Grow Sustainable Recurring Giving
Building a thriving recurring giving program doesn’t happen by accident. The Center for Sustainable Giving partners with organizations to design and grow recurring revenue strategies that endure.
Sustainable giving represents one of the most important opportunities in modern fundraising.
When organizations build programs designed for long-term donor value, recurring generosity can become a stable and expanding source of mission-fueling revenue.
Through strategic assessment and hands-on advisory, The Center helps organizations unlock that potential and build programs designed to grow for years to come.
Over the past several years, Dave Raley and his team have worked with dozens of organizations to unlock more than $41 million in new recurring revenue through sustainable giving strategies.
We Do One Thing
The Center for Sustainable Giving focuses on one challenge: helping organizations grow sustainable recurring revenue.
For many organizations, recurring giving begins as a monthly donation program. But the organizations that see the greatest results treat recurring giving as something larger – a strategic engine for long-term donor relationships and stable funding.
That shift requires more than incremental improvements. It requires stepping back, understanding the full opportunity in front of you, and building a strategy designed to endure.
That’s the work we do alongside the organizations we serve.
A Strategic Process for Sustainable Growth
Organizations typically grow sustainable giving through two stages:
Understanding the opportunity and executing the strategy to realize it.
ASSESSMENT
Understanding the Opportunity
Growth begins with clarity.
Through a structured assessment, we work with your team to understand the current state of your recurring giving program, identify barriers to growth, and uncover the most promising opportunities ahead.
Our assessment examines sustainable giving across ten key dimensions of program performance and strategy. Depending on the scope of the engagement, the process may include:
Kickoff and team onboarding
A comprehensive 10-point sustainable giving assessment
Stakeholder interviews with key leaders and team members
Review of current fundraising strategies and program materials
Donor journey evaluation, including a “secret donor” experience
Analysis of program trends, retention, and revenue patterns
Alignment of team strengths and internal capacity
A Sustainable Giving Strategy Retreat in Seattle (for larger engagements)
The process concludes with a clear roadmap outlining the most important opportunities for growth and the strategic steps needed to pursue them.
“Our team raved about the strategy session, leaving the day with a clear idea of what needs to be done next and excited to start working on it.”
ADVISORY
Building a Program Designed to Grow
Once the opportunity is clear, the next step is building and executing a strategy designed for long-term growth.
Advisory engagements are practical, collaborative partnerships focused on helping organizations implement their sustainable giving roadmap and strengthen recurring revenue over time.
Depending on the needs of the organization, advisory includes:
Ongoing strategic guidance for growing sustainable giving
Regular advisory calls with leadership and fundraising teams
Review of campaigns, strategies, and creative approaches
Coaching and strategic support for internal teams
Objective feedback and outside perspective on key decisions
Guidance on best practices drawn from sector experience
Ad hoc advisory conversations as new opportunities or challenges arise
The goal is not simply short-term growth, but building a sustainable giving program capable of expanding year after year.
“Imago transformed our struggling monthly sustainer program within a year… and positioned our organization for long-term growth.”
Who This Work Helps Most
Advisory engagements with The Center tend to be most helpful for organizations that:
• Already have an established recurring giving program
• Are ready to significantly grow recurring revenue
• Have leadership support for long-term donor value strategies
• Want a strategic partner to guide the next phase of growth
Most organizations we work with already have a meaningful base of recurring donors and are looking to scale their program over the coming years.
Build a Sustainable Giving Program That Endures
If your organization is ready to significantly grow recurring giving, we invite you to begin a conversation.
What Happens Next
• We review your submission personally
• If it looks like there may be a good fit, we'll follow up to schedule a conversation
• If advisory isn’t the right next step, we’ll point you toward other helpful resources