Your nonprofit might acquire new donors regularly, but how often are they sticking around to give a second gift to your organization?
If you’re like most nonprofits, you likely struggle to retain newly acquired donors. The average donor retention rate sits between just 40 and 45%, meaning that more than half of new donors who give don’t return to submit a second gift.
To beat these odds and demonstrate to donors why your nonprofit is worthy of their ongoing support, you’ll need a concrete donor engagement strategy. In this guide, we’ll cover three best practices to increase your retention rates:
- Offer flexible ways to give
- Market recurring giving across multiple platforms
- Express donor appreciation
When donors feel genuinely connected to your mission, they’re more likely to commit to long-term support. Use these donor-centric strategies to strengthen your stewardship efforts and maximize giving, allowing you to develop a sustainable donation pipeline year-round.
Offer flexible ways to give
Limiting your donors to just one or two ways to give might make it more difficult for them to stay involved with your organization. Instead, open up multiple donation opportunities so supporters can commit to your organization in a way that works best for them. Your donors will appreciate this flexibility and be more likely to play a large role in your mission as a result!
The OneCause guide to donation page best practices recommends using these strategies to make your nonprofit’s donation experience more flexible:
- Make it simple to sign up for recurring giving: Along with providing the option to submit a one-time gift, add the ability for your donors to make their gift recurring. This can be as easy as adding the prompt “Maximize my impact by making my one-time gift monthly” with a checkbox. This way, supporters can give to your organization on a regular basis without having to worry about filling out your donation form each time they want to give.
- Allow for multiple payment options: Accept a variety of payment options so donors can select what works best for them. For example, you should allow for credit and debit cards, ACH deposit, and options that appeal to younger donors, like Google Pay and Apple Pay. Ensure your fundraising technology integrates with a secure payment processor so you can safeguard your donors’ private information.
- Empower donors to dedicate gifts to friends and family: Donors may be more likely to give if they can do it in recognition of a loved one. For example, you can empower donors to dedicate gifts in memory, honor, celebration, or tribute through marking a checkbox on your donation page. For occasions like graduations or birthdays, creating this option can help your nonprofit increase its visibility when your donors’ loved ones receive notification of the gift made on their behalf!
- Embed a matching gift widget: Donors who work at companies with matching donation policies can get their gifts matched at a 1:1 ratio, resulting in double the value and impact for your organization! Add a matching gift widget right to your donation page so supporters can look up their eligibility and conveniently initiate the gift matching process as part of the donation experience.
- Advertise text-to-give options: Text-to-give is one of the most user-friendly ways for donors to give. Provide donors with a short keyword to text, which will automatically send them to a mobile-friendly donation page where they can make a one-time or recurring donation. Then, you can progress your stewardship efforts by sending text updates and, when the time is right, follow up with additional mobile appeals.
Keep in mind that you can also leverage your donation page to promote other ways to get involved in your organization besides giving. For example, you might provide links on your donation confirmation page that lead to your volunteer application or peer-to-peer fundraising campaign for your upcoming walkathon. This gives donors an opportunity to engage further with your organization and develop a strong connection with your cause.
Market recurring giving across multiple platforms
Along with adding an option to sign up for recurring giving on your donation page, you need to actively promote your monthly giving program in your marketing plan. Your communications should describe the purpose of your recurring giving program, instructions on how to sign up, and any benefits of becoming a recurring donor—such as access to an exclusive donor club or giveaways like branded merchandise.
Leverage these channels to get the word out about recurring giving:
Your website
Your nonprofit’s supporters look to your website to learn more about ways they can increase their involvement. Bring attention to your recurring giving program by creating a landing page and pointing to it in your navigation bar so visitors can easily find it. Use these steps to build an informative and engaging landing page:
- Brand your recurring giving program: Adding a name to your monthly giving program makes it stand out to supporters and helps them feel like they’re a part of something truly special. For example, Connor’s Heroes has named its super supporters who go above and beyond the “Hero Squad.” This clever and creative name encourages a sense of commitment while also highlighting how much their contributions are valued.
- Leverage storytelling: Create a compelling case for why supporters should give monthly by sharing stories of people you’ve helped. For example, a disaster relief organization might tell the story of a family whose house was destroyed by a hurricane, but thanks to donors’ contributions, they were able to access shelter and receive a steady supply of food. Share photos or videos to illuminate your stories and inspire generosity in your supporters.
- List incentives to join: In exchange for becoming a recurring donor, you might offer your donors branded merchandise, early registration access for your events, discounted tickets, or exclusive lunch and learn events with your board members.
Ensure your monthly giving page is accessible so people of all abilities can learn more about this engagement opportunity. This includes adding alternative text to images, using ample white space, and creating a strong color contrast between the background and foreground so the text is easy to read.
Social media
Share emotionally evocative content of your beneficiaries, such as photos of them at your community programs or video testimonials that highlight the impact your organization has had on their lives. This will help demonstrate the tangible connection between donors’ ongoing support and the difference it has on the community.
In your caption, encourage your followers to sign up for recurring giving with a strong call to action. For example, an animal shelter might include photos of dogs currently in their care, then write in the caption “Commit to giving monthly today and become a lifeline for our shelter dogs, ensuring they never feel abandoned again!”
Make sure to link to your recurring giving landing page and donation page in your social media bio. This way, supporters can navigate to learn more or give without having to leave the social media app.
Along with your website and social media, you should promote your recurring giving program in your email communications. However, you know that your supporters lead busy lives and likely receive tens to hundreds of emails a day, making it easy for your email to get lost in the clutter. Consider these best practices to make your emails stand out:
- Create a compelling subject line related to your monthly giving program: For instance, an animal welfare organization might write “Join Our Pawsome Pack of Recurring Donors Today!” or “Make Every Month Count: Become a Paw-tner in Rescue.” Make sure it’s short and catchy to effectively grab your recipients’ attention.
- Personalize your emails to make supporters feel seen: Address subscribers by their first names and tailor content based on their past interactions or donation history. Personalized emails are more likely to resonate with recipients and encourage them to take action.
- Create an eye-catching call to action button: Clearly communicate the benefits of recurring giving and include a prominent CTA button encouraging readers to join or learn more about the program.
As you share content related to your recurring giving program, use your marketing platform to track metrics such as clickthrough and conversion rates. This will give you key insight into the effectiveness of your communications and how you can hone your strategy to ramp up giving.
Express donor appreciation
Aly Sterling Philanthropy explains that you need to build a strong recognition strategy in order to steward donors to larger and more frequent gifts. Thank supporters immediately after they give to acknowledge the significance of their contribution and increase their sense of belonging within your organization. To enhance your thank-yous, use these strategies:
- Personalize your greeting: Instead of using a generic greeting like “Dear Valued Donor,” address your supporters by their first name.
- Reference how much they gave: Be specific about why the donor’s gift matters by referencing how much they contributed and what this amount will be used towards. For example, you might write, “Patricia, thank you for donating $25 to our annual walkathon to cure breast cancer. Your gift will help us advance our research efforts and move one step closer to ending this disease.”
- Invite donors to get involved in other ways: Encourage your donors’ ongoing engagement by pointing them to additional ways to support your organization’s mission, such as by volunteering, attending your next silent auction, or peer-to-peer fundraising.
You can also give your supporters an opportunity to provide feedback on your nonprofit. Create a survey asking supporters questions about their donation experience, interests in your organization, and what might motivate them to give more often. Then, use these insights to adjust your strategies as needed.
Wrapping Up
Donor retention is an essential part of any successful fundraising strategy. By streamlining the donation process, showing the value of becoming a recurring donor, and laying the building blocks for strong relationships, you can effectively turn casual supporters into loyal donors. Check in on your donor retention rate often and make adjustments to your strategies as needed.
Sarah Sebastian
OneCause®