As a regular giver to 12 Australian charities, I am most surprised at the lack of an ask to upgrade my gift each year. Of the 12 regular giving programs I personally support, only 1 has asked me to upgrade my gift year on year.
When I ask my non-profit clients why this is the case, charities state a fear of asking for an increased gift. They state a donor might downgrade or worse, cancel, their gift if we ask the donor to give $5 or $10 more a month.
The aggressive American fundraiser in me suggests you will never know the outcome if you don’t take the leap and make an ask. a sophisticated regular giving program must include an upgrade path for donors. Some programs even include an agreed auto upgrade program for donors year over year. Don’t miss the opportunity to further solidify a relationship with regular givers by asking them to become even more committed to the organisation. $5 more a month is one less cup of coffee to the donor.
Stephen Mally brings over 30 years of fundraising and non-profit consulting to the project. Having served as a 20-year fundraising veteran in the United States for a variety of health care related charities and hospitals, Stephen transitioned to consulting in Asia-Pacific and in Europe in 2008 where he has consulted with over 500 organisations in those regions gaining a vast amount of diverse exposure to diverse organisations, SRM solutions, fundraising programming and fundraising operations.
Stephen acquired his Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) credential in 2012. Less than 150 fundraisers in Australia and New Zealand hold the CFRE credential, which is the first globally recognised credential for fundraising professionals. CFRE International certifies experienced fundraising professionals aspiring to the highest standards of ethics, competence and service to the philanthropic sector.
Stephen was named a Fellow of the Fundraising Institute Australia (FIA) in 2017.
As a regular giver to 12 Australian charities, I am most surprised at the lack of an ask to upgrade my gift each year. Of the 12 regular giving programs I personally support, only 1 has asked me to upgrade my gift year on year.