Episode 49 - Sustainable Giving: A Strategic Approach to Long-Term Donor Engagement with Dave Raley

Meet Dave Raley, consultant, co-host, writer & keynote speaker, and the founder of Imago Consulting, an advisory firm that helps organizations create growth through innovation. He is also a passionate Disney fan. As an expert in nonprofit leadership, Dave has inspired thousands of nonprofit leaders to grow both personally and organizationally. He is the author of ‘The Rise of Sustainable Giving: How the Subscription Economy Is Transforming Recurring Giving and What Nonprofits Can Do to Benefit,’ which comes out February 4th, 2025. He writes a weekly innovation and leadership column called The Wave Report. In addition, Dave co-founded the Purpose and Profit Podcast, exploring the intersection of nonprofit causes and for-profit brands and highlighting innovative ways generosity can manifest across sectors. He joined us today to talk about the intersection of AI and generosity in fundraising.  

We start the conversation with Dave sharing his journey, the intersection of business and technology, his passion for social causes, and how these experiences led him to the world of nonprofit fundraising and sustainable giving. Then Nathan and Dave talk about the importance of crisis moments in life and how we respond to them. They believe that personal and professional growth can be achieved by overcoming challenges. They further mention that choosing growth over being a victim is what shapes our characters.  

Further down in the conversation, we cover the following topics regarding sustainable giving: subscription economy, recurring giving, a strategic approach to building a thriving recurring giving program, the biggest mistakes in building a subscription, the power of identity & belonging in a community, the future of sustainable giving, and more.  

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS 

[02.38] Who is Dave Raley? 

[04.19] Dave shares his journey from growing up in poverty to his interest in ideas and computers. 

[08.45] The importance of crisis moments in personal and professional growth. 

[11.50] Dave’s new book “The Rise of Sustainable Giving”. 

[15.24] Subscription economy and recurring giving. 

[19.06] Taking advantage of the subscription economy in nonprofits.  

[23.46] Building a sustainable recurring giving program.  

[29.10] The biggest mistakes when building a subscription.  

[32.13] Identity and belonging.  

[35.38] The future of sustainable giving and the role of technology in achieving it. 

RESOURCES 

Connect with Dave Raley 

LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/draley/  

Website - imago.consulting/  

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

by Dave Raley 

amazon.com/Rise-Sustainable-Giving-Subscription-Transforming/dp/B0DQ66W4MF  

Connect with Nathan and Scott:

LinkedIn (Nathan): linkedin.com/in/nathanchappell/

LinkedIn (Scott): linkedin.com/in/scott-rosenkrans

Website: fundraising.ai/