How To Convert One-Time Donors Into Monthly Supporters

What if your nonprofit could stop worrying about sporadic donations and start building a foundation of reliable, recurring gifts? Monthly giving programs provide exactly that: predictable revenue streams so you can plan confidently and make a lasting impact.

A strong base of monthly supporters makes executing your nonprofit’s strategic plan and achieving long-term goals easy. For donors, becoming monthly supporters goes beyond convenience. It’s a meaningful way to stay connected with a cause they care about.

Notably, donor retention rates for monthly giving programs average over 80% after a donor’s first year, while new donor retention rates average around 20%. To help boost retention rates and grow your nonprofit, we’ll explore four strategies to convert one-time supporters into loyal monthly donors:

1. Identify Ideal Monthly Donor Prospects.

Your first step is to research your donors. Data within your nonprofit's CRM can reveal why specific donors give to your organization and how you can inspire them to give consistently. Discover which one-time donors are most likely to convert to monthly giving by looking at their:

• Frequency of Donations. Donors who give more than once within a year demonstrate a greater level of commitment to your cause than one-time supporters. These supporters are familiar with your nonprofit and are more likely to transition to a monthly commitment.
• Donation Amounts. Donors who give smaller amounts ($10 to $50) regularly are often good candidates for monthly giving. Their giving patterns suggest they are budget-conscious but willing to offer consistent support over time.
• Payment Method Preferences. When compared to donors who give by check or cash, those who give via credit card, ACH direct deposit, or another online method are more likely to convert to monthly donors, as these channels make recurring gifts seamless.
• Recency of Donations. Donors who gave within the past six months are good monthly giving candidates. Your cause is still fresh in their minds, making them more receptive to an ask for sustained giving.

To streamline your research, you’ll need a CRM with up-to-date, clean donor data. Your technology will streamline the process of organizing donor data into profiles and analyzing giving patterns across campaigns, events, and day-to-day giving. This approach helps uncover insights that signal a donor’s readiness to commit to monthly giving, allowing your nonprofit to engage them with targeted outreach.

2. Cultivate Relationships Before Asking for a Commitment.

Building meaningful relationships is essential before asking for a monthly gift. Trust develops through personalized touchpoints that make donors feel valued and connected to your cause.

Here are practical ways to cultivate these relationships:

• Show appreciation. Kanopi’s donor journey guide emphasizes that appreciation is critical to reinforcing a donor’s decision to give. Make your appreciation strategy stand out by being thorough with follow-up emails and thank you calls and leveraging creative strategies, such as digital greeting cards.
• Share impact stories. Use photos or short videos to highlight the projects donors have helped fund to show the difference their gifts make.
• Introduce matching gift programs. Encourage donors to increase their support by introducing them to matching gift programs. Information about matching gifts helps donors see how their contributions can go even further, increasing the appeal of becoming a monthly donor.
• Encourage deeper involvement. Suggest other involvement opportunities like volunteering, attending an event, or participating in peer-to-peer fundraising. The more ways donors interact with your organization, the more likely they are to invest in sustained giving.
• Celebrate special moments. Send personalized eCards for special occasions, like birthdays or donation anniversaries. This will remind supporters that they’re part of a caring community.

This relationship-first approach builds trust, making donors more likely to commit to ongoing support. Thoughtful, personalized touchpoints demonstrate genuine appreciation for your supporters’ generosity and nurture long-term connections.

3. Make It Easy to Join Your Monthly Giving Program.

To earn monthly donors, lower as many barriers to participation as possible. Increase awareness of your recurring giving program by adding straightforward subscription options to your donation form. Include a checkbox or toggle button to choose between a one-time or recurring donation. From here, supporters should be able to select their preferred giving increment, such as weekly, monthly, or annually.

Add suggested donation amounts to guide users on how much to give and provide an idea of what each level of support will help accomplish. Also, make paying convenient by offering multiple payment methods, such as credit cards, ACH, and digital wallets like Apple Pay.

When emailing or texting donors about joining your program, include a link to a pre-filled form to streamline the process. Your CRM can store donor data and automatically populate the form fields through an integration with your donation form. Alternatively, generate unique links for donors with embedded query parameters (e.g., name, email, saved payment method). These personalized links reduce friction in the signup process, making it faster for donors to join.

From here, ensure donors can easily adjust or pause their monthly gifts online without contacting your team. Provide access to a donor portal where they can make adjustments and see their cumulative impact.

4. Create A Compelling Monthly Giving Appeal.

From here, it’s time to market your nonprofit’s recurring giving program. Show supporters the value of becoming monthly donors by creating enticing incentives, such as:

• Free branded merchandise like hats, totes, stickers, and coffee mugs
• Discounted or early access to event tickets
• Exclusive updates and communications about your work

When crafting your donation appeals, emphasize these perks and explain the power of recurring gifts. Use clear, relatable examples like “Your $25 per month will supply a household with clean drinking water for a month.” This type of messaging helps donors visualize their support’s impact over time.

Storytelling also plays a vital role in persuading donors. Show how sustained support drives lasting change by sharing real-life stories of individuals who have benefited from continuous giving. Formatting testimonials as videos makes these messages even more appealing by putting a face and voice on your cause.

While your donation requests and appreciation messages should be sent separately, consider adding a short, heartfelt appeal within your thank-you letters. Weave your appeal subtly into your thank you letters, as eCardWidget suggests avoiding immediately asking for another donation. Otherwise, you risk overwhelming supporters and communicating that you don’t appreciate their initial gift.

After emphasizing the impact that their donation is making, introduce your program by including a few lines like the following:

"As we reflect on the impact of your gift, we wanted to share that one of the most powerful ways to sustain this work is through a recurring donation. Even a small monthly contribution can create lasting change, providing steady support for [specific program or goal].

There’s no pressure—this note is all about expressing our gratitude. However, if a recurring gift feels like the right fit, you can explore how the program works here: [Insert Link to Recurring Gift Page]."

This approach puts the ask on their radar without overwhelming them.

Conclusion

Donors want to make a difference, and nonprofits thrive when they can count on reliable support. Monthly giving offers both sides what they need: predictable revenue for nonprofits and an easy way for donors to give routinely.

By encouraging one-time donors to make regular contributions, your nonprofit can shift from reactive fundraising to proactive planning. Follow our advice to inspire more donors to join your monthly giving program.

How Andar/360 Can Support Your Monthly Giving Program

Building a successful monthly giving program relies on streamlined processes and insightful donor data. The Andar/360 nonprofit CRM provides the tools needed to organize donor profiles, analyze giving patterns, and facilitate recurring donations with ease. From customizable donation forms to a donor portal for self-service management, Andar/360 helps nonprofits strengthen relationships and increase donor retention. Contact us to discover how these features can empower your organization to create lasting connections and a reliable revenue stream.