Regular giving (monthly automatic payment)

Ask supporters to set up a small monthly automatic payment for steady, predictable income.

Typically raises

$600

$120–6,000 a yearest.

About $80 per organiser hour

Based on a small group with 5-30 regular givers

Is it right for us?

Money: $500–2,000
Work: A few evenings
Helpers: 1–2 people
Lead time: 2–3 weeks
Red tape: None

Uncommon: big charities do it; small groups rarely ask

People: 1
Organiser time: 5-10 setup, 1/month
Lead time: 2-4 weeks
Up-front cost: Nothing up front
Risk: none
Who can use it: Anyone can receive automatic payments. Only donee organisations can give tax-credit receipts (an annual receipt is fine).

Suits: Church, Charity

Less usual for: Community group, marae or service club, Kapa haka, choir, theatre or band

When: Summer (Dec–Feb), Autumn (Mar–May), Winter (Jun–Aug), Spring (Sep–Nov), End of the school year, End of the sports season

How big a job: A few evenings, 1–2 people

How it works

The money, as an example sum

Sell at $5 a monthly gift, keep $5, so 120 monthly gifts = $600. That’s about the typical result.

Using the figures on this page. Your prices and costs will differ.

Where the money figure comes from

ESTIMATE: per year for a small group with 5-30 regular givers at $5-$20/month. Illustrative.

Last checked October 2026. Ran this? Tell us what you raised and we’ll use real results to improve the figures.

Step by step

Decide what regular income will fund (e.g. a coach, the hall power bill).
Prepare bank details and a standard reference.
Ask in person at a moment of high goodwill (prize-giving, end of season).
Record start dates; send an annual receipt and thank-you.
Report once or twice a year on what the money did.

Getting the word out

Even a well-run plan fails if nobody hears about it. There are two asks, and the first one goes out first.

Ask for help: Members to pass the ask on to people they know.
Ask people to buy: People and businesses to give.
When to start: Ask for helpers first, as soon as the date is set. Start the public ask about 3–4 weeks out, and book newsletter and paper notices before that: small newsletters close early.

Where to put it

Asking people yourselfMost yeses come from someone asking directly. Give every member a short message they can send to family and workmates.
Email lists and group chatsYour members’ email list and the class, team or church group chats. Short, with one date or one link.
School, club and church newslettersYour own newsletter is free and read by the families most likely to say yes. Check when it closes.
Local Facebook pages and community groupsPost in your town’s community page and local groups (check their rules), and share from your group’s own page.

The full guide to getting the word out: every channel from flyers to the evening news, with lead times and costs.

What you’ll need

Place: Not neededNone needed
Landowner’s permission: Not needed
Council permit: Not needed
Food rules: Not neededNo food sold
Alcohol: Not neededNo alcohol sold
Gambling rules: Not neededNot gambling

Anyone can receive automatic payments; only donee organisations can issue tax-credit receipts (one annual receipt is fine).

Tips

$10/month feels small but is $120/year: show the annual figure.

Watch out for

Forgetting to thank regular givers; they quietly cancel.