Recurring Donation Setup

I studied 118 nonprofit donation forms. Here's what I found. 1. Add a big, obvious, donation button to your home page right now. It takes 5 seconds on your website builder. A quarter of the nonprofits I looked at hide their donate button behind a dropdown, or have no clear CTA (call to action) on their homepage. Those nonprofits were 51% more likely to have a budget deficit. 2. Ugly websites beat beautiful ones. The average donor is: - old (~avg. US donor age is 64) AND - distracted (89% of donation page visitors leave before donating) Relentlessly prioritize ease of use over aesthetics with: - high contrast colors and large, simple fonts - redundancy (Smile Train has 3 donation buttons on their home page) - visibility (Obama Foundation's website even shows you a donation form before the main website) 3. Use the grandma test. Grab your grandma (or mom...if she's a grandma). Have her try and donate to your nonprofit. Stand beside her and watch. If she asks for help before she finds the donate button, you have work to do. 4. Add an impact unit to donation amounts One study showed that the gap between bad donation pages (8-11% conversion) and well-optimized ones (22%) is closed mostly by two things: form simplicity and tangible-impact framing (e.g. $50 = 10 meals) 5. Cut your donation form down to 4 fields. Most nonprofit donation forms ask for 8-12 fields. One study found that reducing form fields from 11 to 4 led to a 120% increase in conversions. The only fields donors actually need: name, email, amount, payment. Everything else is friction. Open your form, count the fields, and delete every one that isn't essential. Address, phone number, "how did you hear about us" -- cut all of it. You can ask in a follow-up email. 6) Default to monthly recurring, not one-time. Ethically pre-selecting monthly giving on your donation page can increase conversions of monthly donations by up to 35%. For some reason, almost nobody talks about donation page mechanics in nonprofit world. I haven't posted in a while... is this research/content helpful to keep posting?

Here's how I would raise $5,000 a month, every month, if I were a small charity: No galas. No grants. No huge donor base required. Just a simple, repeatable system that actually works. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟭: 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁. 50 donors at $25/month = $1,250 in predictable revenue. That's your foundation. Name it something meaningful. Make joining feel like belonging to something bigger. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟮: 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸. Yes, every week. Not a newsletter—an ask tied to a specific need or a story that connects them to your organization. Most small nonprofits under-ask and under communicate by a mile. Your donors WANT to help. Let them. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟯: 𝗧𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝟱𝟬 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵. A simple "thank you" or quick impact update. No ask. Just connection. These texts take 30 minutes and keep your best supporters feeling seen. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟰: 𝗥𝘂𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶-𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿. A 3-day push with a clear goal and deadline. "Help us raise $2,000 by Friday to fund summer camp scholarships." Urgency + specificity = action. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟱: 𝗔𝘀𝗸 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗹𝘆. Within 48 hours of their first gift. The conversion rate will surprise you. This isn't complicated. It's consistent. The charities hitting their goals month after month aren't doing anything fancy. They're just showing up in the inbox, telling great stories, and making it easy to give. What would you add to this list?

If I'm in charge of revenue at a large nonprofit, I can't ignore these realities 👇 -Donors giving below $100 are down ~9% (and have been trending down) -Donors giving below $500 are down 4% (and have been trending down) -Slower income growth & less disposable income for most -Middle-class households under economic pressure -The rapid decline of religion (that has giving as a core tenet) -Decline in institutional trust -Not only is charitable giving largely stagnant as a % of the GDP, but we also haven't been able to grow share of wallet -Donors giving $5k-$50k are up 1% -Donors giving $50k+ are up ~3% And if I look around at what other nonprofits are doing, I might see 👇 -Marketing getting louder -Frequency cranked to 11 -Tired tactics with little differentiation And if strategy is about how an organization applies strength against the most promising opportunity or the most critical challenge, I need to address the problem head on. Three ideas... 1) Instead of getting louder, get closer to donors. -Jeffersonian dinners -"Jobs To Be Done" interviews -Measuring donor satisfaction -Rating the donor experience -Cross train across the org on how to listen to donors -More thoughtful prioritization and segmentation -Do things that don't scale; you will likely not "scale" anyways (but you'll very likely grow!) 2) Focus more energy on the people who *can* give more. That doesn't mean you should ignore the $100 donor. Two things can be true at the same time: most of your limited human hours are best spent on people who can give >$10,000, AND, you can treat the $100 donor like they're an important part of the team (because they are). -Create tiered caseloads (A, B, C, D donors) -Develop a donor engagement plan for each tier -Treat mid-major donors like true partners: frequent report backs, project proposals, town halls, feedback loops, in-the-moment updates -Focus your work in the 'mass' file to identify the best prospects for a mid-major treatment, and work to move as many OTGs to recurring (monthly) or re-occuring revenue (quarterly, yearly, etc.) 3) Promote giving from assets across the donor file—and make it easy to do so Russell James taught me this. When people give from their assets, the gift is likely to be larger. And they are more likely to give again. Giving from assets (like stocks and shares, tax-savings accounts, retirement accounts, DAFs, gifts of life insurance, etc.) is often the smartest way for donors to give—no matter the size of gift. But many donors simply don't know it's an option. -- We're partnering with growth-minded nonprofits to implement all of these ideas, and more. If you think it's time you create a solid midlevel giving strategy (not just a standard appeal with an open ask), give me a shout.

"Why are people not giving to your organization? Because we've made it too hard." - Vance Roush We Are For Good Trend #8 - Make Generosity Frictionless I'm no tech whiz. And I'd venture to say that most people working in nonprofit + social impact wouldn't consider themselves an expert either. But we simply MUST get more comfortable with flexing new tech and upskilling in the age of A.I. - because there's too much on the line that we're missing. Namely - donations, connection and story (maybe even your sanity??). On today's episode, the brilliant Vance Roush is breaking down how to make generosity frictionless within your org. And thankfully, he's taken the Michael Scott approach and explained it to us like we're 5 (thanks Vance 🥸) Some quick ideas to get you started👇 📲 Mobile Accessibility is paramount for GenZ + Millennials.  Nonprofits should optimize their websites, donation platforms, and content for mobile accessibility to ensure seamless engagement. ☝️ Aim for one-click giving 💰 Explore a diversified way to accept a variety of giving options - Apple Pay, Google Pay, Venmo, Paypal, DAF, stocks, crypto 🤝 Provides a user-friendly experience 🔁 Encourage repeat giving 🛒 Reduces abandonment rates 😎 Adapt to different generations' giving habits Are you aware the more fields you add to a donation form, the conversion rate of that gift drops with each field added? I didn't. These are the kinds of quick tips that can change the game for online conversion. PRO Tips ✅ Practice giving to your own organization (on desktop + digitally) ✅ Utilize online donation platforms that offer one-click donation options. (🙌Psst: We love platforms like Overflow, Givebutter, Pledge, Fundraise Up) ✅ Optimize your website and donation pages for mobile ✅Provide recurring donation options ✅ Include direct donation links in email campaigns. (Bonus points if leads to a pre-filled donation form🎊) ✅ Explore Text-to-Give services ✅ Use social media platforms’ giving option  ✅ Optimize donation forms ✅ Simplify donation forms by reducing the number of required fields What simple tech changes has your nonprofit or client made that's made generosity more frictionless at your org? Spill the tea below and let's all learn + celebrate together in community! So who's doing it well? Shoutouts to National Audubon Society Roc Solid Foundation charity: water Golden State Warriors Community Foundation - 👈 check out their awesome donation pages! (and tune into this episode to hear how one church was able to increase their donation conversions by 50.9x by flexing QR codes with Apple Pay 🤯) #impactuprising #generosity #simpletech #nonprofit #socialimpact

Small details surrounding your donation experience can have a huge impact on donor conversion. According to NPEngage, 50–70% of supporters abandon an online donation form when redirected to another website to donate. Meaning: If your visitors access your donation form on a URL different than your org's (such as your CRM's built-in donation page), then you might be losing almost 3 out of 4 would-be donors. Here's why: Unexpectedly changing to a new URL when navigating around a website feels confusing. It creates a break in the experience. Few expect to go to a new website when they click your "Donate Now" button. And it feels jarring. The issue is only compounded by the limited design options offered by most external donation forms. One minute, you're browsing around the familiar website of an org in which you're invested. But the next, you're on an off-brand lookalike version that doesn't instill the same level of trust. Throw asking for money into the mix, and it's easy to see why many potential supporters would decide to reconsider. Luckily, the solution is fairly simple: Always try to keep your donation form on your org's own website. Make sure you're using the same branding, design, and URL as other areas of your site. Many donation platforms have embeddable forms you can copy and paste directly into the appropriate areas as a quick fix. And with the form now directly on your org's site, you'll be well on your way to a stronger, more seamless, and trustworthy donation experience. #nonprofit #nonprofits #webdesign #branding #storytelling 👾

Fundraising pro tip: If you're searching for "innovative/outside-the-box" ways to increase donor retention and engagement, STOP. In our constant search for new and different (our brains are wired to want this, so I get it), we fail to focus on the things that actually work and deliver results on a consistent basis. Whenever someone asks me (and that's pretty regularly) what new/different things they should try to increase retention, I always disappoint them because my response is... 1. Call your donors and talk with them 2. Ask them why they love supporting your cause, and what you can do to deliver a better experience for them 3. Do what you tell them you're going to do with their gifts 4. Show them the tangible impact their giving makes on the world 5. Get out of your office chair and meet your supporters. 6. Invite them to see the work in action As you can see, these are not revolutionary, new, outside-the-box, the next ice bucket challenge, etc. They are, however... 1. Proven 2. Effective 3. Repeatable If you want to build a stronger revenue engine for your organization and achieve greater mission impact, do these things consistently. And stop wasting time looking for the next shiny object. DickersonBakker #donorengagement #abetterway #strategy #culture #nonprofit #fundraising

I've been prepping for a Regular Giving pitch this week and stumbled into some genuinely eye-opening data. It’s changed how I’m approaching the strategy. And honestly, it’s given me more hope for RG than I’ve felt in a while. Here’s what stood out: 1. Giving is down… but generosity isn’t
 Fewer people are donating in the UK since 2019 (around 4 million fewer) but the average donation has increased to £72. That’s added up to a total giving amount of £15.4 billion.
It’s not a shrinking market. It’s a shifting one. 2. Regular Giving still works
 Regular giving continues to be a core income stream across the sector. 56% of Boomers’ giving comes through direct debit, and younger donors engaging through peer-to-peer and social giving are also setting up monthly gifts.
 So no, it's not old-fashioned. It's just evolving. 3. Boomers are still leading the way
 The 65+ audience gives the most overall – £4.5 billion a year – and prefers direct debit. Trust, consistency, and clear impact are the keys to unlocking their support. 4. Young people aren't disengaged – they're just different
 Yes, fewer 16–24-year-olds give overall. But when you zoom in on values-driven groups (like young Christians), 88% are giving and their monthly donations are surprisingly high – up to £262 on average.
 The lesson? Find the communities where giving is part of the culture. 5. The creative needs to be personal 
In my research (and from experience) I’ve found that people are far more likely to give regularly when they feel a genuine emotional connection. It’s known as the “identifiable victim effect”.
 We respond more strongly to one real person than to abstract groups or general need.
Stories with names, faces and photos consistently perform better, especially in regular giving campaigns.
 It’s not about tugging heartstrings. It’s about helping people care - and that starts with making the cause feel human. 6. Not every happy ending is a cure
 This hit home. One campaign shared the story of a woman who died just eight days after entering hospice care. It sounds unbearably sad… but the story focused on the comfort and dignity she received in her final days. That was the happy ending.
Framing outcomes around kindness, care and progress allows us to be honest and hopeful. 7. Link gifts to outcomes
 People want to know where their money’s going. A £10/month gift helping pay a researcher's salary is far more compelling than "support our mission." This kind of tiered giving model builds trust and keeps supporters engaged. So yes, the RG landscape has changed. But it’s not broken.
It’s just asking us to be smarter. Clearer. And more human.

Last week, a mentoring client said: "We redesigned our entire website but our donations actually went down." It wasn't the first time I heard that. Beautiful websites don't = more donations. Here's what I've noticed some nonprofits get wrong about their donation pages (and how my mentoring client is fixing it): Your donation page isn't just a flashy button on your main menu. It's your digital fundraising headquarters. It should be working as hard as your best fundraiser, converting visitors into supporters 24/7. Here are some of the things I'm helping my clients fix: - VISIBILITY: I still see donation buttons that are tiny, buried, or blended into the design. Your "Donate" button should be one of the first things visitors see on every page. I apply the "3-second rule" - visitors should be able to find your donation page within 3 seconds anywhere on your site (phone and desktop). Play with colours, text, formats, animations or places on the screen (fixed, floating, etc.). The best ones?  You'll need to test and make a decision based on your results. - STORY: No more generic donation pages that start with "Help us make a difference". Tell stories (words+image) on your donation pages. Here are a couple of examples: "So every month, these moments can keep happening" + a powerful image of the charity's recipients. "Harrowing. Heart-rending. gut-wrenching. The footage from our global investigation is in - [...] Will you fund our high-impact work to win real, tangible change for millions of animals?" - MOBILE: With over half of the online donations happening on mobile, make your online forms easy to complete. Test every donation page on mobile first. If it takes more than 2 minutes to complete on a phone, redesign it. - ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL: If you're using the same donation page for all types of donors, monthly givers, and first-time supporters, then your message gets diluted. Consider creating targeted donation pages for different audiences and campaigns. Emergency response page, special appeal, Giving Tuesday and monthly giving page, each with specific messaging and suggested amounts. The technology piece that changes everything: This is where having the right donation platform becomes crucial. When I work with mentoring clients, we often implement solutions like Donorbox because you want: 1- Embedded forms that match your website design perfectly (no awkward redirects or multiple links) 2 - Forms that work well on all devices 3 - Recurring donation options visible 4 - Campaign tracking so you can assess different approaches/audiences 5 - Analytics to see exactly where donors are dropping off Not seeing the results you expected from your donation page? Message me to get started 🔔Follow for more fundraising tips to enhance your non-profit's impact and connect meaningfully with donors. Hi, I'm Sabine. As a Fundraising Mentor, I help non-profit leaders amplify their mission and connect with supporters thanks to a strategic online presence.

Your donor strategy may not be working because you’re solving the wrong problem. Most organizations think donors need more information about programs and impact. Actually, donors need more reasons to feel connected. I’ve been looking at successful donor relationships lately. The pattern is clear: High-retention donors don’t give because they understand your work better. They give because they feel like insiders building something important together. Simple test: Ask your top 10 donors these questions: “What first drew you to us?” “What keeps you engaged?” “What would you want to know that we don’t share?” What you’ll hear: They care less about program details and more about being part of the solution. They want behind-the-scenes access, honest talk about challenges, and ways to help beyond money. Make these shifts: ➜ Replace quarterly impact reports with “insider briefings.” ➜ Replace program updates with “here’s what we’re wrestling with.” ➜ Replace success stories with “here’s how you made this possible.” Result: Donors who feel like partners instead of customers. Relationships that get stronger over time. What would your donors say they really want from you? #donorstrategy #donorengagement #nonprofitleadership

You spend weeks crafting the "perfect" appeal. But you're making one fatal mistake: you're guessing what will motivate your donors to give. The highest-performing organizations don't guess; they ask. Sending a simple one-question survey can increase a donor's subsequent gift by up to 50%. Donors who feel listened to are 4.7x more likely to recommend an organization. Feedback-driven personalization can lift revenue by 5-15% and increase marketing spend efficiency by 10-30%. A youth center I work with sent a survey asking, "What is the most important outcome you hope for our kids?" They used the responses to create three versions of their next appeal, each highlighting a different program area. The result was a 41% increase in their campaign revenue. Stop writing for a faceless crowd. Start a conversation with a person. What is the most powerful question you've ever asked your donors?