Making Heaven Crowded
How to give monthly to Making Heaven Crowded
A small gift that repeats does more for steady outreach than a large gift that comes once.
Tick the monthly box, then set up the repeat
To give monthly, start a gift on the giving page, choose your amount, and tick the box that says you would like to make it a monthly gift. The giving page then shows you how to set up the repeat in one step. Which step that is depends on the method you pick: with Zelle you choose a recurring option in your own banking app, and with the other methods the team emails you a link after your first gift so you can set up an automatic monthly gift.
Either way the first gift is a normal gift. You will get a reference code, a gift summary, and an official receipt once the gift is confirmed, exactly as with a one-time donation.
Outreach happens every week, so the supply costs do too
Making Heaven Crowded’s street teams go out most Saturdays in downtown Tampa and downtown Gainesville, and the food and water they carry has to be bought again each time. The Serving Saturdays outreach is a standing rhythm rather than a one-off event. A gift that repeats lines up with that rhythm, because the team can plan around money that arrives on a known schedule.
The organization has handed out more than 2,800 meals and 3,000 bottles of water since October 2025. Predictable giving is simply easier to plan around than a surge after one event followed by a quiet month.
The arithmetic of a monthly gift
The giving page describes what each preset amount supports, and monthly giving multiplies it by twelve. These are the preset amounts with the organization’s own description of each, and the yearly total of giving that amount every month:
- $25 a month is $300 over a year. A single $25 gift is described as food for a street outreach and the conversations it opens.
- $50 a month is $600 over a year. A single $50 gift is described as an afternoon feeding and praying with people downtown.
- $100 a month is $1,200 over a year. A single $100 gift is described as outreach in Tampa and Gainesville on the same day.
Pick the number you can keep up without strain. A $25 gift that continues for two years is worth more to the team than a $100 gift that stops after one month because it was too much.
How the repeat works for each payment method
Zelle
Zelle has no fees, which makes it the best fit for a gift that repeats. After you send the first gift, use the recurring option inside your bank’s Zelle screen. The detailed walkthrough is in the guide to giving by Zelle.
Card, Apple Pay and Google Pay
Card checkout runs at the preset amounts of $25, $50, $100, $250 and $500, so a card gift that repeats uses one of those amounts. A custom amount cannot go through card checkout at all, which is explained on the page about ways to donate.
PayPal and Cash App
After your first PayPal or Cash App gift, the giving page says the team will email you a link to set up the automatic monthly gift. Both of those methods take a processing fee, about 2.9% plus 30 cents for PayPal and about 2.75% for Cash App, so a small recurring amount loses a slightly larger share to fees than a large one.
Changing, pausing or stopping
A repeating gift should never feel like a trap. If you set it up through your bank, you manage it with your bank and can usually change the amount or end it there. For gifts set up through the link the team emails you, write to Makingheavencrowdedtampa@gmail.com or call (941) 718-2867 and ask. A request to change or stop is a normal one.
Keep an eye on the receipts as well. Each confirmed gift generates one, and the guide to your donation receipt and reference code explains what is on it, which is useful when you gather records at the end of the year. For questions about deductibility, the page on whether gifts are tax-deductible covers the 501(c)(3) status and the EIN.
Related pages and sources
To see the full set of options, read about ways to donate to Making Heaven Crowded. People who want to see where gifts go can read the impact numbers, or learn about the Serving Saturdays outreach that monthly gifts help supply.
Giving monthly
- Can I give to Making Heaven Crowded every month?
- Yes. On the giving page, tick the box that says you would like to make your gift monthly. The page then shows you how to set up the repeat, which depends on the payment method you choose.
- How do I set up a monthly Zelle gift?
- Send your first gift by Zelle and choose the recurring option in your banking app when you send. Most banks offer a monthly repeat on Zelle payments. Because it lives in your bank, you manage it there.
- How do monthly gifts work with PayPal or Cash App?
- After you send the first gift, the team emails you a link to set up an automatic monthly gift. Both methods carry processing fees, about 2.9% plus 30 cents for PayPal and about 2.75% for Cash App.
- Can I give a monthly gift by card at any amount?
- No. Card, Apple Pay and Google Pay checkout works only at the preset amounts of $25, $50, $100, $250 and $500. A custom monthly amount needs another method such as Zelle.
- How do I stop or change a monthly gift?
- If you set it up in your banking app, change or end it there. For a gift set up through the emailed link, email Makingheavencrowdedtampa@gmail.com or call (941) 718-2867 and ask the team.
- Do I get a receipt for each monthly gift?
- Each confirmed gift has its own record and reference code, and the official receipt is emailed once the team confirms it. Keep them together if you need your total for the year.
Questions? Email Makingheavencrowdedtampa@gmail.com or call (941) 718-2867.