Auto-upgrades for Sustainers

Erin Shuler
Erin Shuler
Name Dropper First Anniversary Facilitator 1
in donorCentrics® General Discussions

Hi all,

I'm wondering which organizations do auto-upgrades for their monthly donors. One I know of so far is Save the Children. Do any of your organizations do this too?

-Erin (Sustainer Advisor, CRS)

Comments

  • Amy Barker
    Amy Barker Community All-Star
    Kudos 5 Third Anniversary August 2025 Monthly Challenge Badge Name Dropper

    @Erin Shuler do you mean increasing their giving automatically year over year?

  • Erin Shuler
    Erin Shuler
    Name Dropper First Anniversary Facilitator 1

    @Amy Barker- yes, automatic increases but not necessarily annually (also recognizing there would be a lot communications to donors when/if it were to happen).

  • Amy Barker
    Amy Barker Community All-Star
    Kudos 5 Third Anniversary August 2025 Monthly Challenge Badge Name Dropper

    @Erin Shuler
    Interested to read the replies! We contact our sustainers when their cards are expiring and see if they'd like to upgrade at the same time, but I think we wouldn't get a good reaction to upgrading sustaining gifts without really specific consent.

  • Catherine Ross
    Catherine Ross
    Third Anniversary Kudos 1 Name Dropper Participant

    Hi @Erin Shuler, this is a great question for relief orgs and NGOs that have country offices in Australia or Europe. Auto upgrades are a bit more standard outside the U.S. In Australia, for example, some orgs use an auto upgrade process akin to “inflation guard” to upgrade the gift at the rate of inflation (which donors agree to at sign up).

  • Erin Shuler
    Erin Shuler
    Name Dropper First Anniversary Facilitator 1

    @Catherine Ross- Thanks! I didn't realize it was more common outside of the US.

  • Erin Shuler
    Erin Shuler
    Name Dropper First Anniversary Facilitator 1

    @Amy Barker- Thanks for your reply. We've done a few upgrading asks in the past but don't always see a great response. In terms of the “auto-upgrade” there would be multiple communications before actually implementing it including clear reasoning as to why, timing and opt-out options. This isn't something we are looking to do right now but I am interested in learning more how other organizations navigate it.

  • Erin Shuler
    Erin Shuler
    Name Dropper First Anniversary Facilitator 1

    @Catherine Ross- Do you have an example from any organization?

  • Catherine Ross
    Catherine Ross
    Third Anniversary Kudos 1 Name Dropper Participant

    @Erin Shuler this article is a few years old, but the first portion provides a good description of how auto upgrade campaigns work. I hope this helps!

    https://fandp.com.au/how-are-donors-moving-on-up-342897/


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