3 Ingredients for a Successful Sustainer Upgrade Program

At the Engage Group, we take pride in finding ways to leverage technology to strengthen our clients’ fundraising programs. One of our most rewarding collaborations has been with a PBS affiliate on their “Say Yes” sustainer upgrade effort in which recurring donors were offered the option to incrementally increase their monthly contribution.

Our client aimed to boost their sustainer program’s revenue, so we helped revamp their landing pages and simplify the donation process, making it much easier for recurring donors to upgrade their support.

We transformed the “Say Yes” initiative into the seamless experience it is today.

Previously, the client had used a form that was inconsistent with their branding and general design-style. On top of that, recurring donors had to input all of their personal information even though it was already held within their arm platform, Engaging Networks.

Our colleagues at CRM ROI Solutions worked with the organization on their data sync, and we began by analyzing the upgrade process, which relied on a cumbersome, lengthy form.

By utilizing the client’s Engaging Networks platform and incorporating our customizations, we eliminated unnecessary roadblocks and created a new, mobile-responsive, one-click upgrade experience.

The Engage Group (TEG) implemented autofill features through campaign email links that would pre-populate forms, minimizing friction for existing recurring donors.

TEG also worked with partners to develop a “Say Yes” form that, thanks to a properly-mapped sync with ROI, was branded consistently with other landing pages. It may not seem like a big issue if your supporters are clicking on an email you sent, but trust is always important, especially in an age of increasing cyber insecurity.

With these enhancements, the process simply involves a recurring donor receiving an email with links to the upgrade form, one click to land on a standard form with donor info prepopulated, and then one click of the Submit button. The CRM sync occurs and the donor’s contribution amount is updated. It couldn’t be simpler or easier for any party.

3 Key Ingredients to Successful Sustainer Upgrades

1. Field syncs
2. Consistent branding on form
3. Pre-populated form data

These three ingredients are the foundation of the campaign’s success. These simple but powerful updates made the process seamless and has eliminated manage manual client-side upgrades!

The results from this new upgrade process are providing the organization with a reliably consistent boost to their fundraising efforts, and we’re already planning new enhancements to further grow their sustainer community.

At The Engage Group, we view successful upgrade programs as an ongoing journey, and we’re excited to continue on this path in partnership with our client.

The Engage Group is an Engaging Networks Full Service Accreditation Partner and can serve as an expert resource for Engaging Networks clients who need to optimize the platform for their unique needs. If you need help with your Engaging Networks system, contact us – we’d love to support you.