How to increase recurring donations: 12 strategies that work

Recurring donations are one of the most effective ways for nonprofits to build predictable revenue. Instead of constantly replacing lapsed donors, organizations can grow a stable base of supporters who give automatically month after month.

The numbers support that approach. According to M+R Benchmarks 2026, recurring donations accounted for 27% of all online revenue in 2025, ranging from 22% for small nonprofits to 37% for extra-large organizations. 

At the same time, recurring donor retention remained between 78% and 80% from 2023 through 2025, while retention for non-recurring donors dropped to just 32.41% in 2025.

However, simply adding a monthly giving option is not enough. Growing a successful recurring giving program requires the right strategies to attract donors, convert one-time supporters into monthly givers, and keep them engaged over time.

To help you out, here are 12 proven ways to increase recurring donations, improve monthly donor conversion, and build a stronger, more predictable fundraising program.

Quick wins to grow recurring donations

Before we discuss the 12 strategies, let's take a quick look at some of the fastest, highest-impact changes you can make. 

12 proven strategies to increase recurring donations

The strategies below focus on every stage of the recurring donor journey, from converting first-time donors to keeping monthly supporters engaged for years. You can implement many of them right away, regardless of your nonprofit's size or budget. 

1. Ask existing donors to become monthly supporters

Why it works. Existing donors are usually the warmest audience for a monthly ask because they already trust your mission. In addition, recurring donors are retained at far higher rates than one-time donors, and their long-term value is much higher (7.77 vs. 1.7 years; $7,288 vs. $3,607 lifetime value).

How to implement it. Target recent, repeat, event, and campaign donors. Send a dedicated upgrade ask within the first 30 to 45 days after a one-time gift. A good pattern is to offer a smaller monthly amount that feels easier than their last one-time gift while showing the full yearly impact. 

Common mistake to avoid. Do not treat monthly giving as something you mention only at year-end. If you only ask once a year, you miss donors who are ready to convert right after they give. 

2. Make monthly giving the default option

Why it works. Defaults change behavior. A large meta-analysis found that pre-selected options significantly increase uptake of the selected choice, with an average absolute lift of 27.24% in binary studies. In nonprofit testing, NextAfter found that defaulting the form to monthly and adding an impact callout increased monthly gifts by 187.7% in one test. 

How to implement it. Pre-select monthly on your donation form, but make the switch to one-time easy and obvious. Update the gift array so the monthly amounts feel natural, and use form copy that clearly says the donor can change the frequency at any time. 

Common mistake to avoid. Do not hide the one-time option or use confusing design. The goal is good choice architecture, not tricking donors. If the donor feels trapped, trust drops fast. 

3. Show the monthly impact of every gift

Why it works. Donors respond better when they can see what their gift does. According to one study, there is robust evidence that charities can increase donations by describing impact. Another study also suggests that pairing a monthly default with impact framing can lift recurring conversions. 

How to implement it. Replace abstract amounts with plain outcomes. Instead of “$25,” say “$25 a month helps stock the pantry each week for one family,” or “$15 monthly helps provide classroom supplies all school year.” Keep the math believable and specific to your program. 

Common mistake to avoid. Do not use vague lines like “make a difference every month.” That tells the donor almost nothing. Connect the amount to a real and repeatable outcome. 

4. Create a dedicated monthly giving program

Why it works. A named program gives recurring donors a sense of identity. A strong monthly giving program name signals belonging, reinforces mission, and builds pride among supporters. That matters because recurring donors are long-term supporters, not one-time transactions. 

How to implement it. Give the program a simple name, a short promise, and a few light benefits, such as exclusive updates, a yearly insider message, or early access to campaign news. Keep the brand connected to your mission, not separate from it. 

Common mistake to avoid. Do not launch a “program” that is just a hidden checkbox on the donation page. If there is no identity, no welcome flow, and no dedicated messaging, donors will treat it like a generic billing setting. 

5. Reduce friction during signup

Why it works. Friction kills conversions, especially on mobile. M+R found that mobile accounted for 52% of nonprofit website traffic in 2025, but only 43% of donation transactions and 28% of revenue. M+R also reported that 11% of desktop users who reached a primary donation page completed a gift, compared with 8% for mobile users. 

How to implement it. Keep the form short, use one-page checkout when possible, add digital wallets, and make recurring options visible without extra clicks. Keep the donation form as simple as possible.

Common mistake to avoid. Do not ask for a long list of fields, extra account creation, or multiple page loads before payment. Every extra step gives busy donors another reason to leave. 

6. Promote monthly giving across every donor touchpoint

Why it works. Most nonprofits do not get endless visits to their donation page. In fact, only 1.6% of website visitors made a donation in 2025, which means you should not rely on a single page or a single campaign to drive recurring growth. 

How to implement it. Add monthly giving prompts to your social media, thank-you page, donation receipt, email footer, homepage, campaign landing pages, event follow-up emails, volunteer follow-ups, and GivingTuesday pages. 

Common mistake to avoid. Do not bury monthly giving in one submenu called “ways to give.” If supporters have to hunt for it, many will never see it. 

7. Show social proof and donor impact

Why it works. Donors are influenced by what other donors do. In fact, increasing the visibility of donations is one of the more effective ways to increase charitable giving. 

How to implement it. Share the number of monthly supporters, progress toward community goals, milestone updates, donor stories, and brief program results. Statements like “Join 425 monthly donors” or “Monthly members funded 1,200 meals this quarter” give proof that the program is active and real. 

Common mistake to avoid. Do not use inflated counts or weak proof like “many people support us.” Social proof works best when it is concrete, current, and believable. 

8. Make recurring donors feel like insiders

Why it works. Recurring donors tend to stay longer and engage more deeply than one-time givers. The average recurring donor stays engaged for 7.77 years, which means these supporters have earned a different level of communication and recognition. 

How to implement it. Give them early campaign updates, behind-the-scenes stories, a special welcome message, occasional leadership notes, or a simple annual “because of you” report. The goal is to make donors feel seen and appreciated. 

Common mistake to avoid. Do not put recurring donors into the exact same communication flow as every other donor forever. Consistent support deserves tailored messaging. 

9. Offer flexible giving options

Why it works. Avoidable cancellations and failed payments are a major reason recurring revenue slips. 91% of recurring donors give by credit or debit card, which means expired cards and payment changes are routine issues, not rare exceptions. 

How to implement it. Let donors pause gifts, change the amount, switch frequencies, update cards, and restart later without friction. Send automatic reminders before cards expire and follow up quickly when a payment fails. 

Common mistake to avoid. Do not make donors email your office just to fix a card or change a gift amount. When support feels hard, churn goes up. 

10. Use recurring giving campaigns throughout the year

Why it works. Timing matters, but recurring giving should not be a once-a-year message. One study found that October, November, and December were the top three months for new recurring gifts, and M+R reported that December alone accounted for 37% of all 2025 online revenue. Those spikes are real, but they should sit inside a year-round program. 

How to implement it. Feature monthly giving during GivingTuesday, year-end, emergency appeals, campaign launches, and new-donor welcome journeys. Then keep it visible the rest of the year in evergreen website and email placements. 

Common mistake to avoid. Do not launch a monthly push in December and go silent the rest of the year. Remember, you want recurring giving to be a steady habit in your donor communications, not a seasonal side note. 

11. Recover canceled recurring donors

Why it works. Not every canceled donor is lost forever. Many stop giving because of temporary financial changes, expired cards, or shifting priorities and not because they no longer support your mission. A thoughtful reactivation campaign can recover donors at a much lower cost than acquiring new ones.

How to implement. Segment donors who canceled within the last 6–12 months. Send a personalized email acknowledging their past support, share recent impact, and invite them to restart their monthly gift at the same or a lower amount.

Common mistake to avoid. Do not treat canceled recurring donors the same as lapsed one-time donors. They already demonstrated a willingness to give monthly.

12. Measure and improve your recurring giving program

Why it works. Better recurring results usually come from steady testing. Even small gains in conversion rate, donor retention, payment recovery, or monthly gift upgrades compound over time because recurring revenue builds month after month. Measuring the right KPIs helps you identify where donors drop off and prioritize changes that have the biggest financial impact. 

How to implement it. Track recurring conversion rate, active monthly donors, new monthly donors, failed-payment rate, churn, retention, average monthly gift, upgrade rate, and lifetime value. Review these at least monthly, and test one change at a time on your page, emails, or welcome flow. 

Common mistake to avoid. Do not look only at total recurring revenue. Revenue can rise while retention, donor count, or payment success quietly gets worse. 

Which recurring donation strategy should you implement first

The best first move depends on where your current program is getting stuck. Use this decision guide to pick the highest-leverage place to start.

Grow recurring giving with BetterWorld

If your nonprofit wants to grow recurring giving without adding more manual work, BetterWorld supports many of the strategies in this guide. 

You can offer recurring donations directly in your donation forms, set monthly giving as the default, manage donors, automate receipts, track performance with real-time reporting, and provide a mobile-optimized donation experience. 

BetterWorld also charges 0% platform fees, and over 95% of donors choose to cover the standard payment processing fees.

Ready to grow recurring giving with less effort? 

Book a demo today to see how BetterWorld can help you attract, manage, and retain more monthly donors.

Frequently asked questions 

1. How do you convince donors to give monthly?

Convince donors to give monthly by showing the real impact of a recurring gift, suggesting an affordable monthly amount, explaining they can change or cancel at any time, and making signup fast and simple.

2. How much should donors give each month?

The average monthly donation is about $24–$30, but the best amount depends on your donor base and mission. Most nonprofits increase recurring signups by offering several suggested monthly amounts tied to specific outcomes. 

3. What is the difference between recurring giving and monthly giving?

Recurring giving is any donation made automatically on a repeating schedule, such as monthly, quarterly, or annually. Monthly giving is the most common type of recurring giving, with donations processed once a month.

4. How many donors should be recurring donors?

There is no universal target, but benchmark data shows the median organization has only 4% of donors enrolled in recurring giving, while leading organizations generate 44% of their fundraising revenue from recurring donors.