The Retention Challenge
Traditional monthly giving programs feel transactional: a supporter's donation is deducted silently each month with little follow-up beyond an occasional tax receipt. This impersonal approach contributes to more than half of face-to-face regular givers cancelling within the first year.
Conversr's Regular Giver Stewardship Program reverses that trend by turning a passive transaction into a relationship grounded in human connection. We liken new regular givers to young seedlings: with care, attention and the right "watering" — warmth, gratitude and balanced communication — a new donor relationship can grow into a strong tree that bears fruit for decades.
Average cost to acquire one F2F regular giver
10-year value of just 1% decline recovery improvement (30k RG base)
Average charitable bequest in Australia — identifying just a handful of high-propensity leads is transformative
Four Pillars of Lasting Loyalty
Our Regular Giving program is built on four strategic pillars that work together to protect revenue and grow lifetime value
Contactability Insurance
vCard and trusted sender so supporters always see and trust you. New iOS/Android filtering makes this critical — messages land in known inbox, not spam.
Human Connection
A single point of contact (SPOC) who feels like "my person." Supporters know their concierge by name and can reply anytime for help.
Payment Panda Synergy
Save declines through a known, trusted relationship. 1% improvement = ~$700k over 10 years (30k RG base). Silent churn becomes quick, respectful resolution.
Find Your Top 20%
Identify the supporters who drive ~90% of value for upgrades and legacies. Tag high-propensity leads through motivation sharing and sentiment analysis.
The Stewardship Journey
A series of eight curated touchpoints delivered over 6-9 months, designed to evoke specific emotions and gather valuable insights
Welcome & Number Saving
SPOC introduces themselves, expresses thanks, invites supporter to save the number. Confirms address for welcome gift. Subtly shakes out uncommitted supporters during cooling-off period.
Gift Confirmation & Motivation
Let the donor know the gift is in the post and invite them to share personal connection to the cause. Capturing motivations is critical — deep connections signal future legacy potential.
Impact Storytelling
Share concise stories or videos demonstrating the impact of their gifts. Emotional content creates peak moments and reinforces supporter's identity as a lifesaver.
Conversational Survey
Brief, multi-question survey delivered via SMS. Conversr's conversational format yields 4x more responses than traditional web surveys.
Community Updates
Highlight achievements of the donor community. Seasonal gratitude messages that keep the relationship warm without fundraising asks.
Ongoing Care
Additional touchpoints maintaining the human connection. No fundraising within the stewardship sequence — only care, context, and help.
100% Stewardship (No Asks)
The journey focuses on gratitude, impact and support. There are no fundraising appeals within this sequence; the only "asks" are for information, such as confirming an address or sharing motivation.
This isn't just a series of SMS — it's a behaviour-led, data-driven strategy that builds a relationship and captures high-value insights at each step.
Behavioural Science Underpinning
The program's effectiveness stems from principles proven in psychology and fundraising
Reciprocity & Gratitude
Early thank-yous and welcome gifts create goodwill, making donors more inclined to continue supporting
Commitment & Consistency
Small replies create micro-commitments. People behave consistently with their commitments
Endowment Effect
Tangible welcome pack gives donors a sense of ownership in the mission
Identity Reinforcement
Frame donors as heroes (lifesavers, champions). People act in accordance with valued identities
Social Proof
"You've joined thousands of monthly donors" — signalling that giving is normal
Peak-End Rule
At least one emotional peak (impact story) and memorable closing thanks
Financial & Strategic Benefits
- Improved retention — even 1-2% gains produce outsized returns
- Early shakeout savings — uncommitted supporters filtered during cooling-off
- Decline recovery through trusted SPOC relationship
- High-propensity legacy leads identified early
- Reduced workload through automated journey triggers
Case in Point: Heart Foundation
A unified, human experience from F2F to welcome call to Conversr — one trusted identity, sovereign routing, instant cancellations, and loyalty scoring to surface high-propensity supporters.
Unified Identity
Loyalty Scoring