Turning a Christmas donor into a regular monthly giver

How Irish charities can invite Christmas donors to give monthly: the donate page choice, when to ask, a thank you email to copy, and what CDS means for you.

In short A Christmas gift shows someone cares, and a monthly gift lets that care last. Offer one off and monthly side by side on your donation page, ask for the monthly gift in the thank you rather than the appeal, and follow up within 48 hours. Mention tax relief only where Revenue's rules are clear.

Why Christmas donors are worth a second ask

A donor who gives in December has just told you something useful: your cause moved them at the moment you asked. Too often a charity thanks them and then waits until next Christmas, and that gap can be where regular giving is lost.

A monthly gift is smaller, steadier and easier to plan around. Eight euro a month is €96 a year, which may be more than the same person would give at Christmas, and it arrives when your costs do. Use your own figures to decide what your monthly levels should be.

Offer one off and monthly on the same page

Do not hide the monthly option. Put the choice at the top of your donation page, so the donor decides before they pick an amount. Keep the single gift as the default for the Christmas appeal, because pushing monthly on someone who came to give once can cost you the gift.

Give each option its own amounts and a plain label. For example:

  • Single gift: €25 "A warm meal", €50 "A week of hot dinners".
  • Monthly gift: €8 "A meal every month", €15 "Two guests, every month".

Say what the donor can change. Tell them that they can stop at any time, and tell them how, with a contact name or email. Reassurance costs nothing and can remove a common reason for hesitating.

When to ask

There are three natural moments, and they work best in order. Do not stack all three in the same week.

  1. At the point of giving, as a quiet option on the donation page, no more than one sentence.
  2. In the thank you email within 48 hours, when goodwill is highest.
  3. In your January update, about three to four weeks later, with a report of what the Christmas money did.

Avoid asking in the middle of the appeal itself. A donor deciding between €25 once and €8 monthly mid appeal may feel pressed, and your Christmas total can suffer. Wait until they have said yes, then invite them to say yes again. Items 2 and 3 are emails, so they need the opt-in described below.

A thank you email that makes the monthly ask

Thank the donor first, show what the gift did, and only then make the ask. One paragraph, one button, no guilt. Here is a version to adapt:

Subject: Thank you, [First name]

Hi [First name],

Thank you for your Christmas gift of €[amount]. Together we raised €[total], and on Christmas Day [number] guests sat down to a warm meal. That was you.

The need does not stop on 26 December. If you would like to keep that table full, you can give a small amount each month. €8 a month covers a meal for one guest every month, and you can stop at any time.

[Button: Give monthly]

With warm thanks from everyone at [Charity name]. You are receiving this because you asked to hear from us. Unsubscribe at any time.

Send this only to people who have opted in. Under the ePrivacy Regulations 2011, marketing email needs clear, affirmative consent, and we could not confirm that a donation counts as a sale. If you are unsure, ask the Data Protection Commission, and read our guide to the Christmas email to donors.

Tax relief and monthly gifts

Under the Charitable Donation Scheme (CDS), an approved body can claim relief on gifts of €250 or more in a single year. Revenue grosses the gift up at 31%, so €1,000 becomes €1,449.27, and the donor claims nothing. The donor needs to give you a certificate and their PPSN.

Revenue says gifts add up to the €250 within a single year, and standing orders and direct debits can qualify. A donor giving €21 a month reaches €252 over twelve months. We could not confirm whether the year means the calendar year, so ask Revenue how a donor who starts monthly gifts in December is counted, and confirm that your charity is an approved body.

Our guide to the Charitable Donation Scheme at Christmas explains the rules in full.

Keep the new monthly giver

The first three months matter for keeping a monthly donor. Make them feel part of something rather than a line in a bank statement.

  • Send a short welcome the day they start, with the name of someone they can contact.
  • Share one real update after 30 days, with a number and a story.
  • Invite them to your January report, and thank them again at the three month mark.

Track how many Christmas donors you ask, how many say yes and how many are still giving after six months. Those three figures tell you more than any benchmark we could quote.

How to do it with WeGlow.world

WeGlow.world gives you a donation page in three steps: amount, personal details and a summary, on a phone or a computer. You can set one off and monthly gifts side by side, each with its own amounts and a label such as "A warm meal". Supporters can also start their own fundraiser page and share it.

WeGlow.world sends a thank you email after a gift if your charity has filled in a thank you text, so write one. Add the monthly invitation only for donors who have opted in to hear from you, as described above. The Glow Room, where every gift adds a decoration to a 3D Christmas tree, is still a concept until the official launch. See the Glow Room, browse Christmas fundraising ideas for Irish charities, or start free with an account at WeGlow.world.

FAQ

Should the monthly option be the default on the donation page?

For a Christmas appeal, make the single gift the default and show monthly alongside it. People who came to give once may leave if they feel steered, and you can ask for the monthly gift later in the thank you.

How much should a monthly gift be?

Offer two or three levels, such as €8, €15 and €25, and give each a label that says what it does. Test the levels against your own donors, because we found no dated Irish benchmark.

When is the best time to ask a Christmas donor to give monthly?

Within 48 hours of the gift, in the thank you email to donors who opted in, and again in a January update three to four weeks later. Avoid asking in the middle of the appeal itself.

Can monthly gifts qualify for CDS?

Possibly. Revenue counts gifts of €250 or more in total in a single year, and standing orders and direct debits can qualify, and the charity must be an approved body. We could not confirm how a donor who starts mid year is counted, so ask Revenue.

Can we email last year's Christmas donors to ask?

Only if they opted in. Irish rules require prior consent for marketing email, and the UK charity soft opt-in does not apply. If in doubt, ask the Data Protection Commission.

Sources

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