In this article:

1. Recurring upsell ask types
2. Recurring upsell customizations

A recurring upsell is a pop-up that donors see after they process a one-time contribution. The pop-up suggests that the donor increases their impact by converting to a recurring contribution. (Their one-time contribution will already have been processed, so you won't lose out on any donations!)

To edit your recurring upsell settings, head to the “Post-donation upsells” tab of your form editor.

Make sure the “Post-donation upsell” dropdown at the top is set to “Recurring.”

(The other option in the dropdown is Smart Boost. Learn more about Smart Boost here.)

Recurring upsell ask types

Click to expand the “Recurring upsell ask” dropdown menu.

Choose from the following types of recurring upsell asks.

Smart Options

Due to its high conversion rate, the Smart Options recurring upsell is turned on by default for all ActBlue contribution forms. This means that if you select a “Monthly: unlimited,” “Monthly: specified duration,” or “Weekly” recurring frequency, Smart Options will automatically be enabled. (If you don't have recurring enabled, donors will not see the Smart Options upsell.)

When Smart Options is enabled, all one-time donors will see a pop-up suggesting multiple monthly donation amounts smaller than the one-time donation they just made. Our conversion-optimized algorithm automatically generates these suggested amounts based on the original donation amount. Donors will also have the option to set a custom monthly amount.

Alternatively, you can turn on the “Smart Suggestion” or “Original amount” recurring upsell.

Smart Suggestions

When you turn on “Smart Suggestion”, donors making a one-time donation will see a pop-up suggesting a single lower recurring donation amount after they process their contribution. (This is different from “Smart Options,” which suggests multiple amounts and lets donors input a custom amount.)

Original Amount

The “Original Amount” option will ask donors to make their original donation amount recurring.

Regardless of the recurring pop-up you use, one-time donations will always process first, so you won’t lose a one-time donation if a donor opts out of your recurring program. When a supporter presses the “Donate” button on a contribution form, we’ll initiate a charge for the one-time donation. If they choose to “Make it monthly” on the pop-up, we convert their donation to a monthly recurring one. Supporters always have the option to skip the monthly donation. If they hit 'Skip it' or do nothing (close the page, etc.), the donor will only see the one-time charge they initiated on their credit card statement.

Recurring upsell customizations

Once you’ve selected a recurring upsell ask, you can customize the language displayed in the post-donation pop-up.

The “Upsell title” is an opportunity to add a short, catchy headline to your recurring ask. The “Upsell message” is custom text that will appear on the pop-up. Try to remind your donors why continued investment in your campaign or organization is important to your long-term goals. You’ll want to keep this blurb as short as possible, to make sure it’s not overwhelming for your mobile donors.

Once you’ve configured your pop-up settings, don't forget to click the green “Publish” button to save your changes. Then click “Show upsell preview” at the bottom of the “Post-donation upsells” tab to see what your pop-up ask will look like.

If you choose to translate your form’s standard ActBlue-provided text into Spanish, the ActBlue-provided text in your recurring upsell pop-up will also be translated.

(Note: You will still need to input a custom title and ask in Spanish.)

You can also customize your pop-up recurring box, which we highly recommend. By inserting an image or some customized HTML, you can prompt your donors by showing them something that will make them excited to become a recurring donor. When picking images to use in your fundraising, keep image vetting and consent best practices in mind.

Here's an example:

Customizing a pop-up box has worked well for several organizations, and we encourage you to try testing some customizations on your own forms.

Once you’ve finished customizing your pop-up, make sure to click on the green “Publish” button at the top of the form editor to save your edits.

Now you can use recurring upsells to build a large base of recurring donors!

In the “Recurring settings” tab, you can also write a custom, static recurring pitch for your contribution form or offer a free gift to supporters who choose to make a monthly donation. You can learn more about our full set of recurring tools here. 

If you have any questions, please contact our support team using the email address you use to access your ActBlue account.