reach specific mission-related milestones or focus their support on a particular project. Respond Crisis Translation’s donation page, for example, provides several options for gift designations that channel contributions toward specific programs. 

Monthly impact 💪

Encourage supporters to become monthly donors to meet specific time-bound needs. For example, the St. Louis Queer Plus Support Helpline’s SQSH Star program encourages recurring giving at multiple levels to help fund one month of Peer Support Line phone bills, one week of outreach materials, one allyship course, and more.

‍

Special occasions campaign 🎂

Use special occasions like anniversaries, holidays, or awareness months to promote monthly giving, such as encouraging supporters to support ongoing research during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. To celebrate its fifteenth anniversary, for example, the Advocates Professional Golf Association launched APGA Monthly Giving Days, a campaign to promote recurring gifts and keep its programs running strong. 

Impact specific 👟

Engage recurring donors by encouraging them to participate in a campaign linked to specific, tangible results—like providing shoes for kids. A great example of this strategy comes from My360Project's monthly giving program, which is tied directly to pairs of shoes. When donors give just $35 a month, they provide a pair for someone in need. The highest recurring donors can provide up to 12 pairs a month!

Launch your monthly giving program with Givebutter 

Instead of relying solely on your next fundraising event to further your cause, leverage recurring donations to keep your mission moving for years to come.  

With Givebutter, running a monthly giving program feels buttery smooth. Set up a user-friendly donation page with suggested donation amounts, offer a variety of payment methods for recurring donations, automatically connect with donors through email, and take advantage of a built-in CRM—all for free. 

Ready to boost your productivity, save time, and take your monthly giving program to the next level? With Givebutter Plus, you can set up custom workflows to automate follow-ups, a welcome series, and more. ‍

Sign up for your free Givebutter account to kickstart your monthly giving program today.