Recurring Tribute Gifts

Keith Wilson

If a donor enters a $25 monthly recurring gift “in honor/memory” of someone how do you handle the Acknowledgements?

• Acknowledge the first gift only
• Acknowledge every monthly recurring gift
• Something else?

Would it make a difference if the donation amount was higher? Lower?

Aldera Chisholm

@Keith Wilson Assuming you are looking at it from Stewardship rather than tax receipting… my process in the past has been a letter on the first gift to the donor expressing gratitude and any info they need as a monthly donor (contact info of a staffer to call if they need to make a change, etc) , and a reference in that letter that the honouree will be notified of their kind commitment (we would not tell the honouree of the $$ amount, unless directed to do so.) Then, the honouree would receive a letter on initiation saying that a generous monthly gift has been made in their honour (or family members memory etc.). We would not send a monthly thanks for each instalment - we would send an annual update at the end of the year. We would do this regardless of gift amount - but value of gift might determine if this is done as an email vs letter vs letter signed by the Director.

JoAnn Strommen

@Keith Wilson Our process similar to @Aldera Chisholm. Steward and receipt like any other recurring gift.

One letter to honoree/family of memorial. We do not include amount and letter could say the donor has said this will be a monthly gift. If amount was very significant, would consider a second letter, maybe EOY, saying donor has made X number of gifts.

Austen Brown

@Keith Wilson - Also recommend the same process as Aldera and JoAnn. If you're using Power Automate, there's the potential that all of this could be automated along with a ‘we successfully processed your monthly gift’ email touch-point, and a ‘your payment failed' follow-up starting point.

Keith Wilson

@Austen Brown @JoAnn Strommen @Aldera Chisholm Thank you. So what is your procedure regarding the Letter Code? Because if the recurring gift record includes a Hon/Mem Letter Code, then do you change the Letter Code after the first gift is acknowledged?

Austen Brown

@Keith Wilson - This part really depends on your internal processes and if you plan on acknowledging every payment thereafter. If it were me, I would leave it as is. If you need to know that the payments weren't acknowledged, mark them as ‘Do not acknowledge’ - letter code isn't allowed with that ack status.