If you listen to public radio or watch public television, you’ve heard their appeals to be a sustaining donor. That is, you have the option of contributing X number of dollars a month, usually via a credit card or debit card. This can be quite appealing to an individual who can’t quite see themselves writing a $720 check, for example, but who say “Yes, I can do that” to a monthly $60 deduction to support the station, program, or cause. It’s all the same amount in the end; it's all about the delivery method.
DonorsChoose.org, a Charity Navigator, four-star rated, crowd-sourcing organization that supports public school classrooms, uses plain terms to encourage sustaining donations. Simply, you can opt to donate monthly. And going this route, you still can pick the classroom project you choose to support, just as you would making a one-time donation. Or you can leave it up to DonorsChoose to apply the donation to an urgent-need project. DonorsChoose proudly asks donors to join the 3,500 others who donate monthly.
One individual on ISM’s Advancement e-list speculates that a sustaining donor option isn’t widely used in private-independent schools for the following reasons.
- Schools are not membership organizations.
- It doesn’t really feel like true philanthropy (or give us the same opportunity to ask for pledges that are meaningful).
- Schools are happy to keep parent donors for a year or two after their child graduates.
- The processing fees might prove prohibitive.
One advancement professional, posted “Many educational institutions see huge increases in revenues by offering this. We saw a 400% increase in donations to the Annual Fund at Duke. The number of returning annual giving donors (year-on-year) tripled at NC State. Every organization I have worked for saw a huge increase in donor retention— and dollars after this was implemented. There is zero downside!”
“Properly marketed, a sustaining donor program can help donors 1) give more than they might typically give otherwise 2) create a reliable, steady revenue stream; and 3) solve the question of ‘is it time for me to give again.’ It also can increase your average gift,” said another school Development Director on the e-List.
The Director added that processing fees are minimal. “And I disagree that it doesn't ‘feel like philanthropy.’ For both myself and what I have witnessed with donors—it is nice to see your donations on your monthly statements next to other things that perhaps are less enjoyable to see, like your HOA dues or something.”
But don’t forget to subtract your sustainers from your other annual campaign appeals. “Part of the appeal is the ‘set it and forget it (and leave me alone)’ idea.”
Additional ISM articles of interest
New Parents and Giving: Get Off to a Good Start
ISM Monthly Update for Development Directors Vol. 9 No. 4 Online Giving: A Tool to Maximize the Relationship
Additional ISM articles for Gold Consortium Members
I&P Vol. 27 No. 4 Charitable Giving in a New Environment
I&P Vol. 32 No. 10 Seven Gift Planning Tips for a Small Development Office
I&P Vol. 30 No. 4 A Comprehensive Development Model
I&P Vol. 31 No. 1 Receiving Non-Cash Gifts: Fair Market Value and Appraisals
