How Nonprofits Can Build Relationships for Repeat Giving

There’s a lot that goes into inspiring donors—or as Convergent Nonprofit Solutions refers to them, investors—to give. First, you must inform them about your mission and the impact they could play a role in. On top of that, you need a streamlined donation page that makes it as easy and convenient as possible to give.

Once you finally secure an investor’s first gift, setting them on the path to repeat giving ensures that you can continue to benefit from all of your hard work. However, you can’t expect investors to make a long-term commitment to your nonprofit right off the bat. In this guide, we’ll walk through four ways you can build loyal, trusting relationships that generate more recurring gifts for your organization.

1. Understand why people give.

According to Double the Donation, repeat giving is increasing in popularity, with 57% of investors enrolled in a nonprofit’s recurring gifts program. To encourage more people to join in on the opportunity, it’s essential to understand exactly what motivates them to support your mission.

Several common reasons for giving include:

• A personal connection to your cause. Some investors have firsthand experience with—or a loved one affected by—the issues your nonprofit is trying to address in the community. Powerful stories about those you’ve helped and those you’re trying to help can spark empathy among these supporters and inspire them to join in your efforts.
• A desire to make a difference. Due to their personal values, some investors may feel compelled to help those in need and give back to the community. Therefore, sharing educational content related to your cause and focusing on the impact that gifts will have can convince these investors that your nonprofit is worthy of their support.
• Faith-based or religious reasons. An investor’s faith or religious beliefs may lead them to participate in charitable giving. With this in mind, if you know a supporter celebrates specific religious holidays or festivals, you can use these occasions as opportunities to connect with them, provide updates, and emphasize the impact their gifts have on your mission.
• Social influence. People are naturally influenced by the actions, opinions, and words of those around them. Supporting a nonprofit allows investors to find a sense of belonging among like-minded individuals committed to a common goal. Help your supporters build new connections by creating chances for them to engage in social media communities and in-person events.

Always keep an eye out for opportunities to learn more about your investors, whether through custom donation form fields or surveys, to stay on top of what resonates with their interests and motivations. For example, you might ask them how they found your organization and which communication channels they prefer to further inform your engagement strategy.

2. Provide multiple ways to engage.

To encourage an investor to become a repeat giver, you first need to make them feel like a long-term partner to your nonprofit. Rather than just accepting their gifts, help them find more ways to further your mission. For example, you might share opportunities to:

• Volunteer. By becoming a volunteer, your supporters can socialize, develop skills, and be a part of your on-the-ground impact without having to commit more financially.
• Peer-to-peer fundraise. As peer-to-peer fundraisers, your supporters can help your organization expand its reach by collecting donations from their friends and family on your behalf.
• Join in your advocacy efforts. Your supporters can influence policy changes relevant to your mission by contacting local representatives, signing petitions, and participating in town hall meetings.

When promoting engagement opportunities, segment the investors in your database according to their interests, communication preferences, and other relevant characteristics. For instance, let’s say one investor recently donated via text-to-give to help you purchase supplies to expand your hunger relief nonprofit’s community garden. To keep them involved, you could follow up with a text message inviting them to volunteer for an upcoming gardening shift.

3. Make it easy to give regularly.

By enrolling in your recurring giving program, investors can regularly support the causes they care about without the hassle of remembering to manually donate every time. To provide this level of convenience and engage these committed supporters, Jackson River recommends investing in a fundraising platform that equips you with the following tools:

Alt Text: Tools that can support repeat giving for nonprofits, as discussed below.

• Built-in sustainer upsell. With just one click, you can upsell your one-time investors to monthly investors.
• Automated upgrades. Encourage your repeat investors to increase their gift amount with automated suggestions based on past giving behavior.
• Self-service portal. Make your recurring investors feel comfortable by allowing them to update their gift amount, frequency, and payment method through a secure portal at any time.

Your donation page should have a clear repeat giving option that supporters can opt into when they fill out the form. To ensure that everyone can complete your giving process, follow key accessibility best practices like making your website keyboard-navigable, using high-contrast colors, and adding alternative text to images.

4. Share the impact of gifts.

A survey of U.S. adults by Independent Sector found that 80% of investors need to see proof of a nonprofit’s impact to continue supporting it. Because of this, it’s essential to thank your investors after every gift and explain everything they’re helping you accomplish. Beyond donation confirmation emails, you can communicate the impact of gifts through:

• Annual reports. An annual report summarizes all of your nonprofit’s successful initiatives and accomplishments over the past year, made possible by your supporters. On top of that, you’ll share financial information regarding your income and expenses to build trust and transparency.
• Social media updates. Social media platforms such as Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) are ideal for sharing frequent updates with supporters. You can post video clips from your latest fundraising event, interviews with your beneficiaries, and infographics that visually display your impact.
• Website success stories. Your nonprofit’s website is the central hub for learning about all of your latest news and initiatives. Make it easy for supporters to see how you’re making a difference by creating a dedicated page featuring testimonials from your beneficiaries and posting more detailed success stories to your blog.

When you follow up with individual investors, tailor your messages with at least their name and gift amount to make them feel personally valued by your nonprofit. Whether you use Salesforce or another CRM, ensure that your fundraising software integrates with it so you can easily track and reference supporter engagement data.

As you continue to build relationships with investors and improve your recurring giving program, maintain ongoing data collection to measure your performance over time. Track metrics such as repeat investor retention rate and average recurring gift amount, continually adapting your strategies according to how your supporters respond to them.