How Houston Food Bank Grew 5,200 Monthly Donors - The Importance of a Sustainer Role

Missions to Movements

Monthly Giving Week is here! So how do you grow a recurring donor program from a trickle to over 5,200 committed supporters?
In this powerful episode, Ashlyn Jones, the force behind Houston Food Bank’s “Faithful Friends” program, shares how the organization invested in a full-time sustainer role.
AND, why having someone solely focused on nurturing monthly givers has been a game changer for retention and revenue.
Ashlyn walks us through how emergencies, storytelling, and strategic touchpoints helped build long-term donor loyalty. She dives into the campaigns and platforms they’ve used, including paid social ads, telefunding, and stewardship emails - and how simple things like phone calls and handwritten notes have moved the needle on retention.

One of the most inspiring takeaways? Ashlyn’s approach to storytelling and writing in a way that donors feel their impact immediately, leading to an increase in their monthly gifts. This episode is jam-packed with actionable advice for nonprofits ready to build a loyal base of recurring donors.

Resources & Links

Connect with Ashlyn on LinkedIn and learn more about the Houston Food Bank on their website.

This show is presented by LinkedIn for Nonprofits. We’re so grateful for their partnership. Explore their incredible suite of resources and discounts for nonprofit teams here.

Monthly Giving Awareness Week is May 12-16! Join me, RKD Group, and GivingTuesday for 5 days of FREE resources to help you launch and grow recurring gifts.

Are you still dreaming about building your monthly giving program or refreshing your current one? Applications are now open for my “done with you” Monthly Giving Mastermind. 4 spots are open and we start in July. Click here to apply.

My book, The Monthly Giving Mastermind, is here! Grab a copy here and learn my framework to build, grow, and sustain subscriptions for good.
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Chapters

1. Monthly Giving Awareness Week Kick-Off (00:00:00)

2. Meet Ashlyn: Building 5,200 Monthly Donors (00:03:18)

3. Growing Faithful Friends Over a Decade (00:05:58)

4. Acquisition Strategies That Work (00:14:43)

5. Storytelling That Upgrades Donors (00:18:46)

6. Balancing Work and Family Life (00:25:36)

7. Retention Strategies and Reducing Donor Churn (00:27:44)

8. Final Thoughts and Gratitude (00:34:11)