Arguably the most valuable fundraising asset any charity has – apart from its cause - is its file of regular givers. They represent the most loyal supporters. They also provide the bedrock for future emergency donations. And, of course, for legacies.
So why are so many charities letting this asset decline?
For example, the NSPCC in its 24/25 results reported committed givers down by 22,000, and that followed another reduction of 20,000 In 2024. They were not alone. Save the Children in their 2025 results reported a drop of £2m in income largely through a decline in RGs. RSPCA also reported for 2025 a drop in regular income.
Just blaming cost-of-living crises isn’t the whole story. Netflix subscriber numbers were up 7% in 2025; where there is real (or even just perceived) value, consumers are clearly willing to hang on.
And that, I suggest, is what’s wrong with most RG asks for charities. Where’s the value? Well now, ‘value’ for charities is hardly the same as value for Netflix. Is it?
I think it is. Rather than getting movies, RGs get involvement: they become part of an issue they care about. Sponsorship has faded in recent years, but it’s actually one of the best ways of rewarding an RG with a real sense of that involvement.
So instead of just saying ‘your regular gift gives us income we can plan ahead with’, charities need to explain, in detail, exactly what that RG will do. RG’s want the detail. They want to be kept up to date. You need a strong comms plan for your RGs. You need to maintain that involvement.
Of course, getting sign-ups is tricky, whatever medium you use. And dare I suggest that’s something else that charities can learn from Netflix and other subscription offers? However marvellous the service is, they’ve found that the key to recruitment is trial. Netflix, Hello Fresh…the subscriber gets a low commitment sampling opportunity and then, assuming the sampling has gone well, they’ll stay.
So another difficult question: what’s the ‘trial’ that a charity can offer? Why can’t it be a three-month DD, for starters? Does it reduce the sense of involvement – or does it help the donor over the barrier of making a commitment in the first place?
For most subscription businesses, more money goes into testing the sampling offer than almost anything else. Should fundraisers get into the same mindset?