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What Is Recurring Giving? (And Why It’s the Most Powerful Tool in Nonprofit Fundraising)

If someone asked you right now what percentage of your annual budget was truly predictable – money you knew was coming before January even began – what would you say?

For most small nonprofits, that number is uncomfortably low. Grants require renewal. Major donors require cultivation. Events require weather, attendance, and a team that’s already stretched. Year-end giving requires everything to go right in the most chaotic season of the year.

Recurring giving is the antidote to all of that – and it’s why I built my entire career around helping nonprofits take advantage of it.

What Is Recurring Giving?

Recurring giving – also called sustainer giving or monthly giving – is when a donor commits to contribute a fixed amount every month, charged automatically to their credit card or bank account.

For donors, it’s convenient, low-friction, and feels more manageable than a large annual commitment. For your organization, it’s transformative.

I became passionate about this as a donor first. When I joined Dressember’s monthly giving program, The Collective, in 2021, my $25/month compounded by the efforts of a larger group made so much more impact than any one-time gift could. That experience is what drives everything I build at Positive Equation.

Why the Retention Math Changes Everything

Here’s the number that changed how I think about fundraising entirely: the average one-time donor retention rate is around 43%. Monthly donors retain at 80-90%.

That gap isn’t just different – it represents entirely different organizational trajectories. A nonprofit retaining 43% of donors needs to acquire 57 new donors for every 100 they have just to stay flat. A nonprofit at 85% retention only needs 15. That’s the difference between perpetual hamster-wheel acquisition and real organizational growth.

The lifetime value math is equally powerful. A donor who gives $100 once is worth $100. A donor who gives $15/month for five years is worth $900 – before any upgrades. You’re not asking for less. You’re asking for more, in the most donor-friendly way possible.

The Subscription Economy Has Already Trained Your Donors

When Netflix asks you for $15.49 a month, you don’t question it. Your donors live in this subscription economy. They’re psychologically primed for recurring commitments to things they value. My job – and yours – is to position your mission as something worth that ongoing commitment.

In my book, The Monthly Giving Mastermind, I write: ‘Monthly giving isn’t just about donations; it’s about giving people a way to channel their purpose consistently. By framing monthly contributions as a purposeful commitment, you empower donors to support your mission regularly, creating a lasting impact together.’

What ‘Recurring-First’ Actually Means

One of the core mindset shifts I teach is adopting a recurring-first approach – asking donors to give monthly from the very first ask, not as an upsell after a one-time gift.

This isn’t just a tactical change. It’s a reorientation of your entire fundraising model. Instead of treating monthly giving as a premium option for your most committed donors, you present it as the default way to support your mission – because it is the most impactful way.

One of my favorite examples is Daily Giving, with 15,000 monthly donors and 80% retention. Their COO describes their donors as customers: ‘We serve them.’ That framing – making generosity easier, not extracting it – is what separates high-retention programs from average ones.

Who Should Start a Recurring Giving Program?

Every nonprofit with a donor file should have a monthly giving program. Full stop.

The urgency is most acute for small organizations – those operating under $3 million annually – where unpredictable revenue has the sharpest impact on mission delivery. You don’t need a large team. Some of the best programs I’ve profiled were built by teams of two.

The Adventure Project built The Collective to 383 monthly donors at 88% retention with a lean two-person team. When I asked co-founder Becky Straw what she’d do differently, she said what I hear from almost every organization: ‘If I could go back in time, I would have started sooner.’

Don’t be the organization saying that five years from now.

“Loyal, ongoing supporters are the true drivers of nonprofit success. Over five years, foundations contributed $493 billion while individuals collectively donated $1.9 trillion.”  – – from The Monthly Giving Mastermind

Curious what a recurring-first strategy would look like for your organization? The Monthly Giving Builder gives you the complete framework – without months of setup time. Visit monthlygivingbuilder.com.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dana Snyder

Dana Snyder is the founder of Positive Equation, creator of the Monthly Giving Builder, a sought-after keynote speaker and workshop facilitator, and the author of The Monthly Giving Mastermind: A Framework to Build, Grow & Sustain Subscriptions for Good. She is also the host of the global nonprofit podcast Missions to Movements, and host of the Monthly Giving Summit, a worldwide event for nonprofit professionals focused on building stronger recurring revenue programs.