We Are For Good Podcast – Episode 660
Working Session: How to Grow Monthly Donors with Dana Snyder
Released: November 24, 2025
Host: Jon McCoy
Guest: Dana Snyder (Founder, Positive Equation; Author, Monthly Giving Mastermind)

Episode Overview

This "Working Session" dives deep into practical strategies for nonprofits to increase their recurring (monthly) donor base. Dana Snyder, a recognized expert in monthly giving programs, shares actionable insights and step-by-step tactics any organization – large or small – can implement immediately to grow sustainable revenue. The discussion is packed with simple "tiny tweaks" that have outsized results, real-world examples, and easy-to-execute experiments for giving season and beyond. If you need motivation or a clear playbook for boosting monthly support, this episode delivers.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Unlocking the Power of Monthly Giving

Main Insight:
Most organizations are missing conversions by not clearly or actively presenting the monthly giving option.

• Dana’s practical experience: Consults regularly with nonprofits of all sizes; sees repeated missed opportunities (01:12–02:12).
• “The number one thing is: Don’t hide it. Go to your website on mobile and desktop. Is your donate button easy to find? Do you have a separate monthly giving button?” – Dana Snyder (02:15)

Relevant Research:

• Adding a separate “Give Monthly” button in website navigation leads to a 45% lift in conversions, according to NextAfter (02:41).

2. Make the Monthly Ask Ubiquitous & Obvious

• “Always present monthly as an option. Always have it be a nudge... When somebody clicks on ‘Give Monthly,’ have it be a monthly-only form. These are quick, changeable things.” – Dana Snyder (02:57)
• Avoid treating giving like a once-a-year ritual; get donors thinking in habits and monthly “autopilot” contributions.

3. The Case for Prioritizing Monthly Giving, Especially at Year-End

• “I’ve had organizations tell me, well, we’ll think about this, we just have to get through end of year because we’ll start back at zero. But the point is to not start at zero.” – Dana Snyder (03:54)
• Even getting 10–20% of donors to give monthly means you start the new year with money in the bank.

4. Giving Tuesday is a Prime Opportunity

• 12% of all recurring gifts in 2022 and 2023 started on Giving Tuesday (04:55).
• “Don’t discount asking on Giving Tuesday. Don’t discount adding it to your emails.” – Dana Snyder (05:05)
• Simple, fast tweaks like shifting messaging or adding a monthly ask can be done even last-minute for a big impact.

5. Test, Compare, and Tweak Regularly

• “What would happen if you added that option this Giving Tuesday? You could very clearly compare that to years past. See what happens.” – Jon McCoy (05:45)
• Regular experimentation and tracking allow for small, repeatable shifts that compound results over time.

6. Mini Case Study: Turner Syndrome Foundation

• Built a four-part email series just for monthly giving and ran low-cost Facebook/Instagram video ads to their warm audience.
• Resulted in 14 new monthly donors in a short period—an unprecedented pace for them (06:17).

7. Working Session: Immediate Tactics to Implement

Website Optimization:

• Is your site sending people to the right, optimized places?
• Are monthly giving buttons/forms prominent and tailored?
• Add a simple one-liner to donation forms to plant the seed – e.g., “Monthly giving powers our work.”
  • The Trevor Project saw a 50% jump in recurring gifts just by adding this line (07:43–08:21).

Donation Amounts:

• Ensure monthly and one-time default amounts aren’t identical.
• Use impact-labeled donation tiers or “dollar-a-day” framing: “Don’t go a day without supporting what you care about.” – Dana Snyder (09:06)
• Make it accessible: 50 cents/day = $15/month; $1/day = $30/month.

Copy and Messaging:

• Keep email appeals human and direct; minimize distractions and images.
• “Make your email sound like it’s coming from a human, not a brand.” – Dana Snyder (10:28)
• Shift from generic descriptions (“food pantry, children’s center”) to vivid, specific mind movies and stories showing real experiences (11:19–12:07).

8. Building Two-Way Relationships

Text-only thank you emails with a “hit reply and tell us why you gave” prompt yield both stories and better deliverability (12:18–13:14):

• “We received hundreds of responses. Not only is that great for relationships, but it boosts your open rate.” – Dana Snyder (13:06)

9. One-Hour Action Step: Collective Storytelling

• Gather your team, board, or donors. Spend 15 minutes each writing and posting on LinkedIn (or your platform of choice) about why you care about the mission. Adapt Dana’s template (LinkedIn) for easy replication.
• “I had somebody...message me to say I told my story on LinkedIn and my profile impressions went up 4000%.” – Dana Snyder (14:36)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “Don’t hide [monthly giving]. Lead with it.” – Dana Snyder (02:15)
• “If you have a donate button and a Give Monthly button in your navigation, it’s a 45% lift in conversions.” – Dana Snyder (02:41)
• “The point is to not start at zero.” – Dana Snyder (03:54)
• “12% of recurring gifts started on Giving Tuesday.” – Dana Snyder (04:55)
• “Add a monthly giving power line. [The Trevor Project] saw a 50% jump in recurring gifts.” – Dana Snyder (08:21)
• “Make your email sound like they’re coming from a human, not a brand.” – Dana Snyder (10:28)
• “You are giving somebody a mind movie... Don’t make me guess what the experience could be like.” – Dana Snyder (11:53)
• “We received hundreds of [thank-you email] responses... it boosts your open rate.” – Dana Snyder (13:06)
• “Post collectively on LinkedIn...my profile impressions went up 4000%.” – Dana Snyder (14:36)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:53 – Dana Snyder introduced and her monthly giving expertise
• 01:12 – Common missed opportunity: Not asking for monthly gifts
• 02:41 – Website buttons and conversion stats (45% lift)
• 04:55 – Data on Giving Tuesday and recurring donor acquisition
• 06:17 – Turner Syndrome Foundation mini-case
• 07:43 – Website, form, and copy tweaks for monthly giving
• 08:21 – Power of a simple one-liner (“monthly giving powers our work”)
• 09:06 – Setting donation options and impact logic
• 10:28 – Make appeals human and personal
• 11:19 – Storytelling: Describing impact through “mind movies”
• 12:18 – Thank-you/reply email tactic for engagement & deliverability
• 13:46 – The LinkedIn team storytelling action step
• 15:10 – Monthly Giving Summit announcement

Final Takeaway

Small, intentional tweaks—making monthly giving options prominent, optimizing language and dollar amounts, integrating real stories, and fostering two-way communication—can dramatically increase your recurring donor base, build lasting relationships, and prevent your revenue from resetting to zero every January.

“Humanize your outreach, make it easy, keep testing—and invite everyone into the story.”

Connect with Dana Snyder
Best via LinkedIn. Registration for the Monthly Giving Summit (February 25–26, 2026) is open and features leading case studies.

This summary captures the heart of the episode and is a practical, inspiring playbook for anyone looking to ignite steady, sustainable giving in their nonprofit.