Predictable Fundraising Helps You Sleep at Night

“I can’t believe that worked!” she squealed into the phone.

I was talking with Becky Roy, founder of Draft Gratitude, a horse rescue in New Hampshire.

Becky had been self-funding her new nonprofit and was ready to try some ‘real’ fundraising so the organization could support itself. She latched onto the principles of donor-based fundraising and saw results quickly.

Within a few months, she created a monthly giving program to create repeatable income for her young nonprofit.

We crafted an awesome Ask: “For just $12, you can provide a day’s worth of food, shelter, and veterinary care for an unwanted draft horse.”

Our strategy was to ask people through her newsletter and on Facebook to join her new monthly giving team. We knew that if we got enough people to say “yes”, she’d be able to easily cover her monthly operational expenses and would no longer have to pay for anything out of her own pocket.

As she started asking, people signed up to give monthly, much to her surprise and delight. She sent out an email appeal and lots more people signed up. It was a very exciting time!

Becky’s donor-based fundraising was paying off big and it was because she was doing some things right:

She regularly communicated with her supporters to give them the latest news. She shared “behind-the-scenes” videos so people could see the horses their money supported. She kept ALL communications short, interesting, and relevant.

She also nailed her messaging and spoke from her heart, which meant her communications came across as authentic. People loved her for it and the result was astounding – well over 100 people signed up to give either $12 or $24 per month to support her small, growing horse rescue, creating predictable income for the organization.