When I first started out in fundraising, there was a common fear in our space: “If you communicate too much with your monthly donors, they’ll remember they give and cancel.”
That belief never sat right with me.
As someone who gives primarily through monthly contributions, I felt it was dismissive, like my generosity wasn’t intentional, but rather the result of forgetfulness or carelessness with my money. And I know I’m not alone.
Monthly donors aren’t sleepwalking through generosity. They are some of the most intentional, engaged supporters you have.
The Data
Here’s the truth: when you communicate wisely with your monthly donors, their retention doesn’t get worse. It improves. Our testing has shown that adding retention-focused touchpoints can reduce cancellations by double digits. Simple gestures like thank-you postcards or voicemails, combined with storytelling digital ads and exclusive content, make a measurable difference.
But what about the question every fundraiser asks: “Should we ask monthly donors for additional gifts?”
To answer that, we dug into the data.
We analyzed three years of giving history from 127,000 monthly donors across 24 different organizations. Here’s what we found about those “above and beyond” gifts:
- 42% of monthly donors give outside of their monthly pledge.
- And it’s not just at year-end: at the mid-point this year, 28% of monthly donors had already made an extra contribution.
- These extra gifts represent only about 10% of all gifts from monthly donors, but their size is significant—3x the average monthly pledge.
- Altogether, 38% of total revenue from monthly donors comes from these additional gifts. 💰
That’s a lot of generosity you might be missing if you assume monthly donors just want to autopay in the background.
What This Means for Fundraisers
Monthly donors are not simply a reliable stream of recurring revenue. They are your most loyal partners, people who have already said “yes” to consistent support. And the data shows that many are ready and even eager to say “yes” again when invited.
The lesson? If you avoid communicating out of fear of cancellations, you’re leaving both better retention and additional revenue on the table.
The Bottom Line
It’s time to retire the old advice that monthly donors should be left alone. Thoughtful communication and well-timed invitations don’t harm the relationship, they strengthen it.
So talk to your monthly donors. Celebrate them. Give them opportunities to go deeper.
Because when you do, you’ll discover what the data makes crystal clear: monthly donors are not just dependable. They’re some of your most generous givers.
