Question 1

Accepted Answer

Credit-Card Updating Service

Investing in a credit card updating service can be a strategic investment to keep donor payments on-track. Look into automatic billing updater (ABU) services that work to maintain accurate card account information so you can avoid payment interruption. These services are offered through many credit card processors and acquirers. The data is contained within your processor’s existing system to maintain optimum security and can be easily activated in most cases.

ABU is conducted monthly. There is a one-time activation fee of a few hundred dollars and the cost per update is approximately $0.50 per card. This is a small price to pay when you think about the revenue preserved from a donor, as well as the staff time, postage, and telemarketing expense that goes into recapturing card data once it is no longer valid.

Set Up Your Systems

Create an online form that sustainers may use to update their credit cards, since directing donors to your main donation page will likely lead to confusion and may result in a downgraded donation. Build a separate form that is clearly identifiable as a sustainer update form and direct donors to it using your station’s website and emails. In an EFT conversion campaign, create and use a form that only has the EFT payment option to make it easy for donors to switch.

Don’t Wait

Reach out to donors whose credit cards are set to expire in a month and ask them to update their information. Even better, convert them to EFT. Throughout the year use on-air spots to encourage sustaining donors to contact you to update their information. Create graphics to display on your station’s website that spur sustainers to update their information. Think creatively to generate new ideas to keep your sustaining donors up-to-date with their payments.

Set Up Your Recapture Communications Calendar

Once a problem has occurred with a sustainer’s payment, jump into action with your recapture plan. Use as many channels as you can to get your sustainers back quickly. The following calendar gives ample opportunities to connect with donors to update their information. Station recapture samples are also available on the Resource page.

Day 1:	Email and phone call
Day 3:	Repeat
Week 1:	Email reminder
Week 2:	Email reminder + letter or postcard reminder
Week 3:	Email reminder + phone call
Week 4:	Email reminder
Month 1:	Direct mail reminder
Month 2:	Direct mail reminder
Month 3:	Inactivate donor. Mark them as “lapsed sustaining” to try to reactivate via a lapsed campaign later.

Question 2

Accepted Answer

If your station does not have an EFT giving option, now is the time to start. NACHA’s website has helpful information about getting started. Talk to your station’s finance team to make a plan to start.

1. Start sustaining donors out with EFT payments.
Make it easy for donors to choose EFT with their first gift. Be sure to give a bit of explanation about what EFT is and why it’s the preferred method. Find what your station’s rate of donors paying via EFT is now and monitor the changes as you start marketing the EFT option.

2. Have EFT as the first or preferred option for online donations.
Public radio donors say they give as a sustainer because they like knowing their gifts provide stable funds to the station. Use that motivation and give priority to the EFT option on your online form. Simply listing it as an option is not enough to motivate donors. Using a graphic that shows where on a check donors can find the account number and routing number is helpful.

3. Prioritize EFT as the payment method on your phone script.
Using a credit card is top-of-mind for donors, so take care to review your phone script (both in-house or call center) to make sure your language explains what EFT is and why it’s great for donors and your station. Tell donors that EFT is a safe way to make a gift and that using this payment method will save the station money which means more of their gift can be used for the programming they love.

4. Encourage EFT conversion.
While you make improvements to current systems to encourage EFT payments for new gifts, it’s likely your station has thousands of donors using a credit or debit card to make monthly payments. Begin working diligently to convert these donors to EFT payments using all of your communication channels: direct mail, telefunding, email, social media, on-air spots, and your station’s website. Modify the letter and email samples above to fit your station’s needs. See samples on the Resources page.

Question 3

Accepted Answer

Sustainers have more questions.

The nature of the giving option simply comes with more questions and potential issues, such as credit card updates or questions about thank-you gifts. When donors make a deeper commitment by becoming a monthly donor, they tend to expect a greater level of response to questions and concerns. Stations can choose to take advantage of this increase in communications with donors and work to strengthen the relationship, which will not only make donors happier but can lead to more revenue and financial stability in the long run.

Make a plan and adjust as needed.

Setting an expectation for how long it will take to respond to member-services queries will help your station in revising your member services plan. Ideally member services should be able to respond and complete inquiries within one business day.

Some adjustments your station might consider:

Eliminate member services voicemail.
Set up a phone tree with options to make a donation, change a sustaining gift or payment type, ask questions about content, and, an “all-other-questions” option.
Restructure “office hours” for responses via phone and email.
Provide additional training for member-center staff.

Use your website.

Many donors will want to solve their own problems. Help them do that by providing FAQs (use questions that donors have actually asked, not ones you wish they’d ask) and link to them prominently on your site. Build out forms that allow donors to update their credit card information online without calling the station. Have an easy way for donors to update their address, phone number, and email address without having to call donor services. Take your cue from consumer subscription services like Netflix or Birchbox that make customer interactions easy.

Track your contacts.

Most stations have donor databases or CRMs that allow for easy integration of donor services contacts into donor records. Use the functionality in your database to track when donors are calling, what they are requesting, and how long it takes donor services to respond. These metrics will help you see patterns in the questions, know what information may be missing from your website, discover a problem on a form, and know if your donor-service staffing level is adequate. Once you begin tracking this information, share what you’ve discovered throughout the station.

Empower your staff.

When member services staff have necessary information available and are empowered to solve problems quickly and efficiently, both your station and its members will benefit. Because the success of membership fundraising heavily relies on supporters feeling respected and valued, staff must ensure that every interaction is a positive one (or at the very least not negative). Keep member services up-to-date with policy changes and content updates and make sure they have an easy way to let membership and programming staff know what they are hearing from members.

Use donor services to upsell.

When sustaining members call in to member services with a credit card update, encourage staff to recommend the switch to EFT payments. The time that member services spends with a sustaining member can impact that relationship for years to come, so don’t be afraid to ask donors to convert to EFT or upgrade their monthly donation once an issue has been addressed.

Question 4

Accepted Answer

Work with your finance team to decide on the metrics you’ll review each month and quarter to assess the performance of your sustaining program.

Suggested metrics:

Monthly	Quarterly
$ lost from failed credit cards	# of new sustainers
Monthly sustainer revenue	# of new sustainers paying via EFT
# donors not successfully charged	13th-month retention rate
# donors recaptured	Multi-year sustainers’ retention rate
Average sustainer gift	$ that has come in from missed payments
# EFT conversions	% of sustainers with gift increases
% credit card/EFT payments
Calling-program reactivation rate
# of active sustainers on file

Question 5

Accepted Answer

Credit-Card Updating Service

Investing in a credit card updating service can be a strategic investment to keep donor payments on-track. Look into automatic billing updater (ABU) services that work to maintain accurate card account information so you can avoid payment interruption. These services are offered through many credit card processors and acquirers. The data is contained within your processor’s existing system to maintain optimum security and can be easily activated in most cases.

ABU is conducted monthly. There is a one-time activation fee of a few hundred dollars and the cost per update is approximately $0.50 per card. This is a small price to pay when you think about the revenue preserved from a donor, as well as the staff time, postage, and telemarketing expense that goes into recapturing card data once it is no longer valid.

Set Up Your Systems

Create an online form that sustainers may use to update their credit cards, since directing donors to your main donation page will likely lead to confusion and may result in a downgraded donation. Build a separate form that is clearly identifiable as a sustainer update form and direct donors to it using your station’s website and emails. In an EFT conversion campaign, create and use a form that only has the EFT payment option to make it easy for donors to switch.

Don’t Wait

Reach out to donors whose credit cards are set to expire in a month and ask them to update their information. Even better, convert them to EFT. Throughout the year use on-air spots to encourage sustaining donors to contact you to update their information. Create graphics to display on your station’s website that spur sustainers to update their information. Think creatively to generate new ideas to keep your sustaining donors up-to-date with their payments.

Set Up Your Recapture Communications Calendar

Once a problem has occurred with a sustainer’s payment, jump into action with your recapture plan. Use as many channels as you can to get your sustainers back quickly. The following calendar gives ample opportunities to connect with donors to update their information. Station recapture samples are also available on the Resource page.

Day 1:	Email and phone call
Day 3:	Repeat
Week 1:	Email reminder
Week 2:	Email reminder + letter or postcard reminder
Week 3:	Email reminder + phone call
Week 4:	Email reminder
Month 1:	Direct mail reminder
Month 2:	Direct mail reminder
Month 3:	Inactivate donor. Mark them as “lapsed sustaining” to try to reactivate via a lapsed campaign later.

Question 6

Accepted Answer

If your station does not have an EFT giving option, now is the time to start. NACHA’s website has helpful information about getting started. Talk to your station’s finance team to make a plan to start.

1. Start sustaining donors out with EFT payments.
Make it easy for donors to choose EFT with their first gift. Be sure to give a bit of explanation about what EFT is and why it’s the preferred method. Find what your station’s rate of donors paying via EFT is now and monitor the changes as you start marketing the EFT option.

2. Have EFT as the first or preferred option for online donations.
Public radio donors say they give as a sustainer because they like knowing their gifts provide stable funds to the station. Use that motivation and give priority to the EFT option on your online form. Simply listing it as an option is not enough to motivate donors. Using a graphic that shows where on a check donors can find the account number and routing number is helpful.

3. Prioritize EFT as the payment method on your phone script.
Using a credit card is top-of-mind for donors, so take care to review your phone script (both in-house or call center) to make sure your language explains what EFT is and why it’s great for donors and your station. Tell donors that EFT is a safe way to make a gift and that using this payment method will save the station money which means more of their gift can be used for the programming they love.

4. Encourage EFT conversion.
While you make improvements to current systems to encourage EFT payments for new gifts, it’s likely your station has thousands of donors using a credit or debit card to make monthly payments. Begin working diligently to convert these donors to EFT payments using all of your communication channels: direct mail, telefunding, email, social media, on-air spots, and your station’s website. Modify the letter and email samples above to fit your station’s needs. See samples on the Resources page.

Question 7

Accepted Answer

Sustainers have more questions.

The nature of the giving option simply comes with more questions and potential issues, such as credit card updates or questions about thank-you gifts. When donors make a deeper commitment by becoming a monthly donor, they tend to expect a greater level of response to questions and concerns. Stations can choose to take advantage of this increase in communications with donors and work to strengthen the relationship, which will not only make donors happier but can lead to more revenue and financial stability in the long run.

Make a plan and adjust as needed.

Setting an expectation for how long it will take to respond to member-services queries will help your station in revising your member services plan. Ideally member services should be able to respond and complete inquiries within one business day.

Some adjustments your station might consider:

Eliminate member services voicemail.
Set up a phone tree with options to make a donation, change a sustaining gift or payment type, ask questions about content, and, an “all-other-questions” option.
Restructure “office hours” for responses via phone and email.
Provide additional training for member-center staff.

Use your website.

Many donors will want to solve their own problems. Help them do that by providing FAQs (use questions that donors have actually asked, not ones you wish they’d ask) and link to them prominently on your site. Build out forms that allow donors to update their credit card information online without calling the station. Have an easy way for donors to update their address, phone number, and email address without having to call donor services. Take your cue from consumer subscription services like Netflix or Birchbox that make customer interactions easy.

Track your contacts.

Most stations have donor databases or CRMs that allow for easy integration of donor services contacts into donor records. Use the functionality in your database to track when donors are calling, what they are requesting, and how long it takes donor services to respond. These metrics will help you see patterns in the questions, know what information may be missing from your website, discover a problem on a form, and know if your donor-service staffing level is adequate. Once you begin tracking this information, share what you’ve discovered throughout the station.

Empower your staff.

When member services staff have necessary information available and are empowered to solve problems quickly and efficiently, both your station and its members will benefit. Because the success of membership fundraising heavily relies on supporters feeling respected and valued, staff must ensure that every interaction is a positive one (or at the very least not negative). Keep member services up-to-date with policy changes and content updates and make sure they have an easy way to let membership and programming staff know what they are hearing from members.

Use donor services to upsell.

When sustaining members call in to member services with a credit card update, encourage staff to recommend the switch to EFT payments. The time that member services spends with a sustaining member can impact that relationship for years to come, so don’t be afraid to ask donors to convert to EFT or upgrade their monthly donation once an issue has been addressed.

Question 8

Accepted Answer

Work with your finance team to decide on the metrics you’ll review each month and quarter to assess the performance of your sustaining program.

Suggested metrics:

Monthly	Quarterly
$ lost from failed credit cards	# of new sustainers
Monthly sustainer revenue	# of new sustainers paying via EFT
# donors not successfully charged	13th-month retention rate
# donors recaptured	Multi-year sustainers’ retention rate
Average sustainer gift	$ that has come in from missed payments
# EFT conversions	% of sustainers with gift increases
% credit card/EFT payments
Calling-program reactivation rate
# of active sustainers on file

How to Retain and Recapture Sustainers

Looking for some examples of what other stations are doing to build successful sustainer programs?

Jay Clayton

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