What's in my Inbox: WHYY's Smart EFT Switch Campaign

This week in my inbox, I found something I’ve never seen before.

A campaign specifically designed to get donors to switch from credit cards to EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer).

And it’s brilliant.

WHYY, Philadelphia’s public radio and TV station, sent both an email and a direct mail piece with one simple message: “Make the Switch!”

Why This Matters
Let me tell you why your gym processes your membership through EFT instead of your credit card.

It’s not just convenience.

EFT means lower processing fees. No worries about lost or stolen cards. And here’s the kicker — it’s much harder for members to cancel.

Your monthly gym membership runs about 2-3% in processing fees with credit cards. With EFT? Often less than 30 cents per transaction.

The math is simple. More of your donor’s gift goes to your mission.

The Campaign That Caught My Eye

WHYY’s approach is refreshingly honest.

Their subject line? “One small change will make your donation go so much further!”

No tricks. No hidden agenda.

The email starts with gratitude. Always always always lead with gratitude.

“Thank you for being you! Your monthly gift helps us bring our best to the tri-state area every day.”

Then they get to the point fast.

“More than sixty percent of our members are Sustaining Members, just like you, and many of those ongoing monthly gifts are processed through credit cards.”

They explain exactly why they want donors to switch. Credit card processing fees eat into donations. EFT saves money and eliminates the hassle of updating expired cards.

The Multi-Channel Approach

What I love most? WHYY didn’t just send an email.

They led with direct mail. Same message. Same design. Different format.

The mail piece includes a detachable form with a voided check option.

Three ways to make the switch:

Mail it in
Go online
Call it in

They made it easy. Really easy.

As we always stress in our monthly giving classes, you must make EFT giving as simple as humanly possible.

Remove every barrier. Every hesitation. Every excuse.

The Sneaky (But Smart) Upgrade

Here’s where things get interesting.

I’m a $5 monthly donor to WHYY. Yet, when I clicked through to their donation page, it defaulted to $20 per month.

I’m not going to lie: as a donor, that felt a bit sneaky. But I always recommend testing.

As my friend, Erica Waasdorp said, “there are not enough people pushing for EFT… npr/ptv has done this successfully though. it’s a smart approach.”

She’s right. “It’s great to do a campaign for it… you can combine it with an upgrade at the same time too.”

Why Your Nonprofit Needs EFT

Most nonprofits ignore EFT completely.

Big mistake.

Monthly donors who give via EFT have higher retention rates. They give longer. They upgrade more often.

And you save money on every single gift.

But here’s what most nonprofits get wrong. They make EFT an afterthought. A checkbox buried on their donation form.

WHYY made it the star of the show.

They created an entire campaign around the switch. They explained the why. They made it easy. They combined it with an upgrade opportunity. Now, I don’t know their numbers and I wouldn’t necessarily advise you to create an entire campaign around switching to EFT.

But I do advise every nonprofit to set up EFT and to make it as easy as humanly possible to give via EFT.

The Bottom Line

This campaign respects donors’ intelligence. WHYY explained exactly why they wanted donors to switch. They showed how it benefits both the donor (no more updating cards) and the organization (lower fees, more stable giving).

The result? A campaign that builds trust while improving their bottom line.
That’s donor-centric fundraising at its finest.

Your donors want to help you succeed. They want their gifts to have maximum impact.

So ask them to give via EFT.

Make it easy to do (click here for another example from WHYY). And if you do run a similar campaign, don’t be afraid to ask for an upgrade while you’re at it.

Your bank account (and your mission) will thank you. Download this “What’s in My Inbox” example by clicking the image below.

Want to create campaigns like this? In Mastering Monthly Giving, the quintessential online class for nonprofits, I walk you through everything WHYY did right here – plus all the strategies they didn’t use. Because there’s so much more your nonprofit can do with monthly giving. Click here to learn more.

Want more inbox inspiration? The Grow Report lands in thousands of inboxes every Thursday with the week’s best fundraising insights. Subscribe here and join smart nonprofit professionals who are growing their fundraising success.