Recurring giving upsell in receipt emails

What we tested

A donor's first gift doesn't have to be their last. In fact, one of the most effective ways to build sustainable fundraising revenue is to help one-time donors become recurring supporters.

One opportunity comes immediately after a donation is made. Receipt emails are among the most frequently opened donor communications, making them a natural place to invite supporters to deepen their commitment.

We wanted to understand whether adding a recurring giving invitation to the one-time donation receipt email could encourage more donors to become monthly supporters. To test this, we added a recurring giving upsell that directed donors to a one-click Recurring Confirmation Page, allowing them to start a recurring gift without logging in or re-entering their payment information.

We tested three different ways of presenting the ask, including suggested monthly donation amounts and a simplified single-button approach.

The goal was simple: turn a donor touchpoint that already exists into an opportunity to grow recurring giving and strengthen long-term donor relationships.

Hypothesis

If we add a recurring-giving upsell to the one-time receipt email, recurring conversion will rise by at least 1.3%, because donors who have just given are primed to deepen their support when the next step feels effortless.

Test setup

Key results

While recurring conversion remained unchanged, the way the ask was presented influenced donation behavior.

• +6.19% increase in average donation amount for the two-preset + custom amount variation
• −44.36% decrease in direct upsell conversion for the single-button variation
• No statistically significant change in recurring conversion across any variation
• No statistically significant change in email-to-donation conversion

The results suggest that donors respond better when they are given suggested amounts to choose from, rather than a single generic call-to-action.

Conclusion

Adding a recurring giving upsell to receipt emails did not increase recurring donor conversion. However, the way the ask was structured had a measurable impact on donor behavior.

The strongest-performing variation combined two suggested donation amounts with a custom amount option, increasing average donation value by 6.19% without negatively affecting overall conversion.

By contrast, simplifying the experience to a single button significantly reduced donor engagement with the upsell.

Based on these results, we're rolling out the two-preset + custom amount variation and continuing to explore ways to convert more one-time donors into recurring supporters.

What this means for you

Growing recurring revenue starts with creating more opportunities for donors to deepen their support.

This test showed that receipt emails can be an effective place to engage supporters after they give. While we didn't see an increase in recurring donor conversion, we did learn that giving donors clear suggested options can increase donation value and drive stronger engagement.

More importantly, this test reinforces our approach to optimization. Every donor touchpoint — from Checkout to receipt emails to the Donor Portal — is an opportunity to strengthen donor relationships and increase fundraising results. But we only roll out changes that prove their value through real donor behavior.

We'll continue testing new ways to help nonprofits convert one-time donors into long-term supporters and build more predictable recurring revenue.

→ Explore how recurring giving can help your nonprofit build a foundation of predictable, sustainable support.