The Blackbaud Institute Uncovers Proven Strategies for Successful Monthly Giving Programs

"Until now the sector has only had anecdotal evidence about what might work to make a program successful, but this study explores variances in sustainer program returns across different organizations in different sub-sectors to determine the true research-backed best practices that have worked for real organizations," said Chuck Longfield, Blackbaud's chief scientist. "These are proven practices, not just advice that might work, that are shared in a clear, concise way to provide an easy-to-follow roadmap to success. They can be broadly applied and repeated to increase sustainer program performance across the entire sector."

In Part 1 of the series, "Sustainers in Focus: Uncovering the Value of Retained Revenue," the Blackbaud Institute concentrated on showing the financial justification for sustainer giving as a strategic approach to building donor base stability and maximizing value. Part 2 documents the best practices for increasing sustainer program performance across the nonprofit sector.

Six Proven Practices Uncovered by Blackbaud's Sustainers in Focus Part 2 Report

1. Ask new donors to give on a monthly basis.
2. Convert multi-year, single donors to sustainers.
3. Make monthly giving the website default.
4. Use a credit card updater service and update invalid credit card data.
5. Encourage donors to use electronic funds transfer.
6. Steward your sustainers.

"I have been building monthly giving programs for more than 35 years. Monthly giving programs remain one of the best ways for nonprofits to dramatically increase the lifetime value of their average donor," said Harvey McKinnon, author of the report's foreword and best-seller Hidden Gold. "In this report, you'll see the practical strategies that can actually lead organizations to build a thriving monthly donor program...Its research-backed findings provide a proven recipe for success... If you, like me, are always searching for the most effective and efficient fundraising strategies, you'll find Sustainers in Focus Parts 1 & 2 are invaluable companions."

For more information about the Blackbaud Institute, visit www.blackbaudinstitute.com. To read the full findings on research-based best practices for sustained giving programs, download the report at www.blackbaudinstitute.com/sustainers.

About Blackbaud
Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB) is the world's leading cloud software company powering social good. Serving the entire social good community—nonprofits, foundations, corporations, education institutions, and individual change agents—Blackbaud connects and empowers organizations to increase their impact through software, services, expertise, and data intelligence. The Blackbaud portfolio is tailored to the unique needs of vertical markets, with solutions for fundraising and relationship management, digital marketing, advocacy, accounting, payments, analytics, school management, grant management, corporate social responsibility, and volunteerism. Serving the industry for more than three decades, Blackbaud is headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina and has operations in the United States, Australia, Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.blackbaud.com.

About the Blackbaud Institute for Philanthropic Impact
The Blackbaud Institute drives research and insight to accelerate the impact of the social good community. It convenes expert partners from across the philanthropic sector to foster diverse perspectives, collective thinking, and collaborative solutions to the world's greatest challenges. Using the most comprehensive data set in the social good community, the Blackbaud Institute and its partners conduct research, uncover strategic insight, and share results broadly, all in order to drive effective philanthropy at every stage, from fundraising to outcomes. Knowledge is powering the future of social good, and the Blackbaud Institute is an engine of that progress. Learn more, sign up for updates, and check out our latest resources at www.blackbaudinstitute.com.

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