Maximise your monthly donations

One of the main aims for your non-profit should be to maximise donations. Yet it’s important to recognise the differences between one-time donations and reoccurring, monthly donations - and the added benefits they can bring to your organisation.

Although any donation is valuable, one-time donations are inconsistent which may lead to lulls in revenue throughout the year. Monthly donations, however, provide financial stability to your non-profit. On average, a recurring donor gives 42% more per year than those who give one-time gifts, so it is key to attract this audience.

There are many benefits to monthly donations:

Increase in revenue
Increase in donor retention
Build stronger relationships with more loyal donors

We will reveal the top tips to growing your monthly donations.

Segment your audience with HubSpot

Use custom HubSpot contact properties to segment your audience based on their current donation patterns. This will allow you to identify individuals who are most likely to convert, into a monthly donor. You should look for those who already give regularly, e.g. three times a year, but are not signed up to your monthly scheme. Send this segment of your contact database marketing content which recognises their loyalty; thank this audience for their continued support, showcase the work their donations have enabled you to undertake and point them towards your monthly scheme.

HubSpot reporting can give insight into a donor’s current gift total over the course of a specified time. Begin by suggesting a recurring, monthly donation which reflects a fraction of this figure and they will be more likely to sign up. Remember to cater your suggestions to each donor. For example, if an individual has donated an average of £100 each time, you should suggest a higher monthly donation compared to someone who has donated £20.

Build awareness of your brand and donation options

Participants of your monthly donors program may be low in numbers because people are not aware it exists! Use different channels of communications to inform your audience about the different donation packages of your non-profit. You may also want to consider your website configuration. A donation box on your homepage will increase its visibility and provide donor convenience. Also place donation calls to action throughout your website, as users will have different landing pages.

Webinars and virtual events are increasingly popular. These tools can educate your audience about the work of your non-profit, as well as informing them how they can get involved. To maximise your reach, choose a topic which will interest your audience whilst relating to your non-profit’s aims; gain insights via HubSpot cookie tracking to ensure that they will be engaged with your content. As well as being loyal to your organisation, monthly donors are more likely to attend your events and champion your non-profit to others – more donors will be recruited!

Start small and build relationships

Do not immediately ask for unrealistic donations as this will alienate your audience. Start small and build a strong relationship before you suggest monthly commitments. Your audience may be hesitant to give a one-time gift of £100 however when it is framed as £10 a month this appears more achievable.

Ways to connect with your audience and encourage donations:

Use interactive infographics to show donors exactly how their money will be used – give precise examples so that your audience can visualise their impact
Create a connection with emotive stories relating to your cause
Consistent communication – your donors don’t want to feel ignored. Use a variety of communications such as email, letter, video or personalised thank you message from a volunteer to show your appreciation of them.

Email marketing

Email marketing is a simple, effective tool to engage with your audience and convert one-time donors into monthly givers. It is first key to build your email list - you need to have an audience to target! Use lead capturing prompts on your website’s homepage to encourage people to leave their contact details. An example could be ‘sign up to our newsletter’ or ‘receive alerts when events are posted’.

The content of your emails should be educational, do not immediately ask for donations as this will deter donors. Instead, tell stories about your volunteers and your cause. A monthly newsletter updating your audience on your non-profits latest activities is also effective.

This is a great opportunity for your team to use email marketing automation; this will save precious time and energy and allow you to focus on other marketing efforts. An email sequence could be triggered after a new donor signs up to your monthly scheme; you could thank them for joining and share exactly how their donation is helping your non-profit.

Offer incentives

Create exclusive content and perks for monthly members. Once people understand the benefits of membership (custom content and exclusive access to resources), they will want to join in. From building a community of dedicated members, the credibility of your non-profit will increase.

Some incentives could be: