Mastering Sustained Giving

It’s about acquisition, retention and serving.

My final college semester, I grappled with beginning my career or pursuing graduate school. I had secured an employment offer but couldn’t shake the idea of furthering my education.

So, I decided to apply to graduate school and prayed about the essay I would write for admissions. I believe God told me the pursuit of a Master of Business Administration degree was to position me for a marketing career that would provide knowledge and experience in understanding consumers, to then apply the learnings to nonprofits to help them become more “economically viable.” Though unsure of the meaning, it became my essay thesis and led to my acceptance.

After a 12-year corporate marketing stint, I was led into the nonprofit sector as a staff fundraiser and later a consultant. Foundational to the original call to help create more “economically viable” nonprofits has been my passion to share the immense benefits of sustained giving programs to create reliable financial support that is less subject to economic swings.

A Biblical Perspective

Relying solely on single gifts can be risky, which is why sustained giving is essential for all charitable organizations, and regular monthly giving is the most popular form. For faith-based nonprofits where most donors are familiar with the biblical values of generosity and tithing, building a case for monthly giving that extends God’s kingdom can often be easier to construct and result in higher conversion than for other missions.

Relying solely on single gifts can be risky, which is why sustained giving is essential for all charitable organizations…

In 2 Corinthians 9:1-15, Paul discusses the generosity of the Corinthians, what their giving would demonstrate to the Macedonians, and how they would be “enriched in every way” to be “generous on every occasion.” The implication is giving is not a one-time occurrence, but rather a lifestyle – a faithful partnership – that sustains God’s work over the long haul and spurs others to give in a similar way.

Starting and Maintaining a Thriving Sustained Monthly Giving Program

With biblical truths undergirding the case for support, what practical tips are necessary to establish and grow a healthy sustained giving program? They can be distilled into these three headline areas: acquisition, retention, and serving.

1. Acquisition

Establishing a strong case for why donors should give in this special way is critical. It starts with quantifying your organization’s impact on the population(s) being served. It is not just the output of programs and services, but rather how the lives of real people are consistently improved through your efforts.

Also, programs with an identified brand or program name (e.g., XYZ Partners, Sustainers, Champions, etc.), published benefits (e.g., impact reports, informative content, product/event discounts, etc.), and where an intentional community is fostered (e.g., private online group, exclusive gatherings, etc.), tend to have higher retention among sustained donors.

Finally, organic growth is possible when monthly giving options are present, but thriving programs intentionally plan for success. The approaches mentioned above should be coupled with multichannel evergreen strategies that make it easy for constituents to upgrade to monthly giving, flexible giving methods, and thoughtful onboarding and offboarding plans. Likewise, special campaigns offered a few times each year to recruit new monthly donors can help cut through the clutter with a targeted ask.

2. Retention

Once acquired, organizations must focus on retention to build a predictable income stream, keep donors engaged, and minimize lapsing. A recent study found that on average, monthly recurring donors stay engaged for over 8 years. In contrast, non-recurring donors typically engage for only 1.73 years. Loyalty among sustainers is not accidental. It is driven by:

• Offering “thanks” immediately, often, and authentically
• Employing dedicated staff person(s) to manage the program
• Being prudent with additional asks throughout the year
• Demonstrating impact through storytelling

3. Serving

Serving others – in this case, serving donors who give monthly – is an area where faith-aligned organizations should excel. In addition to providing tangible benefits and dedicated staff, other ways to serve include:

• Hyper-personalization to help the donor feel known by the organization
• Opportunities for 2-way communication through surveys, prayer requests, etc., to better understanding
• Periodic surprise-and-delight benefits

In an uncertain and challenging world, the need has never been greater for more people to hear the gospel and for the most vulnerable to receive and experience the love of Christ.

Establishing and cultivating a strong monthly giving program can help transform single gifts into a steady revenue stream that extends your impact and seamlessly allows donors to embrace your mission as their own.

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Kim Richardson, MBA, is an Associate VP, Client Strategy with the Allegiance Group & Pursuant fundraising agency. In her role, she leads multichannel fundraising strategies and execution across multiple nonprofit clients and sectors, develops fundraising solutions for prospective clients, and leads webinars and training seminars for nonprofit fundraising professionals. Contact Kim at krichardson@teamallegiance.com. Visit www.teamallegiance.com to learn more or click here for a FREE downloadable sustainer giving resource.