The ultimate guide to recurring giving

Whether your organization is building a recurring giving program from the ground up or looking to strengthen an existing one, a clear strategy can safeguard your long-term financial health and help you grow.

This guide will cover what recurring giving is, why it matters, and how to plan and launch a campaign. We’ll also go over ways to brand and present your program, strategies for promotion and donor acquisition, and tips for retaining and growing your supporter base.

What is recurring giving?

Recurring giving is when a donor commits to making automatic gifts at regular intervals, most often once a month. Donors choose the amount they give and can pause or stop at any time. Nonprofits often refer to this model as monthly giving or subscription giving.

Why is recurring giving important?

Recurring giving provides a steady, predictable revenue stream. It helps your organization avoid the ups and downs of seasonal fundraising and reduces the constant pressure of applying for new grants.

A strong recurring giving program:

• Provides reliable income to sustain and expand your work
• Increases annual contributions and donor lifetime value
• Improves donor retention by deepening relationships and fostering a sense of community

GoFundMe Pro data shows recurring donors are more than 9x more valuable than one-time donors. About 25% also make at least one extra one-time gift within the same year.

Over time, their contributions almost always exceed the amount of a single gift. Higher retention rates also give your nonprofit more stability for long-term planning.

Recurring donors also tend to be some of your most committed supporters—84% go beyond giving money by volunteering, attending events, advocating for your cause, or fundraising on your behalf. These donors are invested in your mission and ready to go the extra mile.

Planning: goals, audience, and launch

Before you start asking for recurring gifts, it’s essential to create a plan. Defining your goals, understanding your audience, and preparing a thoughtful launch strategy will set the foundation for a program that grows steadily and retains donors over the long term.

Set your recurring giving goals

The first step in building a strong recurring giving program is to set clear goals and outline how you’ll achieve them.

Common ways to measure success include:

• Monthly recurring revenue (MRR): The amount you can expect to receive each month from recurring gifts. Also, track lost MRR (or churn), which is the income lost when donors cancel.
• Number of active donors: The number of supporters currently making recurring gifts.
• Recurring gift increases: The number of recurring donors who increase their donation amount each year, by how much, and the percentage of your total donor base that represents (even small increases add up)

Know your audience

Take time to study your donor base to know who to target, how to reach them, and how much your ask should be. Factors to consider include:

• Donor personas
• Past gift sizes
• Giving methods (in person, online, at events)
• Donor survey results

The better you understand your donors’ motivations, preferences, and giving patterns, the more effectively you can segment them into groups and tailor your appeals.

When setting ask amounts, remember that recurring gifts are often smaller than one-time gifts. Identify levels that feel attainable for each donor segment while still making an impact for your organization.

Launch your campaign

Build a promotion plan and calendar to guide your campaign rollout.

• Prepare for a soft launch: Start with your most dedicated supporters if your program is new. Invite them to be your first recurring donors and help build momentum.
• Engage current recurring donors: Thank them for their ongoing support, ask them to share why they give, and invite them to increase their gift.
• Announce and promote: Share your campaign across all communication channels to reach a wider audience.
• Thank, nurture, and steward: Send a welcome email to new donors, share regular impact updates, and recognize their contributions. This sets the stage for a successful ask to increase their gifts over time. Remember, recurring donors are investing in your mission long term—treat them as a special group.

Branding and presentation

Your recurring donors are more than supporters: They’re a dedicated community investing in your mission. Make them feel special by giving your program a unique name, visual identity, and story.

Define your story and purpose

Start by clarifying the long-term purpose of your recurring giving program. Ask:

• What impact will these recurring gifts have?
• How is recurring support different from other contributions to your organization?

Your answers can inspire the name, theme, and branding for your program.

Create a unique look and feel

Give your program a visual identity that fits within your nonprofit’s overall brand but still stands out. This could include:

• A program name and tagline
• A logo or custom imagery
• Photos or videos that illustrate your mission

Include the essentials for your campaign

Strong branding works best when paired with a compelling story. These core elements can help your recurring giving campaign stand out:

• Align your branding elements: Use your nonprofit’s colors, fonts, and style for consistency. Also, add unique messaging, logos, and visuals for the program.
• Define your purpose: Explain clearly why recurring donors are essential to your mission and what their support makes possible.
• Use impact blocks: List suggested donation amounts from highest to lowest on your GoFundMe Pro campaign page. Include short, specific examples of how each level will make a difference and consider using icons or photos to make it visual.
• Optimize your donation page: Keep suggested recurring gift amounts lower than your one-time gift options. You might disable one-time gifts altogether. Also, offer mobile-friendly payment methods like digital wallets and ACH to improve conversions.
• Strengthen your thank-you page: Use a clear headline and message that reinforces the supporter’s impact. You can also add a secondary call to action, like subscribing to your newsletter or following your social channels, to keep them engaged.

Make donors feel like insiders

If possible, offer benefits to recurring donors to strengthen their connection to your organization. Examples include:

• • Invitations to exclusive events
  • Quarterly impact reports
  • A monthly donor newsletter

• Community perks or behind-the-scenes updates
• Impact photos or videos

These benefits not only show appreciation but also help build loyalty, increasing the chances that supporters will stay with you and even increase their gift over time.

Promotion and appeals

Like any fundraising campaign, your recurring giving program needs consistent promotion to succeed. Make sure your entire community knows it’s an option and understands the impact of joining.

Create a website

Create a dedicated page or microsite for your recurring giving program and make it easy to find from your homepage. Use this page for:

• Explaining the purpose and long-term impact of recurring gifts
• Highlighting any benefits or special access for members
• Sharing stories or examples that show the value of ongoing support

Send an appeal through email

Send recurring giving appeals multiple times a year, segmenting your email lists to personalize messages for different donor groups. In your appeals, cover:

• Why your nonprofit needs ongoing support
• How recurring gifts create more impact over time
• How easy it is to set up a recurring gift online
• What special updates, perks, or access can supporters get

Pro tip: Every donation form should include the option to make the gift recurring. This is a simple way to convert one-time donors.

Make a direct appeal on social media

To avoid dominating your social feeds with asks, only use social media to make a direct appeal for recurring gifts occasionally. Between asks, focus on social proof, like:

• Sharing news about the program
• Highlighting the collective impact of recurring donors
• Recognizing individual supporters

Consider featuring one or two recurring donors each month, sharing their stories and the difference their gifts make. This builds credibility for your program while giving loyal donors public recognition.

Drive donations

Whether supporters arrive from an email, blog, or social post, their final step will be completing your donation form. Keep the process short, clear, and visually aligned with your recurring giving brand.

On GoFundMe Pro, one way to emphasize recurring giving is to disable one-time gifts to nudge donors to choose from preset recurring amounts or enter a custom amount.

Acquisition and stewardship

A strong recurring giving program keeps donors engaged and grows support through new supporters and increased gifts from existing ones.

Offer multiple giving frequencies

While monthly giving is the most common, offering additional options can make donating easier for supporters and better align with your mission. GoFundMe Pro supports these giving frequencies:

• Annual
• Semiannual
• Quarterly
• Monthly

Each option has its advantages. For example, a weekly donation may work well for faith-based nonprofits, while a quarterly gift can be ideal for membership-based organizations—like museums, zoos, performing arts centers, or cultural institutions. Annual donations are especially useful for memberships or pledge programs.

On any campaign or donation page, you can choose which recurring donation frequencies to display, making it easy to match your setup to your audience and campaign goals.

Grow your program

When looking for new recurring donors, start with your most loyal one-time donors. The “Returning One-Time Donors Report” in GoFundMe Pro identifies supporters who have given multiple times, making them strong candidates for a recurring ask.

Once or twice a year, invite current recurring donors to increase their gift—even a $5 monthly increase adds $60 annually. Always connect the ask to a tangible impact to help donors see the difference their extra support will make.

You can also encourage recurring donors to become peer-to-peer fundraisers. These supporters already believe in your mission and may be excited to share it with their networks.

Thank donors from the start

Whether you send a handwritten note or an email, make sure your thank-you message includes:

• The donor’s name
• The size of their gift
• The name of the campaign
• A signature from a staff member

Also, add social sharing buttons to your confirmation page and follow buttons in your emails for donors to easily spread the word.

Keep supporters engaged

Consider creating a monthly email or newsletter for recurring donors. Share your best stories, videos, blog posts, and mission updates to keep them connected and inspired to give.

Retention and growth

The first step to growing your recurring giving program is shoring up your retention strategy.

Offer the option to pause

When donors consider canceling their recurring gift, offer a “pause” option instead. It’s far better to endure a temporary gift loss than to lose the donor altogether.

Remind them how valuable they are to your mission and express your appreciation. Approach the conversation with understanding and empathy, as this makes it more likely they’ll return when they’re financially ready.

Build lifetime partnerships

To keep donors engaged for the long haul, express your gratitude regularly. Remember, most of your communications should focus on thanking supporters and sharing updates—not asking for more gifts.

Also, be responsive to any concerns or questions from monthly donors. Prompt replies show that you value their support and care about their experience.

It’s also essential to stay ahead of potential payment issues. GoFundMe Pro offers tools to help with this:

• Automatic Credit Card Updater works quietly with card networks to refresh expired or replaced card information to prevent donation interruption.
• Upcoming Expiring Recurring Plans Report lets you identify donors whose cards are about to expire, giving you a chance to reach out and help update their payment details to prevent missing a gift.

Ask for increased support

Once a donor’s recurring gift has been active for about a year, consider asking if they can increase their contribution. Show them the impact of their current giving and explain how even a small increase can make a meaningful difference for your mission.

Build lasting support through recurring giving

Recurring giving is a proven path to financial sustainability, but it requires ongoing effort. It begins with creating an engaging program that donors are excited to join. From there, consistent communication and genuine appreciation keep supporters connected and invested over time.

Whether launching a new program or revitalizing an existing one, investing in recurring giving is essential for setting your nonprofit up for long-term growth and stability. Schedule a demo today to learn how GoFundMe Pro can help.