Form Design Tips That Will Help You Build a Recurring Donor Base

Nonprofit Organizations Rely on Consistency

When it comes to fundraising, recurring donations are highly desirable. And for good reason! Recurring donations build a predictable stream of income. Who doesn’t want that?

Building a well-thought-out recurring giving program is the key to building a base of sustaining donors. You’ve probably started thinking about a communications plan, but is your donation form set up for recurring donations?

Including a few important options on donation forms can help one-time donors easily become recurring donors. Here are 3 easy ways to make sure your form is properly set up for recurring donations!

Year-Round Forms

You love sustaining gifts. But recurring donations are pretty neat for donors, too. They don’t have to remember to manually fill out a form each time they want to donate, and recurring options allow them to give more over time.

Make it easy to give a recurring gift. Donors shouldn’t have to fill out multiple forms or fields to make one! Include recurring options on your donation form. Add a simple checkbox (so donors can indicate their gift is recurring) and let them choose the start and end dates for their gift. They should also be able to choose their gift’s frequency.

Separate Forms

Running a campaign specifically for recurring donations? Set up two separate donation forms. One should live on your website and be your standard donation form (it should allow recurring donations). The other should be used in social posts, email appeals, and other communications specific to your recurring campaign.

This also helps with donor segmentation. Segmenting one-time donors and recurring donors means each group gets relevant information. For example, you can ask one-time donors to make their gift recurring, but it’d look awful to ask recurring donors to do that! Use your donors’ history with you to target mailing lists, and make sure you use language that’s appropriate to each donor group.

A quick note: just like your year-round forms, your recurring campaign form should make giving a recurring donation form easy. You can also encourage (but not require!) recurring donors to set up an account. Their account will give them control over their donation; they can manage their donation amount, payment information, and frequency. Add a quick sentence to your recurring campaign form about creating an account, but DON’T require it. Some people want to set up their donation without an account, and that’s okay.

Impact Statements

Recurring donors are among the most committed to your cause. It’s important to follow up with impact reports that show what their donations achieve. Remind them that their gifts have a tangible impact!

Impact reports should be sent to all donors, but you should target your messaging to recurring and one-time donors. Focus on showing recurring donors the difference they make, and fill your impact report with thank-you messages from your staff and community. Sustaining donors are important to your organization, and your impact reports are a valuable retention tool.

When you send impact reports to one-time donors, try showing them how they can boost their impact by making a recurring gift. Recognizing your existing recurring donors is a great donor retention tool, and it’s also a valuable way to recruit more recurring donors.

 Streamline Recurring Giving with the Right Tools

Take the time to ensure that your donation forms and communications support your recurring program. Recurring donors are one of your organization’s most valuable supporters! The more appreciated they feel, the better their retention and engagement rates will be.

Giving is easy, and Qgiv can help make recurring donations even easier! We want to see you make a difference in your world, and we know the key to doing that is a steady source of income and committed donors.