Subscription Philanthropy — The New Way to Give 

Subscription Philanthropy — The New Way to Give 

Ways To Give: Subscription Philanthropy Blog

Have you noticed a shift in how we both consume and give in society today? From how we buy our groceries to how we watch or listen to entertainment, “people have gotten used to the subscription model—paying a set amount each month for goods or services. Nonprofits have been able to join this consumer shift by rebranding recurring giving programs as subscription donations.” (Bishop, K. 2022, September 30. Classy Blog. 5 Things the Subscription Economy Teaches Us About Recurring Giving)

Consumers and nonprofits alike can gain insight from the benefits of subscription services like Amazon Prime and Disney+ where you set up your payment once and never think about it again. As the subscription economy continues to grow, nonprofits have a unique opportunity to learn from this type of model and put it into practice for their own recurring gift programs. 

Subscription philanthropy is the new way to give.

Donors can benefit just as much as their favorite cause by giving without even thinking after their initial first payment. Nonprofits are implementing modern, automated payment processes for recurring donations where a donor has the convenience of a “set it and forget it” payment process. Donors who aren’t able to commit to a large, one-time gift have the flexibility and room in their budget to make a smaller, monthly gift. This arrangement also affords the donor the opportunity to learn more about the impact of their giving by creating a long-term relationship with their nonprofit, receiving consistent communications on the accountability of the nonprofit meeting mission goals through the donor’s gifts.

Speaking of consistency, recurring giving greatly benefits nonprofits for the sustainability factor. “Did you know that nearly 1/3 of all charitable giving occurs in December? And 10% of all giving is raised in the last three days of the year?” (Network for Good. 2022 Year-End Fundraising Campaign Guide & Timeline.)

This trend places incredible stress and pressure on the nonprofit budget to raise funds to keep operations running efficiently the other 11 months out of the year. A far stronger, healthier model is one where funds are spread across all 12 months of the calendar year, creating a steady, sustainable revenue for operations. For example, instead of a donor giving a $120 gift in December, they could break up that gift to just $10 every month for not only a more affordable option long term for the giver, but a more sustainable budget for the nonprofit.

Nonprofits seek longevity in a donor.

Monthly donors will continue to give month-over-month, year-over-year, often for an average of 5 years or more! Therefore, a $10 monthly donor is more valuable to an organization in the long run than a one-time $100 donor.

CASA Kane County is stepping right in line with subscription philanthropy by offering a new online giving platform called Harness Giving, who has witnessed that “overall, monthly donors give 42% more annually than traditional one-time donors.” (Harness Giving) By implementing this program, we hope to gain and welcome more G.E.M. (Give Every Month) donors!

 

CASA offers two recurring gift options through Harness: Be a Changemaker monthly giving program or Round Up to Give Back giving without thinking program.

The Be a Changemaker monthly option is standard practice where the donor sets their monthly amount to be withdrawn automatically each month. The date of withdrawal is the date of the first monthly gift. 

The Round Up to Give Back option is a unique recurring opportunity where donated spare change from daily credit card purchases adds up monthly to create a big impact. Donors sign up any debit or credit card, use the registered card for purchases, and the change from each transaction is rounded up to the nearest dollar. The rounded-up change accrues all month long and is deposited to CASA as a lump sum payment. Even more manageable for the donor, a cap can be set on the amount of the monthly gift, such as not to exceed $25, $50 or whichever amount selected, with a minimum of $9.99 per month.

Overall, these monthly giving options provide the donor a convenient, mobile -friendly giving system that is automated, more budget friendly, and helps provide financial sustainability for CASA. Furthermore, a continuous relationship is established through texting stewardship that includes updates on the organization and stories of impact.

If you’d like to jump on to subscription philanthropy and make a recurring donation toward the mission of CASA Kane County, you can start here: Donate Now – CASA Kane County Website

 

Gifts to CASA Kane County help to provide children in abuse and neglect cases with a caring, dedicated, and trained volunteer advocate whose main goal is to ensure their best interests until they are placed in a safe, permanent home.

Will you help CASA Change a Child’s Story

If you want more information, you can take the first step and follow these links below.  

How to Give

Champion of Hope Community

 

Contact Annual Giving Manager, Adriana Plocinski for more information.

Call: 630-444-1305 Email: adrianap@casakanecounty.org

 

 To learn more and Change a Child’s Story, please visit the organization’s website at www.casakanecounty.org or call 630-232-4484.