Even the most creative and strategic fundraisers can become mindless zombies when it comes to managing their Monthly Giving programs -- forgetting everything they've learned about stewardship, relationship building and targeting asks to individual constituents. As a result, organizations are leaving thousands of dollars on the table. Join Dolores McDonagh, Principal Consultant at Charity Dynamics, for a session that will challenge attendees to re-imagine their acquisition, cultivation and solicitation of sustaining donors to build true relationships with this critical group of supporters.  On this webinar, you will learn how to: - Balance acquisition with one-time gifts solicitation and create an annual benefits and cultivation plan for sustainers - Utilize online platforms to upgrade monthly donors to higher levels of giving - Calculate ROI for sustainer acquisition through a client case study

1. “FEAR” THE WALKING DEAD
Is Your Sustainer Program a Zombie?
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2. 2
YOUR CHARITY DYNAMICS TEAM

3. FUNDRAISERS SAVE THE WORLD
Like Carol…
• We’re deeply committed to the cause
• We’ll do whatever it takes
• We know building relationships and
community are key strategies
• We’re ever alert to new opportunities to
engage people in our cause
…Right?
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4. BUT IF WE
DON’T
WATCH OUT…
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…WE CAN
TURN INTO
ZOMBIES

5. 5 KEYS TO SUSTAINER SUCCESS
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• Know Your Program
• Ride the Auto Pay Wave
• Market Your Sustainer Program
• Cultivate Your Sustainers
• Upgrade Your Sustainers

6. “HEY CORAL…
SUSTAINING
PROGRAMS ARE
A KEY SURVIVAL
STRATEGY”
Know your program

7. SUSTAINERS ARE A KEY SURVIVAL STRATEGY
Sustainer giving is the fastest growing
segment of online giving; grew 14.3% in
2016, compared with only 4.9% overall for
online giving
Sustainer revenue now represents 11.3% of
all online fundraising, up from 9.5% in 2016
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2016 Luminate Online Benchmark Report
Online Revenue
Sustainer Revenue Other Gifts

8. HOW DOES YOUR NONPROFIT STACK UP?
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In sectors where organizations have
focused on recruiting Sustaining donors, the
numbers are even more impressive…

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10. THERE ARE NO ‘TYPICAL’ SUSTAINERS
9% 4%
47%
19%
39%
45%
5%
32%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
Typical Animal Welfare Typical Food Bank
<$10 $10-19 $20-49 $50+
44% give
$20+ each
77% give
$20+ each
month
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11. DON’T FUNDRAISE LIKE A ZOMBIE
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• In spite of tremendous growth,
Sustainer Giving is still a largely
untapped source for most
nonprofits.
• Too many of us are ignoring this
important group of donors!

12. What is your team’s holy grail?PROTECT YOURSELF FROM
BECOMING A ZOMBIE
- WE’VE GOT YOUR BACK! -

13. ACQUIRING SUSTAINERS
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• Ride the Auto-Pay Wave
• Marketing Your Sustainer
Program

14. ACQUISITION
ZOMBIE BEHAVIOR
“Is that really
the best we
can do?”

15. ZOMBIE ASKS
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16. ZOMBIE ASKS
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17. TRY TARGETED ACQUISITION ASKS
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18. TARGET ASK WITH SUGGESTED AMOUNT
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19. TEST GIVING PEOPLE A CHOICE AT THE START
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Offering a clear path to Monthly Giving increased new monthly gifts by 400%

20. UX THAT HIGHLIGHTS SUSTAINED GIVING
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Drop Menu
on Hover
Persistent in
Navigation

21. SUSTAINER INVITATIONS
• Consider going ‘old
school’ and calling to
invite one-time donors to
become Sustainers.
• Targeted email invitations
can also uncover donors
likely to convert.
• Target multi-donors via
these channels
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Hello, Rick? I’m calling to
thank you for your past
support and ask if you’ll
upgrade your gift to become
a monthly supporter?

22. INVITE ONE-TIME DONORS RIGHT AFTER THEY GIVE
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23. ACQUIRING
NEW SUSTAINERS
• Offer sustainer-friendly ask amounts
• Test UX
• Invite targeted segments of one-time donors
Fundraising Survival ‘DO’s’
• Just go with your CRM’s default experience
• Tell donors that you won’t ask for $ again
• Beat donors over the head with a clumsy ask
Zombie Fundraising ‘DON’Ts’
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24. CULTIVATION
ZOMBIE BEHAVIOR
• Sustaining Gifts are not just easy for
donors, they are easy for nonprofits.
• That’s no excuse for laziness in
cultivating these loyal supporters.

25. CULTIVATING SUSTAINERS
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• REALLY AVOID ‘Out of the
Box’ user experiences
• Bring the Love Every Month
• Other Cultivation Tips

26. MINDLESS CULTIVATION
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This exact ‘thank you’
has been received like
clockwork for the past
four years!

27. MINDLESS CULTIVATION
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‘Out of the Box’
language devalues
the donor – and
your organization!

28. LEVERAGE MARKETING AUTOMATION TO DELIGHT SUSTAINERS
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September TKU
August TKU

29. REPURPOSE EXISTING CONTENT IN YOUR MONTHLY THANK YOUS
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February 2017 TKU

30. OTHER WAYS TO CULTIVATE SUSTAINERS
• Reference my monthly support in
Donor Portals and email asks.
• Avoid Giving Club ‘silos.’ If my giving
level entitles me to ‘Giving Club
Benefits’ welcome me to the fold!
• Pick up the phone and call me when
I join, or send a personal email
introducing me to a special contact
at the organization.
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31. DON’T LEAVE MONEY
ON THE TABLE
Use Your Existing Reports to:
• Monitor Bounced Emails
• See – and respond to – Credit Card Declines
• Monitor Duplicate Pledges (and merge when
appropriate)
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32. CULTIVATING
SUSTAINERS
• Integrate your timely messaging into monthly
thank yous
• Recognize the special impact their recurring
support makes possible
• Bring some drama to your Sustainers
Fundraising Survival ‘DO’s’
• Siloing Sustainers
• Ignoring Data
Zombie Fundraising ‘DON’Ts’
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33. SPEAKING OF REPORTING…BE SMART
• Set an alarm to revisit the impact of your
Sustainer Invitation efforts.
• Don’t rely only on early projections on the
extra revenue of converting one-time
donors to Sustainers.
– Not including lost revenue from repeat gifts
from one-time donors can take a bite out of
revenue projections.
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34. STRENGTHEN YOUR GROUP
BY UPGRADING SUSTAINERS

35. UPGRADING ZOMBIE BEHAVIOR
• Life in the Zombie Apocalypse is hard.
• If you only focus on making it easy to sign up
as a Sustainer, you may survive, but you
won’t thrive.
• Upgrading is key to maximizing your Sustainer
program.

36. SURVIVING, NOT THRIVING
While one-time average annual gifts tend to increase over time, Sustainers are
much more likely to remain ‘stuck’ at their entry gift level.
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37. AUTOMATIC UPGRADES
Example: Save the Children
• One time email – let us know if you want to stop being a Sponsor
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38. UTILIZE NATIVE DONOR CENTERS TO EMPOWER SUSTAINERS
• Does your online CRM
have a Sustainer
Center?
• Make sure it’s enabled
(and mobile friendly).
• Make sure your
donors know how to
get here!
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39. CASE STUDY:
GREATER CHICAGO
FOOD DEPOSITORY
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40. CUSTOMIZED EMAIL SERIES FOR EXISTING SUSTAINERS
Three messages
over a 7 day period
emphasizing donor
impact and ease of
upgrading.

41. ASK STRATEGY:
MATCHING THE ASK
TO THE DONOR
Customized groups
created to offer
meaningful upgrade
amounts to individual
donors.

42. USER EXPERIENCE: STREAMLINING THE PROCESS
Step 1: Customized email
with autologin link.
Step 2: Landing page/ donation form
with customized asks matching email.
Total clicks to upgrade after opening email: 3
Step 3: Thank you for upgrading!

43. RESULTS
Almost 50%opened at least one email in
inaugural invite…
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Only 1 unsubscribe!
Donors at all levels upgraded…
Almost 12% clicked through to the landing page...
48.5% of people who landed on the form completed it!
5.1% of all eligible sustainers have upgraded their gift…
Avg. monthly upgrade is $18.04 ($216 annual impact)
Increases range from $4 to $115 per month…

44. UPGRADING
SUSTAINERS
• Have an upgrade strategy
• Focus on User Experience
• Communicate Impact + Convenience
Fundraising Survival ‘DO’s’
• Requiring user names and passwords
• Making ‘cookie cutter’ upgrade asks
• Solicitating without cultivation
Zombie Fundraising ‘DON’Ts’
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45. What is your team’s holy grail?
EMBRACE YOUR
SUSTAINERS
AND SAVE THE
WORLD!

46. • Know your program
• Put out a welcome mat
• Invite at the right time – with the right ask
• Show them the love they deserve
• Upgrade to maximize Return on Investment
EMBRACE YOUR SUSTAINERS AND SAVE THE WORLD

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QUESTIONS?

48. ©2017 Charity Dynamics
THANK
YOU
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