Turn Christmas donors into regular monthly givers

Turn a one-off Christmas gift into a monthly one: how to set up your donate page, when to ask, what to put in the thank you email, and where Gift Aid fits in.

In short A Christmas donor is a warm donor, so ask them once, clearly and kindly, to give monthly. Offer one-off and monthly choices side by side, thank every donor first, and follow up within 2 weeks. If you are a recognised charity, collect Gift Aid declarations separately, because the WeGlow.world donate form does not.

December brings new faces to your charity: people who gave £10 because a story moved them. Most never hear a thoughtful second ask. This guide shows how to offer regular giving without pressure, and when to do it.

Why do Christmas donors make good regular givers?

Christmas donors have just shown that your cause matters to them. They gave when many appeals compete for attention, and they gave because of a story, a person or a moment, not because of a discount or a prize.

That does not mean every one of them will give monthly. Some give once a year and are happy with that. Your job is not to convert everyone. It is to make monthly giving easy to see, easy to understand and easy to decline politely.

Plan on a gentle approach over 3 to 6 weeks rather than one big push. The first message is always thanks. The ask comes later, when the donor has had a chance to feel good about what they did.

Should the donate page offer one-off or monthly?

Offer both, and let the donor choose. On a WeGlow.world donate page you can set up one-off and monthly gifts, each with its own suggested amounts, and add a label to each amount, such as "A warm meal" or "A week of heating".

Keep the monthly amounts small and concrete. A donor who gives £30 once may happily give £5 a month, and a label that says what £5 does makes that decision easier.

Do not hide the one-off option or make monthly the only choice. A donor who feels pushed may leave without giving anything. For a Christmas appeal, the one-off gift is the front door, and the monthly gift is a second, optional door next to it.

When should you ask for a monthly gift?

There are three natural moments, and you can use all of them without repeating yourself.

On the donate page: a clear monthly choice next to the one-off choice, with its own amounts.
In the thank you email: a short, warm invitation after the thanks, never before it.
In January: a follow up to the Christmas donors, when the festive noise has died down.

Avoid asking again in the first few days after a gift. Give the donor room to enjoy having given. A second ask at 10 to 14 days, once they have heard what their gift did, can feel like an update, not a request.

What should the thank you email say?

WeGlow.world sends a thank you email automatically after a gift, but only if you have written a thank you text for your page or campaign. Write it before you launch, or donors get nothing from you.

Keep it to four short parts, in this order:

Thank them by first name and say what the gift will do.
Share one real, small detail from your work.
Invite them, softly, to give a little each month.
Tell them they can ignore the invitation and that the thanks stands either way.

The donate form asks for a first name and an email address, so you can greet people personally. Do not promise a specific outcome you cannot deliver, and do not guilt anyone. A sentence such as "If you would like to help all year, you can choose a monthly gift here" is enough.

How does Gift Aid fit in?

If you are a charity recognised for tax purposes, you can claim 25p for every £1 given, so a £100 gift becomes £125 for you. The donor pays nothing extra, but must have paid enough Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax to cover it and must make a declaration.

The WeGlow.world donate form does not collect Gift Aid declarations. You need your own tickbox or form that captures the full declaration: the charity name, the donor's full name and home address with postcode, a statement that they want Gift Aid applied, the date, and the tax statement.

A declaration can cover gifts in the past, present and future, so a single declaration can cover a monthly gift. Keep each declaration for 6 years after the last gift you claim on, and claim within 4 years of the end of the period in which the gift was received.

Raffle tickets and paid event tickets are not gifts, so they get no Gift Aid. Companies cannot give with Gift Aid either. Charities and community amateur sports clubs are the only claimants. If you are unsure of your status, ask HMRC.

How do you do it with WeGlow.world?

Start by setting up a donate page in three steps: amount, personal details and summary. Add a one-off and a monthly set of amounts, label each one, and write your thank you text. It works on a phone. You can start for free with an account.

The four Christmas experiences are concepts until the official launch, so treat them as a preview. In the Glow Room, a 3D living room with a Christmas tree, each gift becomes a decoration on the tree. A donor who gave once sees what they added, which is a natural moment to invite them back each month.

You can also let supporters start their own fundraising page for your appeal, which can bring in friends of friends, some of whom may be new donors. Create your account at WeGlow.world or contact the team with questions.

For more ideas on the wider campaign, read our Christmas fundraising ideas for a UK charity, plan your emails with Christmas emails to donors, and check the details in Gift Aid and Christmas fundraising. The full hub is at Christmas fundraising.

Frequently asked questions

Short answers to the questions charities ask most about turning a Christmas donor into a monthly one.

Is it too pushy to ask a Christmas donor to give monthly?

Not if you thank them first, keep the ask short and make it easy to say no. Offer monthly as a choice on the donate page and as an invitation in the thank you email. Do not repeat it daily.

What amount should a monthly gift start at?

Choose small amounts that you can describe, such as £3, £5 or £10, and label what each one does. Pick figures based on your own costs and your own donors, not on a rule of thumb.

Does the WeGlow.world donate form collect Gift Aid declarations?

No. You need your own tickbox or form that captures the full declaration. Keep each declaration for 6 years after the last gift you claim on. Ask HMRC if you are unsure about your charity status.

Will every donor get a thank you email?

Only if you have written a thank you text. When one is set up, the email goes out automatically after a gift. Set it up before launch and test it with your own gift.

Can I use a raffle to find monthly donors?

Be careful. A raffle ticket is a payment for a chance to win, not a gift, so it gets no Gift Aid, and lotteries fall under the Gambling Act 2005. Ask the Gambling Commission or your local authority which rules apply.

Sources

All sources were checked on 9 October 2026.