Inspire Recurring Donations With Giving Tiers

Recurring donations are the lifeblood of nonprofit fundraising. Spontaneous, one-time gifts are always welcome, but consistent, predictable donations allow you to plan your organization’s budget.

The key is to let people know exactly how their donations will be used. A great way to accomplish this is by establishing giving tiers: clearly illustrated giving levels and how they will benefit the community you’re serving.

Make An Emotional Connection

While at your fundraiser, attendees are emotionally engaged in your cause. They are there for one reason: to support the organization’s mission. Catch them in the giving spirit and give them a reason to extend their generosity.

Whether or not you’re providing rewards for making donations, laying out exactly how their gift will be used provides a tangible example that people can relate to.

The Indy Eleven Soccer Foundation is a masterful example of appealing to soccer fans who want to help grow the sport and give back to their community by supporting youth soccer and health initiatives. At a fundraiser in early 2017, they used this graphic in social media posts, on screens at the event, and as print collateral on all the tables at their event.

Recurring Donations Don’t Grow On Trees (Or Pledge Cards)

In the past, pledges were always the way to get supporters into the cycle of recurring donations. While these may still work for some people, more casual givers are likely to neglect their pledges.

In all your pre-event communications, encourage people to download the Givelify mobile giving app and set up their account. Once they’ve arrived and it’s time for the fundraising ask, remind them they can set up their gift as a recurring donation right within the app.

This way you’re not counting on your donors to remember to fill out and return a pledge card. You’re also cutting down on the amount of follow-up communication by eliminating pledges and securing those recurring gifts right on the spot. That one-time $10 gift for soccer socks instantly becomes $120 a year.

Reduce To the Ridiculous

We’ve all seen the commercials for various world charities that tell you, “For just 50 cents a day, you can sponsor a child in need.”

Instead of approaching casual donors expecting them to make a sizable one-time gift, you’ll find you get better results by appealing to their frugality while still getting them emotionally involved. They see what a difference they can make with pennies a day, and will want to help.

Your major gift donors will always be important, but it’s crucial to recognize the changing face of philanthropy. People nowadays tend to give in smaller amounts to a variety of causes they care about.

By emphasizing the “smallness” of their recurring gift and relating it to minor daily expenditures like a cup of coffee or their Netflix bill, people will be more likely to make a regular gift.

Mobile Giving Can Help

When you use the Givelify mobile giving app at your fundraiser, you give people a way to set up recurring donations right away. Skip the pledge cards and guarantee your organization a steady stream of donations.

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