When I started to take an interest in monthly giving years ago, I was curious what made programs successful.
Speaker 1:I just feel like there's like some smoky mirrors you can't exactly tell from a website, right what an organization is doing.
Speaker 1:So I decided to do some research. I noticed myself how I felt when landing on a website, the experience of going through making a gift and what happened afterwards, and this process helped me gain a better understanding of the elements and all the interviews that I conducted over the past year that contribute to growing a monthly giving program. Hey, there, you're listening to the Missions to Movements podcast and I'm your host, dana Snyder, digital strategist for nonprofits and founder and CEO of Positive Equation. This show highlights the digital strategies of organizations making a positive impact in the world. Ready to learn the latest trends, actionable tips and the real stories from behind the feed. Let's transform your mission into a movement. Hello, welcome back to Missions to Movements. I am your host, dana Snyder, and today you are getting a sneak peek into my book. That sounds like unreal, to actually say a physical book that is coming out this September. It's very exciting. It is going to be all about my monthly giving framework and sharing case studies from organizations of all different sizes, all different causes, on how they're growing communities of passionate regular givers. I absolutely loved doing these 15 different interviews. I am so grateful to these organizations and the 15 organizations that have gone through my monthly giving mastermind program thus far. So I'm in the final stages of writing and it's honestly been really enjoyable.
Speaker 1:I know a lot of times writing a book can sound daunting, and I mean it is. I have an episode coming up soon with the founder of my book publishing company, which is Copper Books, because I think writing a book is honestly such a fabulous way to build brand awareness in a much more thoughtful way for nonprofits, and I bet you have a story or two in you and some very teachable lessons along the way that you can share with others. But a very, very small portion of people actually write books, even if they want to. Because, shoot, I mean, it feels daunting as hell to do it right. So when I was told because, shoot, I mean, it feels daunting as hell to do it right. So when I was told, oh, you need to write about 50, 60,000 words for your book to be published, I did not know how I would accomplish that. But then, when you're in the creative flow. All of a sudden I realized I was knocking out 5,000 word chapters. So today what I wanted to do is dive into the first two steps of the framework and over the next couple episodes I will be sharing more and I'll dive into that in a second. The first two steps of the framework are creating the product and make it easy. So whether you are just starting or you are looking to refresh your current program or do like a audit, this episode is packed with insights and practical tips to get you on the right track.
Speaker 1:So when I started to take an interest in monthly giving years ago, I was curious what made programs successful. I just feel like there's like some smoky mirrors. You can't exactly tell from a website, right, what an organization is doing. So I decided to do some research and took note. I noticed myself how I felt when landing on a website, the experience of going through making a gift and what happened afterwards, and this process helped me gain a better understanding of the elements and all the interviews that I conducted over the past year that contribute to growing a monthly giving program.
Speaker 1:And this July we are entering the fifth round of my monthly giving mastermind to help launch or refresh three to five new programs. I would love to work with you. If you're interested in learning more, you can head to positive equationcom and click monthly giving at the top to learn more. So, as I mentioned, if you want to DIY this process, I will be outlining my five step framework over the next three episodes. So let's go All right.
Speaker 1:So, as I continued my research, I discovered there was really these five core elements to build a successful monthly giving program, and this is how I approach teaching in the mastermind. So step number one is create the product. Number two is make it easy. Those are the two we're talking about here. Number three is call in the believers. Number four is make the ask and number five is constant joy and gratitude. So today we're going to focus on the two steps create the product and make it easy.
Speaker 1:So the best monthly giving programs yes, they have a seamless donation experience and beautiful branding, but at heart, they are focusing on building a community of super fans. So as I outline this framework, remember that even if you already have a monthly giving program in place, it is important to regularly refresh, update it, keep it relevant and effective. So, by continuously adapting and evolving, you can really ensure that your program is continuing to attract and retain donors for your cause. So, before the creative fun begins, I really want you to understand two fundamental truths that I've learned through these conversations. First, it is a whole lot more fun to build a recurring giving program with the support of your leadership team. Getting leadership buy-in should be a top priority because when the leaders are on board, not only do they feel a sense of ownership and accountability for the program's success, but there's also budgetary items that get opened up as well to support its growth.
Speaker 1:If you need help convincing leadership that having a monthly giving program is not just a nice to have but necessary to really diversify your revenue stream with a sustainable giving model, I would invite you to chat invite them to chat with some interviewees from my book that it's coming out in September. So just a couple the Tim Tebow Foundation, roots, ethiopia, brown Bagging for Kids and many others to get their perspective. I don't think we do that enough like tap each other. Just learn about what we're learning. Now, if you are the leader yourself and you're like, yeah, I'm in, what I recommend is surround yourself with people who are just a step ahead of you to learn and get support from.
Speaker 1:This was the power of a mastermind that I joined back in 2021. I was so excited to just be around other people who were dealing with the same challenges that I was, and that's why I created my mastermind program, because I felt like cool, we could build this program for you, but you're doing it in a silo. It's much more fun to do it with a community of others. Then, kind of in the same breath, a few years ago, I heard about a Slack channel for nonprofit consultants and, as a solopreneur, I eagerly joined this community to be with peers and it's been invaluable. And sometimes you just want feedback on an email you've drafted, to get eyes on a new website you've been working on, and in our Slack group there's even a publishing channel where I shared ideas for my book title and then I received immediate feedback. So at the time of writing this book, in that specific Slack channel there's 185 amazing other nonprofit consultants and it's just really fun, very helpful, and I decided this is amazing. This should exist for nonprofits to share ideas, specifically around monthly giving programs. So I didn't think twice when I decided to create the Sustainers. It is a Slack channel where any organization with a monthly giving program can join. So, right from the beginning creating the Slack channel, the back and forth threads with ideas that are being shared are amazing. So if you want to join and be a part of that Slack channel, you can go to positiveequationcom backslash monthly-giving or just click monthly giving at the top of my site.
Speaker 1:Okay, so let's go ahead and dive into these steps, shall we? So the first thing is, I want you to think of your monthly giving program as a unique product that your organization is offering to supporters. As a unique product that your organization is offering to supporters, and, just like any new product, whether you're buying a pair of shoes or a car, it needs a solid marketing strategy, right, a solid budget and a team to promote it, or a person at least. Right, and think about the last time you made a purchase and if you're like me, you're probably on Amazon or doing a weekly target run that was, for one thing, that turned into lots of things usually, and whether you were online or shopping in a store, you purchased something that likely a whole team sat around and deeply discussed right, they talked about market analysis why it had to be this color, this name, the exact price, where and how it would be marketed. It was given a skew number and all of the hundreds other decisions that come together right when creating a product that is going to be delivered into the hands of us consumers.
Speaker 1:So think about your monthly giving program as a product. It is not just a checkbox on a donation form. And now, with all that said, if you were to try and get every single detail perfect, nothing would ever launch, right? So the beautiful thing about a product, especially a digital one that we're creating, is it's editable. You can always update its name, change the website, rewrite the copy. So, throughout this book, you'll learn the important elements in this episode and, like really in the book, is going to dive into more detail, but you'll learn the important elements to include and then iterate as culture and your mission and time passes on. So if you're ready to build out your new product and your leadership is ecstatic, let's go.
Speaker 1:So, when it comes to creating your product, there's a few key questions that you need right at the beginning what is the reason for your product, this monthly giving program, to exist, what is the impact it is intended to have? And then, what structure of a recurring donor program really aligns with the mission and values of your organization, and I want to share a real life example with you. So Daily Giving is a Jewish organization that combines the gift of thousands of daily givers into one amazing donation every single day to the multiple organizations that they support. Daily Giving operates on a fully recurring giving model. The whole idea they had at the inception of the organization which is amazing was to create a $1 a day membership to provide their customers the experience of not going one day without giving back and doing good.
Speaker 1:So I spoke with the COO. Aria Friedner talked at length about how the compound impact of what they're doing makes people excited, and I love this quote. He said our donors are not our donors, they're our customers. As you might've just heard me say before, we serve them. The mission of daily giving and the purpose of its existence is to help people automate their charity, as if to say how could I possibly go one day without giving to charity? I'd rather give $1 so that every day can be uplifted. And if we use technology to automate that for them, every day can be uplifted and if we use technology to automate that for them, that it's an important service that people need to be able to utilize. That's how our donors are, our customers, and we serve them by doing that. Y'all. This idea didn't just work, it caught fire. Daily Giving has an estimated 15,000 monthly supporters that provide support for 78 nonprofits and growing. I love how he talks about their impact. He says our primary benefit is giving people the privilege of giving to charity every day, and the impact of the 14 million Now I know it's closer to about 16 million that goes to various needs within the Jewish community is, because of that, like, yes, how amazing is that?
Speaker 1:So what is the reason for creating your product, your monthly giving program? Once you've identified that, it's time to move on to one of my favorite parts in this section, and that's creating the identity. One of my favorite parts in this section, and that's creating the identity. So, within the create the product is also naming your program, and I think this is a crucial step. A name gives your program an identity, right, it helps build a brand around it and it creates engaging marketing materials. The name ideally should reflect your organization's mission and values, evoke a sense of belonging and community and be easy to pronounce and spell.
Speaker 1:I have a whole episode, so I'm not going to dive deep on it here. I have a whole episode on how to name a monthly giving program. It's episode 107. But if you are stuck on how to get the brainstorming name process going, I got you covered. I have a free monthly giving naming exercise and you can download it at positive equationcom backslash name. I really enjoy this. I think it's fun. It's a collaborative process that not only really sparks creativity, but it can also foster a sense of community amongst your team. And note that the name is just the beginning. Don't get stuck here. It's what you do with it that's going to make your program truly impactful.
Speaker 1:Taking a quick moment here to share more about today's sponsor, givebetter, the all-in-one nonprofit fundraising platform that's empowering millions of changemakers just like you to raise more, pay less and give better for free. That's right. No setup fees, subscriptions or add-ons, ever. So if you're a nonprofit, a school, a team or any kind of group looking to raise money, launch a fundraising event or in a peer-to-peer campaign, you can sign up for your free Give Better account to get started in just minutes. Click the link in the show notes to claim your free account today. Now nonprofits use GiveButter to bring together multiple tools, including mobile-friendly donation forms, fundraising campaigns, a built-in CRM all of it 100% for free. With GiveButter, your donors can choose from a variety of convenient payment methods like PayPal, venmo, apple Pay, google Pay, ach and even donor advice funds. As the number one rated nonprofit software company on G2 across multiple categories, givebutter is on a mission to power the next billion with a B changemakers.
Speaker 1:How do you magnetically attract your monthly donors? By creating a monthly giving program designed to call in your believers. It is that time again. Applications are open for round five of my monthly giving mastermind that will start in July. Of my monthly giving mastermind that will start in July, we have launched 15 programs from all over the country. Are you next? Head to positiveequationcom backslash mastermind or click the link in the show notes to apply. If this is something that has been constantly knocked down your to-do list due to bandwidth or resources, let us build it for you. The monthly giving mastermind is a four month hybrid program. We are able to hear ideas and share strategies alongside other nonprofits, while our team fully builds out your recurring donor program. Head to positive equationcom backslash mastermind or click the link in the show notes to apply.
Speaker 1:So now we've gone into step one briefly, which is make the product. Step two is make it easy. So, in a world where online shopping and one-click purchases are the norm, right, our donation processes need to keep up. We, as consumers, expect a seamless and intuitive experience, and that should mirror exactly what happens when we go to make a gift. So this step is all about simplifying the donation process for your supporters and creating a professional, user-friendly website that's going to build trust and really make donors feel confident and excited to support your cause, and really make donors feel confident and excited to support your cause. So make it easy is really entering in this crucial moment where the act of someone saying like I'm in, like double click right, takes place.
Speaker 1:If our donation process is complicated, if it's confusing, that will lead to either A frustration or B abandonment of the gift, and we don't want that to happen. That will lead to either A frustration or B abandonment of the gift, and we don't want that to happen. So that's the first part, right, we want the donation process to be simple, but then I've also had a lot of conversations with friends who are graphic designers, who struggle sometimes of proving their ROI, like the return on the investment of good branding and I can tell you from many, many, many conversations with organizations it is invaluable. And not just conversations, but I can tell you that from my own company, my own brand, people go to my website and they're like I love it. And therefore there's this like A I want to be on your website and click around and B it adds credibility. So a well-designed website and social media presence, I'll add, is your storefront.
Speaker 1:I have been saying this for years, but in a world where a physical visit to your organization is not always possible, the majority of your supporters are going to interact with you digitally, and one of the main reasons I believe you need a standalone website for your monthly giving program is to avoid donor confusion. A specific website, yes, it creates a positive first impression, but it also establishes clarity, credibility and trust, and you're not having that. I was tricked into making a monthly gift. I've heard lots of people say that when you have a website landing page that does nothing but talk about your monthly giving program with only the option to give regularly, it's kind of not on you at that point, like you've made that very crystal clear. So in the book I'm going to share, like an email template for what to say to those people, but if you have a standalone page and it is specifically talking about your program, you should weed out a lot of those people.
Speaker 1:So, when it specifically comes to the website format and experience, one of the first steps that I do in the mastermind is a audit for my clients, and I assess their website's performance using a tool called Microsoft Clarity. This is totally free. You can embed it into the backend of your website and it's pretty cool. You can view heat maps of where users tend to drop off the page while scrolling. You can track their mouse movements while navigating on the site and a I don't know if this is shocking anymore or not, but 80% of people don't scroll past the header, the fold, like the first time that you go past on the top of a page, and this begs the question. I would also note this is true of homepages. So double check your homepages. Do you have the most crucial information readily available for people to not only make a decision, but also provide a form or a button for them to take action right at the top and make sure that your recurring donation program yes, having a separate landing page is key, but that it is prominently featured and accessible from various sections of your site. So I'm talking about the navigation bar. Whether it has its own button or it's under a dropdown, it is accessible to reach on every single page and then within the actual page. So it's accessible right.
Speaker 1:Now we're going to talk about the landing page itself. How do we create a page where, as people go down, it feels like they're having a conversation with you, right, and they're getting the answers that they need to say yes. So the first part of your website is the main headline. This is a big, bold, audacious statement of what they are going to help make possible. Underneath that is your subheader. This is briefly sharing more about the issue and what their monthly gifts, specifically, will help do to change that. There's an image, usually right there at the top, visually showcasing what you're describing and I like to like lead with hope, positivity.
Speaker 1:Then you have your donation tool, so form or a button to a pop-up. I highly, highly, highly recommend that it is not opening up a separate page, that that donation experience stays right there on that landing page, with a pop-up or like a side rail, something opening up. Then you're going to have on this page the list of benefits. Will you send monthly emails? Is there a special video series? People will receive A quarterly impact report. Is there a special item that someone receives? For example, when you join ManaFam as a $10 a month supporter, you receive a branded apron that's right in line with what their cause does. Further down the page. This is optional but can be very powerful. A video so a video gives someone the opportunity to get to know you much more within just a matter of minutes. Now, in our sector, one of the most famous videos that has drawn in thousands and thousands of monthly donors is the video the Spring by Charity Water. In the book I outlined, this is I talked to Cubby Graham. He's phenomenal about how this all came to be. So video optional but extremely powerful, and it can also be used as a marketing tool.
Speaker 1:Social proof there are different angles to activating social proof on your landing page. Some of the strongest persuasion comes from our peers right, and a couple of different types of social proof are FOMO or herd mentality. So the concept of FOMO fear of missing out is powerful when it comes to persuading potential donors. This could be by creating a sense of urgency, such as be one of the first 50 founding members, or having a time-sensitive matching opportunities. You're tapping into that desire of someone to be a part of something that's exclusive and time-sensitive. Also is herd mentality another powerful tool, and, as social creatures as we are, we have a strong desire to be connected to others. So when we see others around us giving or taking action, it really validates our own desire to do the same. So at this point in Make it Easy, let's just say you had the initial format of your website established.
Speaker 1:Now I want to talk more about that front end donation solution that is providing that stellar monthly giving experience. So you may be thinking well, of course, our maybe CRM tool has X, y, z, but does it create the right experience, specifically when it comes to recurring giving? So let's troubleshoot this a little bit. I have seen a lot of great, great CRMs with like so-so front-end giving tools, but that's also why there are native integrations so that they can work together, and wonderful tools like Zapier exist to connect platforms to one another. So the data syncs Within the first two weeks of my four-month monthly giving mastermind. This is what we're working on A full audit of each organization's donation tool.
Speaker 1:As a potential supporter and I wanted to kind of share with you. The following questions are what I ask myself when I'm going through the audit. A was I able to find it? Was I able to find where to give monthly? Is the opportunity with the tool they have? Is there a monthly only option? Because again, I am thinking about being on the specific monthly program landing page. Does it look intimidating to give Like? Is there a long form? And I'm looking on mobile and desktop Do I have to enter in all of my contact information before saying yes to the gift? So it's the order of information collected, what payment options are available and can I ask custom questions? So monthly donors are in it, usually for the long haul. This is a great opportunity to ask someone birthday information, t-shirt size if you'll ever send swag or other questions like that why they decided to join the Blink. And then another question I ask is can I redirect to a custom thank you page If there's not the ability of asking custom questions? The custom thank you page is a great way to have a thank you page from a. There's not the ability of asking custom questions, the custom thank you page is a great way to have a thank you page from a key stakeholder of the organization with another form there to ask custom questions.
Speaker 1:Once the gift has been made, and following my analysis of this audit, I do one-on-one calls with each organization and we discuss the findings, and I always, always, always check if their current tool can just be updated, if there's features that they may not know about, and optimized. If not, I suggest two to three other options that will seamlessly integrate with their current CRM or other platforms, and having the right tool is so important to scale. An example of this is in my conversation with the Tim Tebow Foundation. For Tim Tebow's birthday, they ran one of their largest campaigns that raised $2 million from 13 to 14,000 donors, and they noticed that 11% of those donors became monthly donors because their embedded donation tool had that like pop-up push asking supporters to convert their gift to recurring instead. Now, that's pretty impressive because they also shared, compared to just asking them to convert separately. Only three to 4% did so. That's a big leap. Now the initial donation is only the beginning of an interaction with a recurring supporter, right? According to the Neon One Recurring Giving Report that was just released this year, the average regular donor gives for eight years. That's amazing.
Speaker 1:It's a long time they're going to be using your tools, and managing their gift is crucial. So let's just say, let's create a scenario you are a dedicated supporter of a nonprofit, you have set up a recurring gift and life happens right. Maybe an unexpected expense arises, or, on the other side, you received a raise and you want to increase that gift. If the process to adjust your gift is cumbersome or unclear, we don't want to even touch that frustration that can end up deterring you from continuing your support. And this is the same even on the consumer front. So I mentioned this recently to a group. I go on and off of having a subscription to HelloFresh and I love doing their meals, but it is really frustrating because you cannot cancel from the mobile app. You have to go on your computer to do it. So the process is not usually intuitive, navigating through multiple steps, and you just don't want this level of frustration being sent over to your recurring donors, right?
Speaker 1:So, with the format of your website in place and an understanding of what to think through when it comes to selecting and optimizing your donation tool, the third step in the formula is so fun because it's all about calling in the believers, and this is before we make the ask. So in the next episode I'm going to cover how do we draw in your super fans. So if you know that growing your monthly giving is a priority this year, right now there are a few new ways that we can work together from. If you're in the world of building or refreshing a program from scratch, maybe you just need some continuous guidance and you want some social media assets each month in coaching or maybe scheduling a VIP day where we have the whole day together to get a list of things accomplished. I have options for all stages and get a list of things accomplished. I have options for all stages and you can visit positive equationcom and just click monthly giving to get started.
Speaker 1:And with that, I hope you will join me next week for steps three and four, and those are call in the believers and make the ask. See you next Wednesday. Can you tell? I love talking all things digital to make this show better. I'd be so grateful for your feedback. Leave a review, take a screenshot of this episode, share it on Instagram stories and tag positive equation with one E so I can reshare and connect with you.