Giving Automation Recipes
Ready-to-use PCO List + Automation recipes powered by Parable's giving engagement fields.
These recipes use Parable's giving engagement fields (Giving Pattern, Giving Trend, Payment Alert) synced to the Parable: Giving tab in Planning Center People. Each recipe pairs a PCO List with a PCO Automation for hands-free follow-up.
Prerequisites
Before setting up automations, confirm that:
- Engagement scoring is enabled under Settings → Engagement
- Giving Engagement sync is turned on under Settings → Engagement → Planning Center Sync
- The Parable: Giving tab in PCO People contains Giving Pattern, Giving Trend, and Payment Alert fields
Parable creates the tab and its fields automatically on the first sync after you enable the toggle.
The Parable: Giving tab fields used by these recipes:
| Field | Type | Values |
|---|---|---|
| Giving Pattern | Select | New Donor, Second Gift, New Recurring, Recurring, Occasional, At-Risk, Lapsed, Recovered, Inactive |
| Giving Trend | Select | Growing, Stable, Declining |
| Payment Alert | Checkboxes | Failed Gift, Expiring Payment Method, Card Fee Savings |
1. New Donor Welcome
Goal: Welcome first-time givers within 48 hours.
PCO List
- Rule: Parable: Giving > Giving Pattern is "New Donor"
- Automations tab > Run automation: New Donor Welcome
PCO Automation
| Step | Type | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wait | 1 day |
| 2 | Subject: "Thank you for your generous gift!" — personalized welcome, introduce giving impact, link to recurring giving page | |
| 3 | Wait | 5 days |
| 4 | Subject: "Here's how your gift made a difference" — share a story or impact metric |
2. Second Gift Follow-Up
Goal: Encourage the critical second-to-third gift transition.
PCO List
- Rule: Parable: Giving > Giving Pattern is "Second Gift"
PCO Automation
| Step | Type | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wait | 1 day |
| 2 | Subject: "You're making a real difference" — thank them for continued generosity, introduce recurring giving | |
| 3 | Wait | 14 days |
| 4 | Subject: "Join our community of regular givers" — benefits of recurring giving, simple setup link |
3. New Recurring Celebration
Goal: Celebrate and reinforce the decision to set up recurring giving.
PCO List
- Rule: Parable: Giving > Giving Pattern is "New Recurring"
PCO Automation
| Step | Type | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wait | 1 day |
| 2 | Subject: "You just made generosity effortless" — celebrate their commitment, show the annualized impact of their recurring gift | |
| 3 | Wait | 30 days |
| 4 | Subject: "Your first month of recurring giving" — recap what their giving enabled, keep vision in front of them |
4. Build Recurring
Goal: Convert occasional givers into recurring donors.
PCO List
- Rule: Parable: Giving > Giving Pattern is "Occasional"
- AND Parable: Giving > Giving Trend is "Growing" OR "Stable"
PCO Automation
| Step | Type | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Subject: "Make your impact automatic" — show their giving history, explain how recurring simplifies giving | |
| 2 | Wait | 7 days |
| 3 | Subject: "Set it and forget it — recurring giving in 60 seconds" — direct link to set up recurring, testimonial from a recurring giver |
5. At-Risk Outreach
Goal: Re-engage donors who are approaching their lapse threshold before they fully disengage.
PCO List
- Rule: Parable: Giving > Giving Pattern is "At-Risk"
PCO Automation
| Step | Type | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Subject: "We're grateful for you" — warm check-in, share a recent win or story, soft reminder of giving link | |
| 2 | Wait | 7 days |
| 3 | Create a task | Assign to pastoral care: "Personal outreach to at-risk donor — check in before they lapse" |
6. Re-engage Lapsed
Goal: Bring back donors who have missed their expected giving cycle.
PCO List
- Rule: Parable: Giving > Giving Pattern is "Lapsed"
PCO Automation
| Step | Type | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Subject: "We miss you" — gentle, non-guilt-based reminder of community impact | |
| 2 | Wait | 10 days |
| 3 | Subject: "Your gift matters more than you know" — share a current need or project, include giving link | |
| 4 | Wait | 14 days |
| 5 | Create a task | Assign to pastoral care: "Personal outreach to lapsed donor — check in on wellbeing" |
7. Welcome Back Recovered
Goal: Celebrate and retain donors who returned after a lapse.
PCO List
- Rule: Parable: Giving > Giving Pattern is "Recovered"
PCO Automation
| Step | Type | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wait | 1 day |
| 2 | Subject: "Welcome back — your generosity is a blessing" — warm, celebratory tone, no mention of the gap | |
| 3 | Wait | 21 days |
| 4 | Subject: "Keep the momentum going" — invite to set up recurring giving |
8. Failed Gift Recovery
Goal: Quickly resolve failed payments before donors churn.
PCO List
- Rule: Parable: Giving > Payment Alert contains "Failed Gift"
PCO Automation
| Step | Type | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Subject: "Quick update on your recent gift" — explain payment didn't process, provide link to update payment method, empathetic tone | |
| 2 | Wait | 3 days |
| 3 | Subject: "We're here to help" — offer phone/email support to resolve, include direct contact for finance team | |
| 4 | Wait | 7 days |
| 5 | Create a task | Assign to admin: "Follow up on unresolved failed gift — personal outreach" |
9. Expiring Payment Method
Goal: Proactively update payment methods before they expire and cause failed gifts.
PCO List
- Rule: Parable: Giving > Payment Alert contains "Expiring Payment Method"
PCO Automation
| Step | Type | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Subject: "Your payment method is expiring soon" — friendly heads-up, direct link to update payment info | |
| 2 | Wait | 7 days |
| 3 | Subject: "Friendly reminder: update your payment method" — emphasize uninterrupted giving, step-by-step instructions | |
| 4 | Wait | 14 days |
| 5 | Create a task | Assign to admin: "Expiring payment method not yet updated — personal outreach" |
10. Reduce Processing Fees (Card to ACH)
Goal: Encourage card-based recurring donors to switch to ACH to reduce processing fees.
PCO List
- Rule: Parable: Giving > Payment Alert contains "Card Fee Savings"
PCO Automation
| Step | Type | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Subject: "A simple way to maximize your giving" — explain that switching from card to bank transfer (ACH) means lower fees and more of their gift goes to mission | |
| 2 | Wait | 14 days |
| 3 | Subject: "Did you know? Bank transfers save on fees" — include specific savings estimate (e.g., "switching saves ~2.5% per gift"), provide direct link to update payment method |
Tips for Success
Start small. Test each automation with a small group before rolling out to your full congregation.
- Timing: Run automations during business hours for best open rates
- Tone: Always people-first — never guilt-based or transactional
- Personalization: Use PCO merge fields (first name, last gift amount) where available
- Exit conditions: People are automatically removed from automations when their Giving Pattern changes and they no longer match the list rule
- Coordination: Check that automations don't overlap — a person should only be in one giving automation at a time