Weekly, Monthly, or Annual Donors...Which Would You Rather Have?
As our Catholic Church continues to move forward into the 21st century, those of us who are registered at a parish no doubt still receive the weekly offering envelope. In addition to being the way that parishes know who is giving to the Church, the weekly offering has its basis in the Hebrew Scriptures, as members of the congregation collected offerings from the people gathered to hear the Word of God proclaimed, and they were brough forth to the altar. Even today, weekly offerings provide consistency in development terms. The more often an action is repeated, the more habitual it becomes.
So what does this psychology mean for your school's "annual appeal?" If you've answered, "We've always wanted to do an annual appeal, but there's so much work involved," here's something to think about. Your annual appeal should actually be a monthly appeal.
The Non-Profit Times reports that Bob Wesolowski, president and founder of Caring Habits, Inc., a New York City-based third party processor of nonprofits' monthly donation programs, finds that donors who give monthly may be more prone to contribute in other ways, such as planned giving programs. His research has shown that annual donors usually contribute about two years before they no longer give, and the majority of those annual gifts range from $25 to $100.
Monthly donors, according to Wesolowski, have a "life-expectancy" of 7 to 12 years, and a pattern of monthly gifts (ranging from tens to hundreds of dollars) can be an indication of who your most engaged benefactors are. This is why nonprofit organizations send another request for support along with their thank you letter for your previous month's contribution. It's why annual gifts are encouraged to be spread over the span of the year. Moving a donor from 5 dollars a month to 10 dollars a month is easier than asking them, "We are thankful for your gift of $60 this year...could you double that to $120 for next year?"
It would make logical sense, then, that the parish's weekly envelope may actually be the real strength behind a successful giving program. Anyone up for "The Daily Dollar?"
© Michael V. Ziemski, SchoolAdvancement, 2007
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