3 Tips for Increasing Sustaining (Recurring) Donations

A sustaining donation (also referred to as a recurring gift) is a donation with multiple ongoing payments, including payments of a specific amount that occur over a defined internal that may or may not have an end date or equal installments of a specific amount. PCR Educator Development system allows your donors to sign up for recurring donations electronically through online giving forms. It also lets your development staff enter such donations directly through the administrative section of the software. Below are a few tips for attracting recurring donors.

1. Break down the costs:

Breaking down the size of a contribution into smaller installments is a technique which has been proven to work by for-profits. Car dealers, appliance stores, furniture stores, you name it, all have been successfully appealing to shoppers who may be scared off by high price tags, by advertising low monthly payments. This technique extends easily to non-profits, especially independent schools appealing to recent graduates.

2. Translate the costs into the impact:

This is actually the reverse operation to the one mentioned above. Reassure your donors that their recurring donations will have a great impact by illustrating what each donation can accomplish. What does $10/month, $20/week, $100/year mean for your school? Creating a simple infographic that translates your donors' recurring donation may have a long-lasting effect. Advocates for Children of New York which works on behalf of children who are at greatest risk for school-based discrimination created a table to show how different giving levels make a difference in their operations:

“$10 a month – Pays for an expert to counsel a parent on our Helpline about the educational and support options available for a child with autism. $25 a month – Allows AFC to organize an outreach event for children in foster care as a forum to educate and empower their caregivers about their special learning challenges. $50 a month – Provides three hours of attorney time to prepare for and attend a meeting with the Board of Education to resolve a dispute over the Individualized Education Program (IEP) for a struggling student.”
(http://www.advocatesforchildren.org/support_our_work/donate_now)

3. Leverage technology and automated payments:

Take advantage of automated payments, saved payment profiles and other techniques which mitigate any inconvenience associated with recurring donations. As marketing researchers from Sandford University point out, “The simple fact of having to pay from two separate pools — or opening one's wallet a second time — created another deliberation point, explains Khan. It served to make people think twice about buying, and hence stopped their purchasing in its tracks. “ (https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/buyer-beware-shopping-can-lead-more-well-shopping)

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