Hey Reader,

Here’s a number that should stop you mid-scroll: 58.6% of recurring donors set up their gift without ever being asked. No appeal email. No dedicated campaign. No ask at all. They simply wanted the option and clicked yes.

The animal rescue shelter I worked with recently ran on a shoestring for years. Grant cycles, event revenue, and the seasonal ups and downs of year-end donations kept them barely afloat. Planning more than a year in advance felt like a long shot.

When their development coordinator finally added a “make this monthly” checkbox to their donation form, she didn’t announce it. She turned it on.

Within three months, 7 donors had opted in. Average gift: $32 a month. That’s not a lot on its own until you add it up: $2,688 a year, automatically deposited, without a single follow-up email.

More importantly, it showed up on the database as a number she could count on. For a small shop managing a tight budget, she realized that predictability was higher on the ladder than the dollar amount.

The next year, she mentioned the monthly option in two emails and added one line to their year-end appeal. They ended that year with 22 recurring donors, nearly matching the national average for nonprofits.

Starting from zero! That’s less than two years, and they only used the tools they already had.

The data on recurring giving is unreal: Between 2023 and 2025, recurring donor bases grew by more than 31% even as overall donor databases shrank by more than 5%. Recurring donors retain at a rate of 78-80%, compared with only 32% for one-time donors.

Best part? They remain engaged for an average of 8 years, and their lifetime value is more than double that of a one-time donor.

What’s different now, you might be asking? Access.

Adding a recurring giving option doesn’t require a major upgrade or a dedicated team. Tools like Stripe, PayPal, Zeffy, Donorbox, and Bloomerang (and more) include recurring giving in almost every donation tool available today, including free options.

The average nonprofit with a recurring program has around 25 recurring donors. Twenty-five people, each giving $30 a month, is $9,000 a year in predictable, unrestricted revenue.

This revenue can be the difference between scrambling and planning. The infrastructure that once belonged only to large, well-funded development shops is now sitting in your dashboard. The window is open. The only question is whether you’ll walk through it. Hint: Long-term monthly donors are also known to support organizations through legacy giving.

Pull up your donation form right now. Does it give donors the option to make a monthly gift? If so, is that option prominent, or is it buried in a dropdown no one notices?

If it’s not there at all, make it your one task this week: add it, put it above the fold so it’s easy to find, and see what happens next. That’s it. You can build from there.

If you’re not sure where to start, or if your monthly giving option isn’t gaining traction, hit that reply button. I read every response, and I’m happy to help you build a new donation landing page or think through the next step.

Until next time, K

P.S. The data on recurring giving right now is exciting! I don’t say that often, but building a foundation of donors who support your organizat sets you up for future success.

Link 💜

Recurring donors are a fundraiser’s best friends, and Neon One explored data from 4,000 nonprofits to help you understand how valuable they are to your nonprofit. Grab the 2026 Recurring Donors Report here.

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