Welcome back to Ask a Responsive Fundraiser! We’re pleased to welcome the president of A Direct Solution, Erica Waasdorp. Erica is a leading expert in monthly giving, an author, and a sought-after speaker. With decades of experience in direct-response fundraising, Erica helps nonprofits grow sustainable revenue through donor-focused strategies and international fundraising expertise. Additionally, she’s a published author including Monthly Giving, The Sleeping Giant, and Monthly Giving, Made Easy.
Be sure to check out past editions of Ask a Responsive Fundraiser and leave us a comment on LinkedIn so we can answer your questions!
Editor’s note: Erica’s answers were edited for length and clarity. Watch the video to see her complete answers.
Dear Responsive Fundraiser: We’re struggling to grow our monthly giving program at a healthy pace. We’ve tried different approaches, but it feels like we’re not gaining traction. How can we build a sustainable program that keeps donors engaged long-term?
Erica Waasdorp: Great question. Keeping donors engaged long-term—that’s what monthly giving is all about. What I find with many organizations, and it doesn’t even matter if they’re small, mid-size, or large, is that they just don’t give it enough time.
Sometimes they think, “Oh yeah, this is great. It’s January. Let’s do a monthly giving campaign.” But then, we get busy doing all of these other things. With monthly giving, you want them to become sustainable, so you have to constantly plant those seeds because one appeal might not cut it.
For example, an organization said, “Let’s test a monthly giving button on a home page.” It doubled the number of monthly donors that they were generating. Try adding a button to your emails. I know people worry about their one-time response. The reality is: Test it. And if it doesn’t hurt, what do you have to lose by adding a button?
I was talking to one organization, and when they do an appeal, they might get a few people to go to their one-time donation page and say, “Yes, make this a recurring gift.”
But when they had the two buttons in the email, they suddenly got 27 new monthly donors. That might not be that many, but it’s 27 more than what you used to get, right?
That doesn’t cost you a dime. You’re already sending the email. You’ve already got them. So, see where that gets you. Then, consider what else you’re sending to your donors. Are you doing a welcome email? Have you considered adding a welcome email with the offer to become a monthly donor in there?
If you’re communicating, if you’re committed to growing it, it will happen.
Dear Responsive Fundraiser: We’re thinking about switching to a new CRM, but the transition process makes us nervous. How do you go about choosing the right platform and setting yourself up for success without disrupting donor relationships?
EW: I think that you don’t want to change your CRM just because something looks cooler than what you’re getting now. I know sometimes people, like a board member says, “I saw this thing and it looks really cool.” Do your due diligence and make sure that all of your users are involved in choosing the new tool.
There are consultants out there who can help you guide you through that process. In my 42 years of working in direct marketing and fundraising, I’ve seen a lot of databases. I’ve worked on transitioning a few of them, but it’s also important to talk to other organizations. What are they using? What do they like about it? But especially, what don’t they like about what they have now?
I think the other thing is to make an inventory and consider what you like about what you have now and what you don’t like about what you have now? And what do you think is missing?
Hire somebody who can help you with the process. Make a list of what you want, what you need, and what are nice to have.
