Monthly Giving Programs That Actually Work: Building Predictable, Sustainable Revenue

A complete guide to creating, launching, and scaling a recurring donor program that transforms your fundraising

Let me tell you about two organizations with nearly identical missions, similar budgets, and comparable donor bases.

Organization A raised $250,000 last year. They're exhausted. December was chaos—85% of their revenue came in the last 6 weeks. January through March was terrifying. They laid off staff in April. They scrambled all summer. Now they're doing it all over again, hoping this December is as good as last year.

Organization B also raised $250,000 last year. But here's the difference: $150,000 came from monthly donors. They knew in January exactly what their revenue would be for the year. They hired staff with confidence. They planned programs 12 months out. They slept at night.

Same total revenue. Completely different organizations.

The difference? Organization B has a monthly giving program.

Monthly giving—also called recurring