The Rise of Sustainable Giving: How the Subscription Economy Is Transforming Recurring Giving and What Nonprofits Can Do to Benefit

by Dave Raley

There is a generosity crisis in North America. The number of individuals giving to charity is on the decline. For nonprofits that rely on the generosity of everyday individuals, this is an alarming statistic. But amidst these challenges, a new opportunity has the subscription economy has transformed donor behavior and preferences, making recurring giving more accessible than at any other time in history.

Dave Raley, with over twenty years of experience in the nonprofit sector, has studied top-performing nonprofits that are successfully tapping into this new kind of giving. As individuals and organizations have embraced subscriptions, consumer trends have changed, and donors are more likely to give on a recurring basis to nonprofits of all types and sizes. This has paved the way for subscription giving, and ultimately, more reliable revenue that can accelerate generosity.

In The Rise of Sustainable Giving, Raley shares the core elements of building a thriving sustainable giving program,

Six key shifts driven by the subscription economyUnderstanding donor motivationCrafting an ongoing value propositionGetting your technology stack rightDesigning and launching your programGrowing your program
Sustainable giving is more than just inspirational jargon or a lofty idea; it’s a tactical playbook for a new era of fundraising.

Genres: Professional Development

322 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 4, 2025

About the 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: How the Subscription Economy is Transforming Recurring Giving, and What Nonprofits Can Do to Benefit. Dave also writes a weekly innovation and leadership column called The Wave Report, and he’s the co-founder of the Purpose & Profit Podcast – a show about the ideas at the intersection of nonprofit causes and for-profit brands.

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute must-read for all fundraising leaders. If you want to build a sustainable revenue stream, read this book. But if you want to build sustainable relationships that benefit your donors in addition to your mission, then this book can help you build a methodology for living out that vision.

[Eddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of the most helpful reads I've come across!

I heard Raley speak at the Association for Christian Fundraisers Conference. This book is incredibly resourceful giving you enough theory and history to have a grasp on the larger scope of recurring giving, but it doesn't stop there. Raley gives excellent step by step practical advice while allowing enough room for the context of each nonprofit to stay uniquely relevant.

Raley has a lot to offer in how nonprofits can learn from business subscription models and the suggestions in this book help keep the donor engaged which is everything we could hope for.

I can't wait to implement what I've learned!

[Toby J. Weiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely thought provoking

As someone who runs a non profit that relies on sustained giving, I was happy to learn a lot from reading this book. Dave’s suggestions are insightful and immediately practical. I recommend this book to any non-profit leader or fundraiser who needs to move from one-time gifts to sustaining, and doesn’t know where to start.