Automated reminders for recurring donors

Purpose

1. Notify recurring donors of upcoming, pending, or missed donations, boosting engagement and donation reliability.

2. Reduce administrative effort in manual donor follow-up and support sustained funding for community theatre initiatives.

3. Strengthen donor retention by maintaining continuous, valued communications with supporters.

4. Achieve compliance requirements for donation acknowledgment and transparency.

Trigger Conditions

1. Scheduled: Predefined intervals before or after donation due dates (e.g., 3 days prior, day of, or 2 days overdue).

2. Event-based: Payment processor status change (success, failed, pending) triggers reminder.

3. Manual admin override: Staff initiates reminders for specific donors.

4. Anniversary: Donation or membership renewal matches predefined cycle (monthly, yearly, etc.).

Platform Variants

1. Twilio (SMS/WhatsApp)

 • Feature/Setting: Configure scheduled SMS using Twilio Programmable Messaging API; setup recurring logic via automated workflows.
 • Sample: POST to /Messages with dynamic donor number and templated text payload.

2. SendGrid (Email)

 • Feature/Setting: Use automated email sequences via Marketing Campaigns; trigger workflow via API when due date approaches.
 • Sample: API call to /mail/send with donor email and dynamic donation data.

3. Mailchimp

 • Feature/Setting: Audience automation triggers; set up recurring last donation date checks, auto-email series.
 • Sample: Set up "Date-based automation" for audience segment matching donation cycle.

4. Slack

 • Feature/Setting: API scheduling via Slackbot; DM reminders to donor/organizer channel.
 • Sample: chat.postMessage with scheduled timestamp, user/channel mapping.

5. HubSpot

 • Feature/Setting: Workflow automation for contact properties "Next Donation Date"; trigger email or SMS reminders.
 • Sample: Trigger "Workflow" on property change, send email using "Sequence".

6. Salesforce

 • Feature/Setting: Process Builder or Flows to detect upcoming donation, send reminders via integrated email or SMS.
 • Sample: Define flow "Donation Reminder", notify using Messaging API.

7. Zoho CRM

 • Feature/Setting: Workflow automation on field "Donation Due Date", trigger email/SMS via Zoho Campaigns or integrations.
 • Sample: Custom Automation with API webhook to messaging service.

8. Google Calendar

 • Feature/Setting: Automated calendar invites; use API to create recurring reminder events for donors.
 • Sample: POST to /calendars/events with recurrence rule and donor email.

9. Microsoft Outlook

 • Feature/Setting: Automated emails using Power Automate; scan for due donation and trigger mail.
 • Sample: "Send an email (V2)" action on schedule or SharePoint trigger.

10. Pipedrive

 • Feature/Setting: Automations for custom fields "Donor Renewal Date"; trigger integrated messaging/email API.
 • Sample: Automation: field condition → send email via Pipedrive Mail or external webhook.

11. ActiveCampaign

 • Feature/Setting: Automations based on custom date field; trigger reminder email/SMS flows.
 • Sample: "Date-based trigger", send template from Campaigns library.

12. Airtable

 • Feature/Setting: Script block automation to detect due dates, alert via integrated email or notification.
 • Sample: Scripting with scheduled check → OUTBOUND API to email/SMS.

13. Monday.com

 • Feature/Setting: Board automation—recurring reminders on date column, notify assigned user or email.
 • Sample: "When date arrives, send email to…" automation.

14. Constant Contact

 • Feature/Setting: Automated series for scheduled donation reminders tied to custom field dates.
 • Sample: Contact trigger automation, campaign email template.

15. Intercom

 • Feature/Setting: Automated message triggers or Product Tours for recurring donor segments.
 • Sample: Trigger message on date property matching upcoming donation.

16. Notion

 • Feature/Setting: Database with reminder automations via Notion API—send notification or integrate with email/SMS.
 • Sample: Cron check on "Next Donation" field, trigger outbound message.

17. Brevo (ex-Sendinblue)

 • Feature/Setting: Transactional email/sms automation workflows via API, triggered by intended donation date.
 • Sample: Workflow on "Anniversary Date", transactional API send.

18. Freshdesk

 • Feature/Setting: Scenario automations to send email/SMS reminders from ticketing workflow.
 • Sample: Time-triggered workflow, outbound message via API.

19. WhatsApp Business API

 • Feature/Setting: Scheduled template message send; used for direct donor engagement reminders.
 • Sample: Send template using /messages endpoint with dynamic variables.

20. Klaviyo

 • Feature/Setting: Flow builder with trigger on custom date fields (next donation), send pre-configured reminders.
 • Sample: Metric-triggered flow, dynamic email template.

21. Stripe

 • Feature/Setting: Webhook triggers on payment_due or subscription_upcoming, integrate outbound reminder message workflow.
 • Sample: Use webhook to API that dispatches email or SMS.

22. QuickBooks

 • Feature/Setting: Scheduled invoice reminder via API for pledged donation payments.
 • Sample: Automated invoices + reminder emails through workflow.

Benefits

1. Eliminates manual follow-up, saving time for staff/volunteers.

2. Reduces donor churn with timely, personalized reminders.

3. Increases payment collection rates for community theatres.

4. Maintains professional communication, elevating donor trust and engagement.

5. Fosters a culture of dependable, sustained giving supporting ongoing arts programming.