7 Ways to Grow Sustainable Giving at Your Next Event

Guest article by Dave Raley, Author of The Rise of Sustainable Giving and Host of the Sustainable Giving Podcast

Events are one of the most effective channels for growing consistent monthly giving. In fact, for some organizations, they can be the number ONE channel for sustainer acquisition.

In this article, I’m going to unpack why events can be so effective in growing recurring revenue, and share seven ways to grow sustainable generosity at your next event.

The Intersection of Events and Sustainable Giving

Following an appearance on the Hey Nonprofits! Podcast to talk about The Rise of Sustainable Giving, Trevor Nelson and co-founder Jason Ledlow at HGA Fundraising invited me to a fireside chat on the opportunities facing organizations to grow sustainable recurring giving at events. 

If you’d like, you can watch our conversation unfold below.

But that got me thinking…

Why are events such fertile soil for inviting people into recurring giving?

What Makes Events Good for Growing Sustainable Giving

Events can be effective in engaging with recurring giving for several key reasons.

1. Events are embodied

In an in-person event, you quite literally have a captive audience. In so many other mediums, we don’t fully have our audience’s attention – they might scan an email or direct mail piece, or watch part of a video, but we rarely have their full attention. When people gather in a space, they are fully present.

2. Events are experiential

Events can tap into all five of our senses. Events can create peak moments – moments that are memorable and powerful, and move our hearts and minds to align. I’ve written about peak moments before – and lessons we can learn from Disneyland circa 2000 about how to transition into an elevated peak experience. Powerful experiences create the conditions in which people are primed to be generous. 

3. Events are community

One thing that events can do exceptionally well is show people that they are part of a shared community of people passionate about the cause. At an event, you can see the social proof in the room. 

For example, imagine at your event asking everyone who is a monthly donor to stand up, and recognizing the impact that their faithful giving has made. In our fireside chat, Jason shared an example – you might say something like “because these monthly partners stepped up, 133 kids were able to go to camp this summer. Isn’t that incredible? Let’s celebrate.” Events inspire us to be part of a community of others like us who care about issues like these.

4. Events interrupt our routine

The best fundraising includes an element of interruption. It might be a disaster or crisis that grabs our attention and breaks our routine. 

Certain channels are more likely to interrupt our routine. Direct mail typically has a higher response rate than email, partly because you physically interact with the direct mail letter when going through your mailbox. Phone has a higher response than direct mail, partly because you are talking directly to the donor. 

Above all, events are the ultimate form of interrupting our routine – we choose to take several hours out of our busy schedules to go to a place and experience something that we don’t normally experience in our typical routine. Events cause us to pay attention in a way we never would during our day-to-day routines.

💡 Takeaway: Events are ideally suited to drive recurring giving – attendees are more fully present, they can create powerful, moving experiences, a sense of community and social proof, and they interrupt our typical routines. 

Now, let’s explore some strategies to foster recurring donations at your next event.

7 Ways to Grow Sustainable Giving at Your Event

1. Incorporate recurring giving into your event

The simplest and most important thing is actually to include it in your event. And don’t make recurring giving a sideshow – “Hey, if you maybe are interested in joining our monthly giving program, please consider stopping by the table in the back on the way out.” 

No.

Be bold, and make recurring giving a core part of your event experience. Every event is different, and I’m not suggesting that recurring giving should be the only or even primary ask. If you are hosting an auction, for example, the vast majority of your effort should be focused on raising auction money. However, find creative ways and moments to encourage people to make an ongoing impact through recurring giving.

2. Recognize that events don’t always have to be galas or golf tournaments

Some of the most impactful events are living room gatherings – as Sanjay Bindra shared on Episode 5 of the Sustainable Giving Podcast – receptions at homes are the primary fundraising strategy for the GOSUMEC Foundation. 

We work with multiple charities that have hosted open houses to have people come and see their work, and incorporate recurring giving into those events. We also have clients who have hosted dinners at board members’ houses or a local restaurant.

I love a good auction or banquet, but recognize that there are many different ways to gather people around your cause, including:

✅ Galas/Banquets/Auctions
✅ Golf Tournaments
✅ Living Room Gatherings
✅ Hosted Dinners
✅ Open Houses
✅ Tours
✅ Weekend Experiences

3. Architect the emotional flow of the event

Every event has a flow to it, and it’s crucial to design the event to guide people on an emotional journey. Like a great movie, we love the feeling of being taken on a powerful journey. 

For your event, consider where the energy will be in the room at different points. How can you arrange things so that the most powerful moment aligns with your request?

4. Make recurring giving visible

So often, generosity is invisible. But in an event, surrounded by other people who care about the cause, we have the opportunity to help people see the broader community of generosity that surrounds them. 

Find ways to make the act of recurring giving visible. We had one client who used differently colored signs to hold up with their paddles at the auction. Another created a display on the wall behind the speaker at the open house, inviting people to add their (paper) “brick” to the wall. Still another created a moment where people would come forward with their commitment, and if they chose to give monthly, they would use a different-colored envelope. 

5. Prime the audience

To the point above, recurring giving is a bigger commitment than a one-time gift, so you don’t want the first time they hear about recurring giving to be when you are making the ask. Find ways to indirectly or directly “prime” the attendees. 

Depending on the event, you can prime attendees well before the event itself, in how you position the event, and in the pre-event communications. But just as often, it’s fine to do so throughout the event itself – that could be as simple as a few mentions earlier in the event – “In a little bit, we’re going to have an opportunity to make a lasting impact in the lives of the kids we serve, but next…”

You might also make it visible, as per #4 above, so people become aware of it before the ask. The principle here is that you want to give people the time and space they need to go on the emotional journey of considering whether they will commit.

6. Incentivize conversion

Donating to a charity on a recurring basis is a significant decision. Given everything we’ve discussed so far, donors will likely be motivated to consider making a decision to give. In that moment, there are several ways to spur them into action – consider:

• A matching challenge ✅ – before the event, ask a donor or donors to consider a matching gift to double or triple the first gift of any new recurring donors at the event.
  
• A raffle or drawing ✅ – depending on the event, consider either an exclusive raffle for a prize like a nice basket (or an item from HGA Fundraising, which specializes in securing auction and raffle items). Depending on the number of donors you anticipate, the raffle entries could be exclusive to new recurring donors (or all recurring donors), or they could be open to single-gift donors, with recurring donors receiving 12 entries for every single donation’s one entry.
  
• A premium thank you gift ✅ – this could be a thank you for new recurring donors, and can range widely, from swag (water bottles, apparel, etc.) to something even from the auction – a trinket made by someone in the program as a reminder of your ongoing impact, or a centerpiece from the event… the list is endless.

Incentives by themselves don’t cause donors to give, but when a donor is considering a regular giving commitment, incentives can provide that last little bit of momentum a donor needs to act.

7. Have a follow-up plan in advance.

Before the event itself, ask: How will you follow up? Who on your team is going to do what? How will you thank donors (e.g., a call, a handwritten note, an email)? Who will be following up with whom, and what’s the next step, if any?

For example, depending on your strategy, you might invite some donors to a personal tour, or schedule a lunch or a visit to the donor. Sometimes events are more focused on vision casting, and follow-ups need to be set up to deepen the relationship once the donor has given, or to follow up, answer questions, and make the ask if they have not.

💡 Takeaway: Events are fertile ground for inspiring individuals to make a lasting impact through recurring giving. Wherever people gather, incorporate sustainable generosity, architect the emotional flow, make it visible, prime the audience, incentivize conversion, and have a follow-up plan in place.

Bonus: Bring in professional help

Events are a deep rabbit hole, and there are so many nuances to running a great event. Whatever your event, consider bringing in professional help. For some of our clients, that has meant bringing in a professional emcee or auctioneer. For others, that’s an event planner. For others, that might be using a company like HGA Fundraising to help secure items. 

And if you don’t have an expert walking alongside you to grow this type of giving model, consider bringing us in to work with you to grow recurring revenue for your charity. 

If you want to grow recurring giving, we’ve helped hundreds of organizations and thousands of leaders understand how to take advantage of the subscription economy and changing. 

There are three ways we can help: 

1. Attend a Sustainable Giving Workshop

We’ve taken the insights from the book, speaking to thousands of nonprofit leaders, and working with dozens of charities, and condensed them into a 2.5-day workshop, which we host 1-2 times a year. 👉 Learn more about the Sustainable Giving Workshop

2. Read the book The Rise of Sustainable Giving

Twenty years of fundraising experience and four years of research went into this bestselling book, unpacking how the subscription economy has transformed the way people give to charity, and what nonprofit leaders can do to benefit.  👉 Get a copy of The Rise of Sustainable Giving

3. Enroll in the Sustainable Giving Accelerator

Our flagship service, the Sustainable Giving Accelerator is our flagship program designed to grow recurring giving. We conduct a deep dive assessment across 10 areas, resulting in a two-year roadmap, followed by six months of walking alongside you to help you grow. It’s not for everyone – participants have at least 1,000 recurring donors, $500,000 in annual recurring revenue, and are ready to scale. If you think that’s you, the next step is to reach out for a call.  👉 Read more about the Sustainable Giving Accelerator

Transform Moments Into Movements

At the end of the day, events are more than fundraisers—they’re powerful moments of connection, story, and shared vision. By weaving recurring giving into the very fabric of your event, you invite people not just to give once, but to journey with you in creating lasting impact.

Whether through the flow you design, the visibility you create, or the follow-up you plan, these strategies can transform a single evening into a launchpad for sustainable generosity. 

The opportunity is right in front of us: let’s not just host events, but use them to build movements of ongoing support that carry our missions forward long after the last guest has gone home.

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Original article published at Imago Consulting, republished with permission.

Author Dave Raley is the founder of Imago Consulting, an advisory firm that helps organizations create growth through innovation. As a speaker and advisor, he has inspired thousands of nonprofit leaders to grow both personally and organizationally. He’s the author of The Rise of Sustainable Giving. Dave also writes a weekly innovation and leadership column called The Wave Report and hosts the Sustainable Giving Podcast, a show that shines a light on what’s working in the industry.