
Watsi Analysis: SaaS Economics Are the Future of Charity - thingsilearned
https://chartio.com/blog/2015/03/saas-economics-are-the-future-of-charity?utm_campaign=New+Releases&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=16509231&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9sKT3S1y63cv4OcT7NAhIVbcYJ8lezHAYn6xaqnTMuj44Ar474x4ZcF-kWsWaySp2hUZkC4syHJL5ah_6RaZHOTLONiA&_hsmi=16509231
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7Figures2Commas
The argument that subscription economics are "the future of charity" is
bizarre. It's the present and past of charity.

From the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders to the ASPCA and American
Cancer Society, it's virtually impossible to find a large charitable
organization that doesn't offer donors the ability to make recurring
donations. Most donation forms (online and paper) include a highly-visible opt
in for recurring donations.

Watsi may or may not be an innovative organization, but it is hardly
pioneering the recurring donation model and the notion that established
charities aren't dedicating resources to optimizing their recurring donations
just isn't accurate.

The reason most charities/non-profits have trouble raising funds is not that
they don't ask for recurring donations; it's that they don't have the
resources to compete effectively for donors in the first place.

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bglazer
Excellent analysis. I can't believe they don't solicit a recurring donation to
the universal fund immediately after a one time donationd! The donor is
clearly already in the giving mindset.

I wonder how this SaaS "subscription" giving model would work for non profits
that don't have a humanitarian mission. The model seems well suited to open
source projects or advocacy groups.

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neodude
Hey there, Thomas from Watsi here. We actually used to have a "Donate monthly"
checkout during the one-time donation flow, but in the several months that the
checkbox was live, I think exactly one person ever checked it. We also have a
link to the Universal Fund after you make a one-time donation, and that's seen
good conversions.

That said, I definitely agree that there are other ways to solicit a donor to
join the Universal Fund during / after a one-time donation. Our next idea for
a test is to add a quick option immediately after a one-time donation that
let's you sign up right there, something like, "Donate $5 every month! [Yes] /
[No]".

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bglazer
Hey thanks for responding Thomas! Good luck bringing even more people on board
the universal fund. It's a really interesting model.

