Think of monthly giving as a way to set your mission on autopilot. Donors can cheer you on every month like your own personal hype squad, and you can get a clearer picture of how much your nonprofit or group fundraiser will bring in month-to-month.
It all boils down to this: A monthly giving program gives you a steady stream of support, freeing up your brain (and your calendar) to focus on the fun, fulfilling, life-changing work for your organization. Whether you’re raising funds for school programs, a nonprofit cause, or community services, recurring donations bring calm to the chaos, and even make fundraising feel a little magical.
In this guide, we will give you the top expert tips to acquire, track, and manage monthly giving from your donors and sponsors. We’ll even share how an all-in-one collections platform like Cheddar Up can make monthly giving SO EASY that your donors will be more willing to sign up for recurring donations.
But first, let’s take a closer look at what monthly giving means.
Table of Contents
What Is Monthly Giving?
Monthly giving, also known as recurring giving or a recurring donation program, is when a donor commits to giving a set amount of money every single month. Consider it similar to a subscription box. Contributors sign up for funds to automatically be transferred to your organization every month.
For nonprofit organizers, it’s a predictable and consistent way to see donations come in, and it’s oh-so-easy to manage.
Top Benefits of a Monthly Giving Program
- Invest in long-term projects
- Cover operational costs
- Grow your impact without constantly hitting “panic mode”
Another major perk? Stronger donor relationships. Monthly donors aren’t just casual supporters. In fact, they’re invested partners in your mission. Because they give consistently, they tend to be more engaged, more likely to volunteer, and more open to spreading the word.
This long-term connection often leads to higher lifetime donor value and a more loyal, mission-driven community, which ultimately helps you increase donations to your charity.
Finally, monthly giving programs for nonprofits are especially effective at covering operating costs, program needs, or funding long-term initiatives. Instead of hustling for big one-time gifts, you’re benefiting from a sustainable, community-supported pipeline of generosity.
So, How Does Monthly Giving Work?
Great question! It’s easier than you think. Ideally, all a donor has to do is click a ‘recurring donation’ or ‘make a monthly gift’ button on your donation page or checkout page. Once the donor signs up for recurring giving, their contribution is automatically processed every month until they decide to stop. That means less admin work for you and a more predictable cash flow for your programs.
Plus, when you use the right tools to set up your donation page and create recurring donations, you can make the entire process super streamlined and easy for your supporters to use. This makes your monthly giving program a breeze!
Why Monthly Giving Matters for Nonprofits
Want to know why monthly giving is the nonprofit world’s new best friend? Let’s break down the numbers and get a glimpse at just how powerful (and popular) this giving model has become.
In recent years, monthly giving hasn’t been just trending, it has been taking over! With 31% of online nonprofit revenue now coming from recurring donations, it’s clear that donors are ready to support causes they love on autopilot, and with serious generosity.
If you want your nonprofit to reach new heights, a monthly giving option is the first step!
How to Start a Monthly Giving Program
Here’s the good news: You don’t need a massive team or a giant budget to launch a successful monthly giving program. Here’s how to get started.
Rally Your Leadership & Board
Pull together the data (hello, stats above!) and get your leadership team on board. The more buy-in you have from the start, the easier it’ll be to build internal support.
Choose the Right Platform
Pick a platform that supports recurring donations, customizable forms, mobile optimization, and easy reporting. (Hint: Cheddar Up does all of this beautifully.)
Define Clear Giving Tiers
Don’t leave donors guessing. Offer three to five giving levels with a final option to insert their own custom amount.
Pro-Tip:
For example, this is how you can use meaningful descriptions:
- $25/month = provides clean water for a child
- $50/month = feeds a child’s entire family one meal per day
- $100/month = funds a child’s education every month
This helps donors visualize the real impact of their monthly contribution and encourages them to continue to give month-to-month donations.
Make It Friction-Free
The donation form should be short, sweet, and skimmable. Make the opt-in buttons easy to find on the page and use clear calls to action with mobile-friendly formatting.
Set and Track Your Goals
Measure what matters: monthly donor count, average gift size, retention rate, and total monthly revenue. These benchmarks will help you grow your program over time. Through platforms like Cheddar Up, you can easily track monthly donations and donor information without the need for manual spreadsheets.
5 Top Tips to Attract Monthly Donors to Your Recurring Giving Program
Ready to turn one-time givers into loyal monthly supporters? Here are five proven ways to grow your recurring giving program.
Start with Your Inner Circle
Your best monthly donors are already in your community. Reach out to longtime volunteers, past one-time donors, and frequent event attendees. They’re already invested, you’re just inviting them to go deeper!
Make the Impact Crystal Clear
People don’t give to budgets, they give to stories with real impacts. Connect each giving tier to a tangible result. Photos, testimonials, and real-life examples help make the value of their gift feel personal and powerful.
Offer Perks and Recognition
Exclusive updates, donor shoutouts, anniversary thank-yous are all little touches that go a long way in making your monthly donors feel special. You can even brand your program with a fun name (like “Changemakers Circle” or “Field Trip Funders”). This makes your community of monthly givers feel special and part of a community!
Reduce Clicks and Barriers
Pay attention, this is a big one! Every extra step is a chance to lose a donor. With that being said, you will want to minimize fields, make the page mobile-optimized, and accept multiple payment types. The easier you make it to give, the more likely they will follow through.
Ask at the Right Time
Timing is everything. The best moments to ask for recurring support? Right after a successful event, during Giving Tuesday or back-to-school season, or as part of your new supporter welcome series.
Pro-Tip:
Some nonprofits will host special donor dinners and luncheons for their long-time supporters. Usually, these events offer a presentation of current needs and success testimonials from people positively transformed by the mission. This is a great opportunity to ask for recurring gifts and show how these monthly donations will have a direct impact on your organization.
Retain, Thank, & Celebrate: How to Keep Monthly Donors Happy
Attracting donors is great. Keeping them? Even better. Here are some top tips on how to keep your monthly supporters happy.
Roll Out the Welcome Mat
Send a warm, personalized thank-you as soon as someone joins your monthly giving program. Follow up with a welcome email series that shares impact stories, behind-the-scenes updates, and fun facts about your work.
Show Ongoing Impact
Donors want to know that their gift is making a positive impact. Send quarterly updates with stats, photos, and real-life stories tied directly to their monthly donation. The more you connect the dots, the longer they’ll stick around!
Celebrate Milestones
This is a beautiful way to give honor to your monthly contributors. A simple “Happy 1-Year Giving Anniversary!” email or shoutout in your newsletter goes a long way. Small celebrations = big loyalty.
Manage Issues Proactively
Keep an eye out for failed payments or expired cards. Offer easy ways to update info or pause giving temporarily. Life happens, so always make sure your donors know you understand their situation.
How Automation Improves Recurring Donations
Now that you know how to retain your monthly givers, let’s talk about the wonderful world of automatic payments and collections.
Automation isn’t just a time-saver. It’s a retention booster.
Tools that automate payment retries, donor reminders, and email sequences help keep your recurring giving program running like clockwork. You’ll spend less time chasing donations and more time connecting with supporters.
Cheddar Up: Your Automation Ally for Monthly Giving Success
Cheddar Up isn’t just for one-off payments or forms. It’s a monthly giving machine. The collections platform offers real-time dashboards so you can track revenue, spot trends, and course-correct before problems arise.
Create branded collection pages with giving tiers, impact descriptions, and the ability to collect recurring payments from a variety of sources, including credit cards and eCheck. Plus, you can track everything in one dashboard.
The best part? No coding, no downloads, and no hidden fees. Just clean, customizable giving tools made for community groups, teams, and nonprofits like yours.
That’s a Wrap! Build Your Monthly Giving Program on Cheddar Up
Monthly giving isn’t just a smart tactic, it’s a mindset shift. It helps you move from event-based fundraising sprints to long-haul mission momentum.
By building a monthly giving option, you’re creating a reliable, emotionally invested community of supporters who want to see your work thrive. And with tools like Cheddar Up in your corner, you’ll spend less time worrying about donations and more time doing what you love.
So go ahead, flip that fundraising autopilot switch on. Your donors are ready to cheer you on every month! You can even start quickly with a Donation Drive template, complete with monthly and quarterly giving options.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is recurring giving?
Recurring giving is the same as monthly giving. It is when a donor commits to a scheduled gift, usually monthly. These donations happen automatically and are easy for both the donor and the organization to manage.
Why is monthly giving important?
Monthly donors give more over time, stick around longer, and help your nonprofit plan more confidently. They’re also less expensive to retain than acquiring new one-time donors every month.
How do I start a monthly giving program?
Start with your most engaged supporters, create clear giving levels, make the donation process simple, and use a platform like Cheddar Up to automate the admin side.
How can nonprofits track monthly giving programs?
Use dashboards to monitor donor count, retention, gift size, and total revenue. Cheddar Up provides built-in reporting and real-time tracking to make this easy.
How does automation improve monthly payments?
Automation reduces human error, ensures timely follow-ups, and lets you build scalable donor relationships. It also helps prevent failed payments and improves retention. Follow these steps, apply a little creativity, and let Cheddar Up take care of the heavy lifting.
How can monthly donors update their payment method?
Donors may need to update their credit card or bank account info from time to time to keep their recurring gifts going strong. With Cheddar Up, donors can log into their account, head to “Order History,” and select the recurring donation they want to update. From there, they can easily add a new payment method and assign it to future monthly payments.
What happens if a recurring payment fails?
Failed payments can happen due to expired cards, insufficient funds, or other issues, but they don’t have to derail your monthly giving program. Cheddar Up automatically notifies both the donor and the organizer, and donors can retry the payment by logging into their account, fixing the issue, and clicking “Retry Payment” in their order history.
Can monthly donors cancel their recurring donations?
Yes, donors are in full control of their monthly giving commitment. They simply log into Cheddar Up, go to “Order History,” click on “View terms” next to the active recurring payment, and select “Cancel future payments.” The system will cancel upcoming donations and notify the organizer automatically.
Before you go
Ready to take your monthly giving program from idea to income? Cheddar Up makes it easy to launch, manage, and grow your recurring donations — all in one place. Get started with a live demo and see just how simple and seamless fundraising can be when the right platform’s in your corner.
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