Every gift to your ministry is a blessing and is of course received with a spirit of joy and gratitude – and each offering is also a connection to someone who believes in your ministry and wants to see your missions succeed. You can build that connection by inspiring your generous supporters – whether they’re giving for the first time or have made multiple individual gifts – to become recurring givers.
This can have a tremendous impact: The average recurring donation is $50, but these givers tend to increase their set amount over time. The more you can connect your donors with a monthly giving option, the more impact your ministries can have for your supporters and your community.
Here are four ways to strengthen your church by inspiring your supporters to make a recurring gift:
1. GET THE WORD OUT
This is one of the most fundamental aspects of a successful recurring giving program: For friends and supporters to become part of it, you must let them know it exists.
Your website is the most sensible place to start. You can make it a prominent option with a recurring giving button on your website homepage, along with a dedicated page that shares what recurring giving is, how it works, and how it helps strengthen ministries and programs. You can also add a “Make this Gift Recurring” box that people can check as they make their one-time gifts.
Videos – shared on your website, via social media or before your livestreams – can have a dramatic impact in growing your recurring giving program. Studies show that viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video compared to 10% when reading it. Videos will capture people’s attention and help them understand why recurring giving is such a meaningful expression of their generosity.
Additionally, you can spread the message by mentioning recurring giving during your broadcasts and live programs, in newsletters, and in welcome packets for new supporters. Sharing real-life stories about how recurring gifts impact lives in the community can show how consistent giving helps the missionary make a difference and inspire your members to make a monthly commitment.
2. MAKE YOUR RECURRING PROGRAM STAND OUT
A thoughtful, well-planned recurring giving program can give participants a stronger sense of belonging and connection with your ministry. The special website strategies and other promotions mentioned above will all help present recurring giving as a unique and important level of generosity.
Another way to make your program stand out is to give it an official name – something tied to your name or history, or that conveys the impact of recurring giving (the “Community Care Program” or “Recurring Devotion Project” are two real-world examples). This will help communicate to potential recurring givers that they will be part of something special within the ministry they love.
3. LET RECURRING GIVERS KNOW HOW MUCH YOU APPRECIATE THEM
Getting people to sign up for recurring giving is just the first step: It’s a relationship, and your donors need to always feel that they are remembered and valued. Specific gestures of appreciation – including immediate thank-you emails upon registering and additional recognition throughout the year – will help them feel confident that they made the right giving decision. A “thank you” during broadcasts, dedicated to recurring givers, will make them feel appreciated and let others know the importance of recurring gifts.
Other options include annual recognition events or monthly video updates or newsletters for recurring givers. Your current donors will likely mention this special recognition to other supporters, which will help reinforce the message that the ministry feels a unique sense of gratitude for recurring givers.
You should be thanking all your givers, of course, and those expressions of gratitude are yet another way to encouraging recurring gifts. The emails you send out to online donors can recommend recurring giving as a way to give consistent support. DonorDirect provides tested email templates for one-time, occasional, and frequent givers that you can use to show your thanks and encourage recurring gifts.
4. CHOOSE THE RIGHT RECURRING GIVING PLATFORM AND PROVIDER
The recommendations above all depend on your ministry having an engaging, secure platform for online and recurring gifts. Donors react quickly when the donation tools are difficult to use, or if there are any doubts about the security of the process. A well-crafted donor experience can mean the difference between growth and stagnation. Questions you should ask about donor management tools include:
- Are donation pages and other materials branded for the ministry, showing a direct connection between generous gifts and local ministries?
- Does the program meet and even exceed rigorous security standards, so your donors’ personal data and your parish will always be protected?
- Is the platform part of a fully integrated program that will allow your ministry to handle giving as well as the digital and communications strategies (website design, email, livestreaming) outlined above, plus essential management solutions such as accounting?
- Does the giving provider offer a range of giving options, including web-based, text-to-give, and kiosks, that let supporters give when they want, how they want (and that give you additional opportunities to showcase recurring giving as an important and appreciated option)?
DonorDirect answers YES to all of these questions – our full-service network can enhance every aspect of your ministry operations. We’re a team of believers who work with believers, to empower nonprofit ministries through software. We have over 20 years of experience helping ministries spread the Gospel around the world, and currently serve over 80 faithful ministries globally.
Want to find out what DonorDirect can mean for your recurring giving network and your entire parish? Schedule a demo today – we can’t wait to show you what a difference we can make for you!