Fundraising Trend: Subscription-Style Monthly Giving

Recurring giving has been one of the strongest trends in fundraising for years, and it keeps growing. People are used to paying for what they value every month, from streaming to software, and many are just as comfortable giving that way.

"In a subscription-friendly culture," says fundraising leader Mike Meyers, "monthly giving is a great place to invest."

But finding new monthly donors has become more competitive and more expensive. The nonprofits that grow recurring giving are the ones that keep the donors they find. If you're starting from scratch, begin with how to start a monthly giving program. Here's how to make the most of the trend.

Build retention before you spend on acquisition

"Nonprofits must have an operational plan in place before promoting their monthly giving program," Mike Meyers explains. "You don't want to spend a lot of money acquiring donors if they're walking out the back door. Create great processes to ensure you keep the donors you acquire."

That means a welcome for every new monthly donor, a reminder before the second charge, regular stories of impact and a process to recover failed payments. Here's how to measure and improve monthly donor retention.

Make giving monthly easy

Use a donation form that makes the monthly option clear and easy to choose, works well on a phone, and lets donors update or change their gift themselves. Many nonprofits now use donation form tools like FundraiseUp or iDonate, which can also invite one-time donors to switch to a monthly gift as they give. Automated confirmations, receipts and reminders before upcoming gifts help build trust.

Personalize the relationship

Use what you know about each donor: their giving history, the programs they care about, how they like to hear from you. Personal touches like a note on the anniversary of their first gift, or updates about the specific work they support, make monthly donors feel known.

Steward monthly donors like partners

When I was at World Concern, we reshaped our monthly giving program, One Village, around the donor experience and gave monthly donors resources that kept them engaged. We also changed how we found new monthly donors, with more events. Monthly donors grew 25% year over year.

Recognize recurring donors with insider updates, special events or thanks in your annual report. Above all, keep showing them what their gifts make possible.

Create a community

Monthly donors want to belong to something. Give your program a name, share stories of other donors and the difference they're making, and look for ways for donors to connect with each other. A community of monthly donors also becomes your best source of new ones.

Listen and adapt

Ask monthly donors about their experience: the giving process, how often they hear from you and what they want to know. Then act on what you hear. Donors who see their feedback make a difference stay longer.

The organizations that win with subscription-style giving treat it as a relationship, not a billing arrangement. Ready to build or grow yours? Here's how to ask donors to give monthly.