Monthly Giving Programs

𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗜𝘀 𝗮 𝗛𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗕𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗼. If customers love your product but still cancel, the problem isn’t the product—it’s the experience. The best wellness brands don’t just sell products. They guide behaviours, reinforce habits, and remove friction. But too often, small moments of friction— a failed payment, a forgotten renewal, a skipped order— quietly push customers away before they even realize it. That’s why I put this table together. 7 high-impact automations that keep subscribers engaged, reduce churn, and make retention effortless. Each one removes a key retention blocker before it turns into lost revenue. 1️⃣ 𝗣𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 → 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 ↳ Trigger: Payment fails (Recharge) ↳ Action: SMS + Email with urgency & FOMO ↳ Apps: SMSBump, Klaviyo → Catch failed payments before they cancel 2️⃣ 𝗨𝗽𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗹𝘀 → 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 ↳ Trigger: Renewal approaching (Recharge) ↳ Action: Email & SMS reinforcing product value ↳ Apps: Klaviyo, PostPilot → Remind customers why they subscribed 3️⃣ 𝗟𝗼𝘄 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 → 𝗥𝗲-𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗙𝗹𝗼𝘄 ↳ Trigger: Skipped orders, no logins, inactivity (CustomerHub) ↳ Action: ‘Reignite Your Routine’ email series ↳ Apps: Klaviyo → Help them stay on track before they forget 4️⃣ 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁𝘀 → 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲 ↳ Trigger: Customer clicks “Cancel” (Recharge) ↳ Action: “Pause instead of cancel” + Exclusive offer ↳ Apps: Klaviyo, RetentionEngine → Give them a reason to stay 5️⃣ 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗢𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 → 𝗢𝗻𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 ↳ Trigger: First order shipped (Recharge) ↳ Action: Educational onboarding sequence ↳ Apps: Klaviyo, Postscript → Guide them to get the best results 6️⃣ 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲-𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 → 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗛𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗱 ↳ Trigger: 3rd, 6th, or 12th order milestone (LoyaltyLion) ↳ Action: Reward with a discount, gift, or VIP perks ↳ Apps: Smile.io, Klaviyo → Keep them engaged before they churn 7️⃣ 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗟𝗧𝗩 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 → ‘𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 & 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁’ ↳ Trigger: Customer hits LTV threshold (Klaviyo) ↳ Action: Personalized gift or early access invite ↳ Apps: PostPilot, LoyaltyLion → Turn subscribers into superfans Subscriptions Should Feel Effortless. Your product builds habits. Your subscription model should too. Set up these workflows once, and let them do the work forever. If you need help with putting any of them together, reach out to me in DM 📥

Donors don’t remember what you asked for. They remember how you made them feel. No donor remembers your budget line. They remember the moment they felt seen. Last year, I worked with a mid-sized charity struggling with donor retention. Their appeals were beautiful — but donors weren’t coming back. When we looked closer, it wasn’t the messaging that was broken. It was the feeling. Or more accurately, the lack of feeling. Every email spoke at their donors. None spoke to them. So we rewrote their follow-ups. We started with: “You made this possible.” We ended with: “How did this story make you feel?” Within six months, repeat giving rose by 38%. Fundraising isn’t persuasion!!! It’s connection!!! Donors don’t remember the amount you asked for — they remember the moment you helped them feel part of something bigger than themselves. Before you send your next appeal, pause and ask: → “Where’s the feeling in this message?” → “Would I be moved to respond?” If the answer is no, start again. This is the philosophy that drives all my work: Fundraising is meaning, not money. AI, data, and strategy matter — but they should amplify empathy, not replace it. If you’re rethinking your donor strategy for 2026, start with how you make people feel. That’s where loyalty — and legacy — begin

Welcome to the Future of Fundraising. When my team and I built the first fully autonomous fundraiser, we saw how digital labor could expand outreach and deepen engagement. Which is why now, in collaboration with our Innovation Partners, we are tackling one of the most persistent challenges in fundraising: scaling meaningful stewardship. The cycle of giving feels transactional for too many donors. They make a gift, receive a generic thank you email or letter, and then the next time they hear from the organization, it’s another solicitation. This unintentional pattern leaves many donors feeling like just another name in a database rather than a valued partner in the mission they support. Hundreds of our conversations about digital labor lead us to believe there is a solution to these challenges. Research tells us they are worth solving: Mid-level donors are often the most loyal donors, yet they receive the least personalized stewardship. In a study of mid-level giving, donors cited “lack of communication and feeling unappreciated” as a top reason for stopping their gifts. (Nonprofit Quarterly) Younger donors are making lasting connections to causes now, even if their giving capacity isn’t fully realized yet. Organizations that don’t retain these donors will lose out on major returns as they age into their prime giving years. (The Chronicle of Philanthropy) This is why we introduced the Virtual Stewardship Officer (VSO) as the next logical step in our mission to accelerate and transform philanthropy. Donors give because they care and they continue giving when they feel genuinely valued. Yet meaningful stewardship, personalized impact updates, heartfelt gratitude, and long-term engagement, is often reserved for top-tier donors making six- and seven-figure gifts. The VSO expands meaningful stewardship beyond top donors, using digital labor to create personalized touchpoints that acknowledge donor history, reinforce impact, and build lasting relationships. By scaling engagement, it ensures no donor feels overlooked, making long-term relationship-building and meaningful pipeline development sustainable for every giving level. Traditional stewardship models make it nearly impossible to engage donors in a truly personal way at scale. The VSO personalizes 1:1 stewardship to donors who give year-after-year, stretching their budgets to contribute in a way that is personally significant, even if it isn’t classified as a "major" gift; long-time supporters who have probably made their last large donation but remain deeply invested in the organization’s mission; first-time donors who, regardless of gift size, we want to retain; and more. These donors are often the backbone of an organization’s giving pipeline. The future of fundraising isn’t just about raising more money—it’s about ensuring every donor feels like their gift matters. With digital labor, meaningful stewardship is no longer just for a select few—it’s for everyone who chooses to give.

Retention Isn’t Sexy - Until You’re Broke Brands chase growth. But when the faucet turns off and the market tightens, email becomes your backbone. So why do we treat it as a short-term fix rather than a long-term asset? I hear this conversation replayed to me all the time from CRM and Brand Managers: Their Manager: Targets are down. Budget’s gone. Just send more emails. CRM: We already sent one this week with a promo. Manager: Send another. Bigger discount. CRM: Unsubscribes were high last time… Manager: Send to everyone — even non-engagers. Add urgency. And so it begins. 📉 Deliverability drops. 📉 Clicks tank. 📉 Unsubscribes rise. 📉 The database - your only owned audience - starts eroding. But the revenue target stays the same. This is what happens when you treat email like a faucet you can turn on and off — instead of a system you build and respect. 💡 Want to break the cycle? Here’s how smart brands avoid the spiral: 1. Build an acquisition engine, even when times are good. Don’t just chase sales. Chase subscribers, on all channels, not just site pop-ups. If 2% of traffic buys, aim for 20% to subscribe. That’s your future revenue. 2. Agree on discounting guardrails. Not every campaign needs a percentage off, even if times are tough. Consider other conversion tools like: - loyalty perks - free gifts - tiered basket incentives - competitions - outlet-style categories 3. Treat non-converters as humans, not dead weight. Reduce frequency, but stay visible. Try to understand why they’re lapsing e.g gift buyers? Promo-only? Seasonal? 4. Use peak trading to re-acquire, not just sell. Black Friday can re-engage lapsed customers. But the follow-up can’t be more noise. Build a new journey. Reset the relationship. 5. Track long-term metrics. Not just revenue-per-send. Show your management week on week how these are growing: -LTV - Repeat purchase rate - AOV - Site visit frequency from consumers on your database 6. Invest in content, not just campaigns. Nurture a community. Give them reasons to stay subscribed. Boost engagement before you ask for a sale. Remember nobkdy going to buy daily and weekly, you need more to keep them engage. Think weekly style tips, news Roundup, podcast drops, games, polls etc Email can be your safety net — but only if you protect the list, grow it intentionally, and stop burning it out with knee-jerk sends. Want to find out our playbook for growing your subscriber base rapidly. (like how we grew out base to 17m). DM me. Build it right. Because when things get tough, it’s your email list that keeps the lights on.

Publisher experiments fail when they start with tactics, not hypotheses. A/B testing has become a staple in digital publishing, but for many publishers, it’s little more than tinkering with headlines, button colours, or send times. The problem is that these tests often start with what to change rather than why to change it. Without a clear, measurable hypothesis, most experiments end up producing inconclusive results or chasing vanity wins that don’t move the business forward. Top-performing publishers approach testing like scientists: They identify a friction point, build a hypothesis around audience behaviour, and run the experiment long enough to gather statistically valid results. They don’t test for the sake of testing; they test to solve specific problems that impact retention, conversions, or revenue. 3 experiments that worked, and why 1. Content depth vs. breadth: Instead of spreading efforts across many topics, one publisher focused on fewer topics in greater depth. This depth-driven strategy boosted engagement and conversions because it directly supported the business goal of increasing loyal readership, and the test ran long enough to remove seasonal or one-off anomalies. 2. Paywall trigger psychology: Rather than limiting readers to a fixed number of free articles, an engagement-triggered paywall is activated after 45 seconds of reading. This targeted high-intent users, converting 38% compared to just 8% for a monthly article meter, resulting in 3x subscription revenue. 3. Newsletter timing by content type: A straight “send time” test (9 AM vs. 5 PM) produced negligible differences. The breakthrough came from matching content type to reader routines: morning briefings for early risers, deep-dive reads for the afternoon. Open rates increased by 22%, resulting in downstream gains in on-site engagement. Why most tests fail • No behavioural hypothesis, e.g., “testing headlines” without asking why a reader would care • No segmentation - treating all users as if they behave the same • Vanity metrics over meaningful metrics - clicks instead of conversions or LTV • Short timelines - stopping before 95% statistical confidence or a full behaviour cycle What top performers do differently ✅ Start with a measurable hypothesis tied to business outcomes ✅ Isolate one behavioural variable at a time ✅ Segment audiences by actions (new vs. returning, skimmers vs. engaged) ✅ Measure real results - retention, conversions, revenue ✅ Run tests for at least 14 days or until reaching statistical significance ✅ Document learnings to inform the next test When experiments are designed with intention, they stop being random guesswork and start becoming a repeatable growth engine. What’s the most valuable experimental hypothesis you’re testing this quarter? Share with me in the comment section. #Digitalpublishing #Abtesting #Audienceengagement #Contentstrategy #Publishergrowth

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧… 𝐍𝐨𝐧𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐬. Surprisingly, too many of us drop the ball post-contribution. Donors are met with silence, waiting weeks for an acknowledgment of their gift — if one comes at all. This delay is not just discourteous—it's detrimental. Every day a donor remains unengaged decreases the likelihood of further contributions, significantly reducing their lifetime value. We all get dazzled by the allure of new prospects. But what about the donors already on board? Prompt and thoughtful engagement can turn a new donor into a lifelong supporter. A donor who feels valued and sees the impact of their contribution is far more likely to deepen their commitment. Effective donor management isn't just good manners; it's a strategic imperative. It builds a community of supporters who aren't just contributors but are true partners in your mission. Our study of 126,000 first-time donors underscores this: Fast, regular, and highly personal acknowledgments, immediately followed by the next ask, radically improve both donor retention and lifetime value. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭-𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠-𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬?

I analyzed the fundraising reports of 50 different nonprofits. The ones growing year-over-year weren't necessarily the best at acquiring new donors. They were the best at keeping the ones they had. According to the Fundraising Effectiveness Project, the average nonprofit loses 57% of its donors each year. Yet, increasing donor retention by just 10% can boost the lifetime value of your donor base by up to 200%. How do the top-performing organizations do it? They thank donors within 48 hours. Not a generic email receipt, but a personal call, video, or note. They report on impact, not just activity. They close the loop, showing donors exactly what their gift accomplished. They create a "First-Time Donor Welcome." A 3-part email series that onboards new supporters and makes them feel like insiders from day one. A small food bank I worked with shifted its focus from a splashy annual event to a simple, personal thank-you call program. Within one year, their donor retention rate jumped from 38% to 61%, nearly doubling their revenue from existing donors. Stop spending all your time trying to fill a leaky bucket. The real work is in sealing the leaks. What's one change you've made that improved donor retention?

This picture isn’t unusual It shows a donor’s personal giving record book. It was taken during a meeting between a Bluefrog researcher and a supporter. What’s striking is that the reason we spoke to this donor is because just one of the charities listed in that book, passed their details to us to discuss why they chose to the support their work. That's where my line "She is not your donor. You are one of her charities" comes from. When I share images like this with fundraisers, the reaction is often surprise that a donor would take so much care to document their giving. But this is far from rare. We’ve seen special bank accounts set up. Binders filled with appeals, thank-you letters and reports annotated with dates and donation amounts. Filing cabinets organised by charity. Press cuttings. Many handwritten notes. One donor even showed us a folder of Christmas cards from a celebrity patron. Donors do this because you matter to them, just like their money matters to them. That’s why they keep track. They want to understand whether they did the right thing by giving to you. In a world where trust in institutions is in decline, the way you treat them becomes a powerful proxy for how you deliver on the work they care about. Many compare how they're treated across different charities. And while poor treatment might not immediately stop them giving (especially if they strongly believe in your mission), it will stop them upgrading. It will stop them considering a legacy. It will stop them giving again when asked next time. This is the double-edged sword of donor insight. The truth is, when we really listen to donors, what we hear often clashes with what charities want to do. And that can be uncomfortable. That’s why I can say with confidence: 🛑 Most rebrands are unnecessary distractions. 🛑 Changing your charity name (without a powerful reason) will stall your income. 🛑 Value-exchange or engagement products rarely deliver a positive ROI. 🛑 Good newsletters work – really work. 🛑 Most very heavy email schedules deliver diminishing returns (especially with younger supporters). 🛑 Thanking and reporting back is the most intelligent use of budget you can make. 🛑 Enclosures that help donors feel special are worth every penny. 🛑 Referencing a donor’s past support in future appeals builds loyalty and income. 🛑 Donors give on their schedule – not yours. 🛑 And yes, if you break the unwritten rules of their giving – many donors will quietly walk away. I could go on. But the point is this: Real donor insight doesn’t always support the ideas that sound good in the boardroom or win the internal presentation. Sometimes, it tells you not to do the exciting new thing. Sometimes, it challenges the plan you’ve already started executing. That’s why research can be difficult. It’s also why it’s so valuable. But it's also why speaking to donors before you make a significant investment should also be something else. It should be usual. #fundraising

If I had to rebuild nonprofit impact reporting from scratch today, I wouldn’t start with glossy annual reports. I’d start with: Timing. Because most nonprofits don’t lose donors due to lack of results. They lose them due to lack of memory. Here’s exactly how I’d rebuild donor reporting so it sticks: 1. Respect the 72-hour rule Cognitive science shows memory fades after 3 days. If you wait 3 months to share impact, donors forget the emotional spark that led them to give. Don’t let the moment slip. • Send an update within 72 hours. • Even if it’s raw or imperfect. • Tie it directly to the donor’s gift. Momentum beats polish. 2. Micro-updates, not mega-reports Stop saying: “Wait for our end-of-year report.” Start saying: “Here’s what your gift did this week.” Short videos, quick photos, a 3-line story. Your donors want to feel progress, not sift through 20 pages. 3. Make impact a habit, not an event The best donor journeys are built like fitness routines. Consistent, bite-sized reps, not sporadic marathons. Do this instead: • Weekly “impact snapshots” • Monthly behind-the-scenes notes • Quarterly deep dives (not the other way around) Build rhythm. Build trust. 4. Anchor updates to emotion, not just outcomes Data fades fast. Emotion lingers. • Instead of “We planted 5,000 trees”… Say: “Meet Lucia. She’s breathing cleaner air today because of you.” Stories keep the trigger alive. 5. Create recall moments If you want donors to give again, bring them back to their first spark. • Replay the video that moved them. • Send the photo that made them act. • Use the same language that triggered their gift. Remind them why they cared in the first place. Delayed reporting doesn’t just cost attention. It costs retention. In 2025, donor communication should feel less like PR. And more like a memory anchor. Not an annual report. A living reminder. Comment “retention” and I’ll send you our playbook on how to do all of this using LinkedIn. With purpose and impact, Mario

I read 170+ pages of new nonprofit fundraising research that studied 15,054 orgs and $5.3B in giving -- so you don't have to. Here's what I learned from my 4 favorite papers: 1. Bank of America Study of Philanthropy 2025 (https://lnkd.in/e_YQXkc4) Your job isn't to ask for money. It's to make donors feel like experts. Affluent donors who consider themselves "experts" in giving donate $28,350 on average. "Novices" give $4,466. That's 6x more. Impact reporting isn't optional. It's what turns a donor into an expert—and an expert into a major gift. 2. M+R Benchmarks 2025 (https://mrbenchmarks.com/) 87% of people who land on your donation page leave without giving. Average completion rate is just 12%. One-time giving was flat in 2024. Monthly giving grew 5% and now makes up 31% of all online revenue. If your donation page defaults to one-time, change it today. And audit your form on mobile. Every extra field is costing you money. 3. Neon One Generosity Report 2025 (https://lnkd.in/et9h7UR7) A $25 donor can become your most valuable supporter. There's no correlation between first gift size and long-term loyalty. Also, donors who gave for 5 consecutive years contributed 1,519% more than single-year donors. They made up less than 12% of donors but accounted for 45% of total revenue. Don't optimize for one-time gifts. Long-term relationships are half of the game. 4. Fundraising Effectiveness Project 2025 (https://lnkd.in/ePvQKfwT) The second gift is everything. First-time donor retention? 11%. Donors who give 7+ times? Retention is 86.2%. Meanwhile, revenue is up 2.9% but donors are down 1.9%. Small donors under $100 dropped 10.5%. We're raising more money from fewer people. If you're not obsessing over converting first-time donors to repeat donors, you're running on a treadmill. -- The research is clear. Fundraising in 2026 isn't going to be about acquiring more donors. It's going to be about keeping the ones you have. -- Let me know if this is useful, I have 3 more studies/research papers that I cut for length. -- More evidence-backed fundraising advice from another post: https://lnkd.in/ex3UNeyY