June 4, 2025 • 25 mins
This week, we are honoring Pride Month with a powerful conversation about storytelling, community, and the impact of showing up - not just for a moment, but month after month. At the center of this episode is Kate Anderson, Community Philanthropy Manager of Sustainers, who offers us an inside look at how The Trevor Project is building a movement of lifelong allies and deepening relationships with their recurring donors.
You’ll hear about the behind-the-scenes tactics they’re using to drive 40-50% open rates, their high-retention onboarding strategies, data-driven storytelling, and interactive Pride kickoff webinar. Even the smallest tweaks (like a single line of text on a donation form), led to a DOUBLING in their monthly donor acquisition.
As a leading LGBTQ+ nonprofit, The Trevor Project does a fantastic job of treating sustainers as advocates, and if you’re tuning in, you’ll be inspired to start showing up differently for your most committed supporters.
Resources & Links
Connect with Kate Anderson on LinkedIn and learn more about The Trevor Project on their website, as well as their Pride campaign.
This show is brought to you by iDonate. Your donation page is leaking donors, and iDonate's new pop-up donation form is here to fix that. See it in action. Launch the interactive demo here and experience how a well-timed form captures donors in the moment they care most.
Let's Connect!
- Send a DM on Instagram or LinkedIn and let us know what you think of the show!
- My book, The Monthly Giving Mastermind, is here! Grab a copy here and learn my framework to build, grow, and sustain subscriptions for good.
- Want to book Dana as a speaker for your event? Click here!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This week we are honoring Pride Month with a
powerful conversation aboutstorytelling community and the
impact of showing up not justfor a moment, but month after
month.
I am joined by Kate Anderson.
She's the CommunityPhilanthropy Manager of
Sustainers at the Trevor Project, the leading suicide prevention
and crisis interventionorganization for LGBTQ young
(00:24):
people.
Kate leads the charge ondeepening connections with their
incredible community ofrecurring donors called the
Luminaries, and brings a reallyfresh, human-first perspective
to what it means to buildrelationships with these
supporters that last.
In this episode we're going todig into how the Trevor Project
is celebrating pride uniquelywith this audience and really
(00:45):
creating space for them yearround from digital storytelling
to a custom webinar this month,to community engagement that
really go beyond the initial ask.
So if you've ever wondered howto really turn your monthly
giving program into a movementof support, this episode is for
you movement of support.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
This episode is for you.
The Trevor Project's digitalstorytelling ethos is rooted in
authenticity and urgency.
Every post, video and campaignexists to save lives and speak
truth.
Our voice is honest and real,never shying away from the raw
realities LGBTQ plus youth face,while always grounding that
truth and hope and community.
Every story told is a bridgeconnecting isolated young people
(01:31):
to a support system that seesthem, hears them and fights for
them.
In a digital world full ofnoise, we try to cut through
with purpose, to remind everyqueer and trans kid they're not
alone.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Kate happy Pride Thank you so much for being here
.
I'm excited, in the thickmadness of everything that you
have going on.
I'm so honored that you are hereand I really wanted to start
the month by honoring PrideMonth, and there's no one better
that I would like to do thatwith than you and the Trevor
Project as we kick off the monthand celebrate LGBTQ plus voices
(02:08):
and stories.
How do you focus on doing thatin your role, really working
with sustainers, your recurringsupporters, not just externally,
which was stories that we seeonline and the blogs and on
social to more of the masses,but within your very special
community of donors andsustainers?
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Yeah.
So this year, the TrevorProject's Pride campaign is
Pride Belongs here, which is apowerful reminder to LGBTQ young
people that they are not aloneand they deserve to feel proud
of who they are and no matterwhere they live.
So Pride Month gives us anincredible opportunity to
(02:50):
celebrate with our donorcommunity as well, not just by
asking for their support, but byinviting them to take action
and giving them tools that theycan take back to their
communities and share with.
You know, even if it's a LGBTQyoung person that they want to
just provide the information toor support, or that One of the
(03:11):
things we do every year thatwe've actually now expanded to
our luminaries is we do a pridekickoff webinar, and this year
we have an overwhelming numberof luminaries that have joined,
so we're really excited aboutthat.
And luminaries is the name of ohyeah, sorry, yep, luminaries is
our recurring giving program,so those are our monthly
supporters.
(03:31):
Yeah, so we were inviting themto this webinar kickoff, which
is going to highlight kind ofour work.
We just recently put out a50-state report that allows
donors and it's open to everyonecan view that but just like
kind of what's going on in thosecommunities and what type of
things that we're seeing, and sowe're excited about that.
(03:52):
We're sharing some insight intoour crisis services, which is
not really necessarily a lookthat a lot of our donors have
had an opportunity to see.
So really bringing them on aspartners not just supporters, so
how they can be a part of thechange, and giving them data
that kind of backs up our workand what we're finding.
I love this.
(04:13):
The one thing that kind ofsticks with me, and that has
stuck with me from the verybeginning, is that young people
are 43% less likely to think ofsuicide if they have one
supportive adult in their lifewhich is huge.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
So, yes, with the webinar, I want to talk about a
couple of different channelsthat you just mentioned.
Is the webinar something thatyou've done every year on Pride
Month, or is this new forluminaries?
Speaker 2 (04:38):
We've done it for a couple of years.
This year it's new forluminaries.
We've always usually done likeour North Stars, which are our
major donors, and then ourmid-level donors, and then
usually some corporate andfoundation partners as well.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Okay.
When is this happening?
Is this towards the beginningof the month?
Speaker 2 (04:54):
Tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
Tomorrow I have a busy presentation week.
Yes, you do.
Okay, how did you just promotejoining the webinar Through
email?
I'm just curious how you'relike gathering Just through
email.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Yeah, Our luminaries.
We have a really good open ratefor our luminaries.
It's roughly in like the 40 to50% range.
Now there's some Apple piecesthat fall into that as well, but
they're just really engaged andit's been something actually
that you know we'll probablytouch on at some point later too
that I've been working onreally trying to increase that
open rate and bring ourluminaries kind of back into a
(05:29):
different fold.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Yes, okay, what's the structure of the webinar Like
what?
Is it 30 minutes?
Is it an hour?
Speaker 2 (05:37):
So it's an hour and we have like the first half of
it is really an open from ourCEO, and then we've got the 50
state report.
They're going to go into moredetail about that Crisis
services, our advocacy, and thenwe're opening it back up and
it's really an interactivewebinar.
(05:58):
So we're allowing folks to comeon camera if they want and ask
questions, and they can respondin the chat chat however they
feel most comfortable.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
So Okay, is there a call to action at the end, or is
it more just a gathering?
And thank you for being hereand your support.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Just a gathering and sharing our knowledge and our
information with them, and notasking them to do anything other
than here's the tools you have.
Here's the tools.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Okay, right, very cool.
Okay, and then other commsduring this month.
How is sustainer comm structuredifferently than maybe overall
donor communication?
Speaker 2 (06:36):
So for this month in general, we do include
luminaries in some of oursolicitations.
We just did one over theweekend with an opening match
that Pride has launched.
Pride is here, here's anopening match, and then we will
pull them out of everything forthe rest of the month, apart
from things that are likeengagement, like we have a Pride
(06:58):
partner email that's going outthat the luminaries will get.
They get a monthly newsletterthat they'll get that one as
well this month.
But pretty much we try to keepthe noise, for lack of a better
word.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
The good noise.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
The good noise the good noise, but we try to keep
that to a minimum so thatthey're just.
We want to honor and respectthe fact that they are giving to
us monthly by not inundatingthem with asks.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
And I think something that you have been so
profoundly good at and speakabout is that recurring giving
isn't just a revenue stream,that it's truly a relationship
with the luminaries, and I knowthere's a lot of focus always on
acquisition and growth and atthe same time, if not as
important, is the retention andthe genuine connection that
(07:48):
happens can sometimes get lessattention.
I was really excited to grow amonthly gaming program.
It's like oh, we grew it, nowwhat do we do with these people?
What are some of those reallythoughtful, intentional ways
like especially this month, I'mhoping right there's going to be
a big surge of new luminarysupport.
What happens after?
Like, what does somebody lookforward to in their journey with
(08:10):
you as a recurring?
Speaker 2 (08:11):
supporter.
Coming to Trevor, we didn'thave anybody in this role that
was dedicated.
We had recurring donors, we hadfolks in that, but they were
just getting everything, everysolicitation, every email so
common to hear this, and I havealways been a monthly donor to
(08:38):
orgs that I support and feelpassionate about, and so when I
came on board, I was like thisdoesn't feel right, it doesn't
feel authentic, it doesn't feellike we're treating them like a
revenue stream.
We're not treating them liketrue, like these folks have,
month after month, raised theirhand and been like I want to
support you monthly.
So this is what it means for meto equate that journey for them
is to really be veryintentional about the
(09:01):
communications that we'resending them.
I took them for one yearcompletely out of all
solicitations and we saw theretention rate increase.
We were in the low 80s andwe're now up at 88% right, now.
And less people unsubscribingand less folks saying you're
spamming me, you're this, thator the other, and so really just
(09:24):
being intentional about thatexperience, and so now what
we're doing, and we have a lotof piecemeal systems that we're
trying to kind of do this withand also, caveat, I'm a
one-person shop, yeah, which Ithink people will be so
surprised.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
I think there's this perception with a lot of
organizations that have anincredible brand presence, like
the Trevor Project, that there'sa meanly, there's like 10
people on this team and you'relike me was at Trevor and same
thing.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
We had a large group of people that that helped, but
I predominantly did all of themonthly giving work by myself
but a gift processing teamthat's kind of supported me a
little bit more.
But yeah, it's just, they comein and they're just going to to
have that moment of feelingappreciated.
They're going to get pridespecific language, because they
came in during pride but then atsome point we transitioned them
(10:20):
into just like our overallcommunication.
So they will get their initialwelcome, which is very personal,
it's from me.
I am your personal contact here.
So really give folks, someonelike a name, like, oh, I can
email Kate and find out what'sgoing on with this, or I have a
question, or I have an issue oranything like that, and so
(10:40):
really trying to make ourmonthly donors feel like they
have a personal connection andcontact, that they can reach out
with any questions, and sothat's the initial email and
then they fall into.
You know, they get a messagefrom the CEO, they get a message
from a partner, which some ofthese we have on hold as we're
trying to fix some automationand stuff like that.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
So Always, always.
I love the personalization.
I actually have a text messagethat I got recently from an
organization where some werejust like message message, and
then like a third one that wassent actually had a person's
name and it just feels so muchmore like, oh, this was sent by
(11:23):
Joe or whoever and there's apersonal connection to that and
I think that's really important.
What is something?
I mean?
It could be innovative or not,or just something that's like
really worked.
That could be surprising.
That you've tried with theSustainers Program that you
think other nonprofits thelisteners could learn from,
(11:43):
maybe be inspired by, and itcould be something again that's
worked or has not.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
So my previous org, one of the challenges I had with
monthly giving is we had like80 million different funds, and
so how do you support monthlygiving with all of those variety
of funds?
And so I was super excited tocome Singular funds singular
focus.
And so I was super excited tocome Singular fun singular focus
.
And so I had this whole thingin my head of like this is what
I'm going to do and this is howI'm going to launch.
(12:08):
And I had a acquisitioncampaign that I had done my
first year in March and wecalled it March into Pride.
So I was all excited about my.
You know, I'm like, oh, we'vegot the great catch tagline
Nothing, we did get some, so Ishouldn't say nothing, but it
was not the outcome we werehoping for or that I was hoping
for.
So that really turned the lighton to be like we need to really
(12:32):
look at this and why is no oneresponding in this way?
And so really just dove intothe data, saw how the majority
of them were coming in.
And then, to start the fiscalyear for the next fiscal year,
all I did on our main givingpage was change the tagline,
because I think we had somethingon there that said you know,
(12:53):
make a larger impact, or make abigger impact or something like
that.
And I created this little thingthat just says monthly giving
powers our work.
And from that we went from like45, 50 monthly donors a month
to we jumped up over a hundredand then it just started ticking
up the more we were gettingthat traction.
I like to think it was just thatlittle thing that did it.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
I mean, yes, that is very well, it gets your eyeball
drawn to a different area on thepage and on the form, but did
anything massively change in theemail or social language that
was pushing people to that page?
Speaker 2 (13:31):
Not really Like we.
Just the main thing is we triednot to overthink it.
We as fundraisers get so stuckin our heads that we cannot pull
ourselves out to be like ohwait, let's take a step back and
really see how folks areresponding and meet them where
they are coming to us.
We didn't put any really stronglanguage in our social media
(13:53):
about recurring.
We talk about it when we'resending out impact pieces.
We make sure to include likeand this is how many recurring
donors and this is whatrecurring donor.
It powers our work, it powersour work.
And so just having thatcontinual mantra in what we're
putting out there is that if itmay not push the person that
time, but it may make them thinktwice when they come back the
(14:16):
next time for another gift.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Yes, are you seeing more recurring first donors than
one-time converting torecurring right now?
Speaker 2 (14:43):
a lot of organic traffic out there.
Trevor's in the news, we'rebeing promoted out there, and so
I would say converting we aredefinitely getting more in the
first time than we are withconversion, and this year is
probably a little bit differentthan last year.
Last year conversion was notgreat.
This year conversion's a lotbetter.
Just because I think peoplerecognize this is a need.
This is something we need tomake better.
Just because I think peoplerecognize this is a need, this
is something we need to makesure we're supporting, and so we
(15:05):
are getting some, but we arestill leading in first-time
acquisition.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Okay and I think this is a really interesting point
to go further into kind of themindset shift around focusing on
recurring.
A lot of times and listeners, Idon't know if you feel super
seen in this moment recurring isa, it's a PS, it's a quiet like
maybe would you consider givingit this way, like I don't know
(15:31):
there's a lot of fear aboutasking for a recurring first
gift, which I think is sointeresting for how retention
rates play out.
I mean, this is solely yourrole, right, and you see,
obviously, the intense need andhow powerful luminaries are in
the work that you do.
What's a practical step ormindset shift that you might
(15:51):
give to a nonprofit leader thatis wants to focus more on
recurring giving but hasn'tquite stepped over to make it
happen?
Speaker 2 (16:01):
Not sure if I can come up with one mind shift.
There's kind of a group of them, there's more of a mindset and
then practical steps.
With the mindset shift, I thinkthe biggest one for me is to
stop thinking of recurringgiving as a revenue stream and
start thinking of them as acommunity.
And when you view them as acommunity, they're your partners
(16:21):
, they're your advocates,they're your folks that are
going to go out there and belike.
I support the Trevor ProjectMonthly because of this and this
is what I see and I get to knowexactly what my dollars are
doing and I'm finding out moreabout the organization.
I'm feeling more connected.
I think the other piece is to,from the practical standpoint is
(16:42):
I think when people come intomonthly giving or start to think
about monthly giving, theystart to think about all of the
things.
Like, you don't have to startoff with all of the things.
Start off in one area, whetherit's your welcome message or
what's happening to them afterthey've made that monthly gift.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
What?
Even that like website changeyeah, was that a difficult thing
to have change?
Or was team be like, yeah,great idea, let's do it?
Speaker 2 (17:12):
I just submitted the request and had the graphic done
and then I popped the thing inthere.
Amazing, so I didn't have a lotof red tape.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Yeah, I can imagine that's a fight on with a lot of
organizations to be able to havethat yeah for sure.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
So I guess basically pick like one meaningful touch
point and start there Like howare you going to show up
differently for this group offolks than you would?
And think of their journey,think of their experience.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
So good.
Now I would say you have agreat opportunity because the
Trevor Project, to me, is one ofthe most recognizable, powerful
voices in this space, has anincredible social media presence
that's been built out in thenonprofit space.
Yeah, it's not just a brand,it's a massive, incredible
(18:02):
movement of supporters.
A massive, incredible movementof supporters.
Now, for organizations thatmight be small, medium, large,
any stage of this growth thatwant to build something that's
as recognizable, I think,something that is said a lot is
I'm the best kept secret inblank, right.
What lessons do you think thatthey can take from the Trevor
(18:23):
Project's approach to digitalstorytelling, this community
building that you're talkingabout, and, overall, truly just
visibility?
Speaker 2 (18:31):
Yeah, I actually reached out to our organic
social media guru, leah Juliet,and I felt like their
perspective in this is tooimportant not to quote directly.
So they said the TrevorProject's digital storytelling
ethos is rooted in authenticityand urgency.
Every post, video and campaignexists to save lives and speak
(18:52):
truth.
Our voice is honest and real,never shying away from the raw
realities LGBTQ plus youth face,while always grounding that
truth and hope and community.
Truth and hope and community.
Every story told is a bridgeconnecting isolated young people
to a support system that seesthem, hears them and fights for
them.
In a digital world full of noise, we try to cut through with
(19:15):
purpose to remind every queerand trans kid they're not alone,
and I just think thatbeautifully sums up what makes
Trevor's digital presence feelless like a brand and more like
a movement.
And what I'd add is that, frommy perspective, is that our
storytelling works because it'smission aligned and community
(19:36):
driven.
We don't just post to post.
We post to connect, to affirm,to activate, to activate.
So for other organizationslooking to build something
resonant, I'd say start bydefining your truth and your
tone and then be clear aboutwhat you stand for and then
speak directly to people whoneed to hear it most.
And then listen, because socialisn't just a broadcast channel,
(19:59):
it is an actual conversation.
So just kind of listening tothat and starting small again
and then building from that.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
So good.
I would invite everyone to gofollow their social accounts.
They really, truly do aphenomenal job this month.
In specific, where are therecertain things going on that you
would want to make sure toshare with people that they
should go check out what's thebest places to A find you and to
find out more about the TrevorProject.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
To find out more about Trevor Project, you can
just go to trevorprojectorg.
You can also do our pride page,which is trevorprojectorg,
forward slash pride and connectwith me on LinkedIn and I think
that's going to be in the shownotes.
But I am always learning fromothers and willing to share what
information I have, and so,from that perspective, I can
(20:48):
help answer or partner orhowever we want to do.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
that Amazing.
And I have one final questionfor you, because I think it's
still newer to think of having asustainer role.
When did you start focusing,like your career, specifically
in working specifically within arecurring community?
Speaker 2 (21:08):
I made the switch to recurring about eight years ago,
roughly in 2016.
I was actually hired at OhioState to manage their monthly
giving program specifically, soI worked in that space and grew
the program and then, when thisopportunity came up with Trevor
Project, it was the perfectmarriage of my experience and my
(21:29):
skills and a deep personalpassion for Trevor Project, and
so it just was a perfect fit.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
So I also think this is going to be a role that we
are going to see substantiallyincrease on platforms like
LinkedIn as job opportunities.
So connect with Kate, hearabout the expertise of what it
is running the show.
I think I mean two experiencesthat are really phenomenal in
this.
Is there something that youwould like to ask for help or
support on from listeners?
Speaker 2 (21:58):
We are always testing , which I think is another key
thing Test, test, test, test.
So if anybody has anything thatthey've tested that has worked
well or not, feel free to sharewith me, because I'm always
looking to learn more.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
Amazing.
Thank you, Kate, so much forbeing here and everything you
have going on.
Have a wonderful webinartomorrow with your luminaries.
Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (22:23):
Thank you so much for tuning into today's episode of
Missions to Movement.
Thank you so much for tuninginto today's episode of Missions
to Movements.
If you enjoyed our conversationand found it helpful, I would
love for you to take a moment toleave a review.
Wherever you're listening, yourfeedback helps us reach more
change makers like you andcontinue bringing impactful
stories and strategies to theshow.
(22:43):
Don't forget to hit thatsubscribe button too, so you'll
never miss an episode.
And until next time, keepturning your mission into a
movement.
This week we are honoring Pride Month with a
powerful conversation aboutstorytelling community and the
impact of showing up not justfor a moment, but month after
month.
I am joined by Kate Anderson.
She's the CommunityPhilanthropy Manager of
Sustainers at the Trevor Project, the leading suicide prevention
and crisis interventionorganization for LGBTQ young
(00:24):
people.
Kate leads the charge ondeepening connections with their
incredible community ofrecurring donors called the
Luminaries, and brings a reallyfresh, human-first perspective
to what it means to buildrelationships with these
supporters that last.
In this episode we're going todig into how the Trevor Project
is celebrating pride uniquelywith this audience and really
(00:45):
creating space for them yearround from digital storytelling
to a custom webinar this month,to community engagement that
really go beyond the initial ask.
So if you've ever wondered howto really turn your monthly
giving program into a movementof support, this episode is for
you movement of support.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
This episode is for you.
The Trevor Project's digitalstorytelling ethos is rooted in
authenticity and urgency.
Every post, video and campaignexists to save lives and speak
truth.
Our voice is honest and real,never shying away from the raw
realities LGBTQ plus youth face,while always grounding that
truth and hope and community.
Every story told is a bridgeconnecting isolated young people
(01:31):
to a support system that seesthem, hears them and fights for
them.
In a digital world full ofnoise, we try to cut through
with purpose, to remind everyqueer and trans kid they're not
alone.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Kate happy Pride Thank you so much for being here
.
I'm excited, in the thickmadness of everything that you
have going on.
I'm so honored that you are hereand I really wanted to start
the month by honoring PrideMonth, and there's no one better
that I would like to do thatwith than you and the Trevor
Project as we kick off the monthand celebrate LGBTQ plus voices
(02:08):
and stories.
How do you focus on doing thatin your role, really working
with sustainers, your recurringsupporters, not just externally,
which was stories that we seeonline and the blogs and on
social to more of the masses,but within your very special
community of donors andsustainers?
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Yeah.
So this year, the TrevorProject's Pride campaign is
Pride Belongs here, which is apowerful reminder to LGBTQ young
people that they are not aloneand they deserve to feel proud
of who they are and no matterwhere they live.
So Pride Month gives us anincredible opportunity to
(02:50):
celebrate with our donorcommunity as well, not just by
asking for their support, but byinviting them to take action
and giving them tools that theycan take back to their
communities and share with.
You know, even if it's a LGBTQyoung person that they want to
just provide the information toor support, or that One of the
(03:11):
things we do every year thatwe've actually now expanded to
our luminaries is we do a pridekickoff webinar, and this year
we have an overwhelming numberof luminaries that have joined,
so we're really excited aboutthat.
And luminaries is the name of ohyeah, sorry, yep, luminaries is
our recurring giving program,so those are our monthly
supporters.
(03:31):
Yeah, so we were inviting themto this webinar kickoff, which
is going to highlight kind ofour work.
We just recently put out a50-state report that allows
donors and it's open to everyonecan view that but just like
kind of what's going on in thosecommunities and what type of
things that we're seeing, and sowe're excited about that.
(03:52):
We're sharing some insight intoour crisis services, which is
not really necessarily a lookthat a lot of our donors have
had an opportunity to see.
So really bringing them on aspartners not just supporters, so
how they can be a part of thechange, and giving them data
that kind of backs up our workand what we're finding.
I love this.
(04:13):
The one thing that kind ofsticks with me, and that has
stuck with me from the verybeginning, is that young people
are 43% less likely to think ofsuicide if they have one
supportive adult in their lifewhich is huge.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
So, yes, with the webinar, I want to talk about a
couple of different channelsthat you just mentioned.
Is the webinar something thatyou've done every year on Pride
Month, or is this new forluminaries?
Speaker 2 (04:38):
We've done it for a couple of years.
This year it's new forluminaries.
We've always usually done likeour North Stars, which are our
major donors, and then ourmid-level donors, and then
usually some corporate andfoundation partners as well.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Okay.
When is this happening?
Is this towards the beginningof the month?
Speaker 2 (04:54):
Tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
Tomorrow I have a busy presentation week.
Yes, you do.
Okay, how did you just promotejoining the webinar Through
email?
I'm just curious how you'relike gathering Just through
email.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Yeah, Our luminaries.
We have a really good open ratefor our luminaries.
It's roughly in like the 40 to50% range.
Now there's some Apple piecesthat fall into that as well, but
they're just really engaged andit's been something actually
that you know we'll probablytouch on at some point later too
that I've been working onreally trying to increase that
open rate and bring ourluminaries kind of back into a
(05:29):
different fold.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Yes, okay, what's the structure of the webinar Like
what?
Is it 30 minutes?
Is it an hour?
Speaker 2 (05:37):
So it's an hour and we have like the first half of
it is really an open from ourCEO, and then we've got the 50
state report.
They're going to go into moredetail about that Crisis
services, our advocacy, and thenwe're opening it back up and
it's really an interactivewebinar.
(05:58):
So we're allowing folks to comeon camera if they want and ask
questions, and they can respondin the chat chat however they
feel most comfortable.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
So Okay, is there a call to action at the end, or is
it more just a gathering?
And thank you for being hereand your support.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Just a gathering and sharing our knowledge and our
information with them, and notasking them to do anything other
than here's the tools you have.
Here's the tools.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Okay, right, very cool.
Okay, and then other commsduring this month.
How is sustainer comm structuredifferently than maybe overall
donor communication?
Speaker 2 (06:36):
So for this month in general, we do include
luminaries in some of oursolicitations.
We just did one over theweekend with an opening match
that Pride has launched.
Pride is here, here's anopening match, and then we will
pull them out of everything forthe rest of the month, apart
from things that are likeengagement, like we have a Pride
(06:58):
partner email that's going outthat the luminaries will get.
They get a monthly newsletterthat they'll get that one as
well this month.
But pretty much we try to keepthe noise, for lack of a better
word.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
The good noise.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
The good noise the good noise, but we try to keep
that to a minimum so thatthey're just.
We want to honor and respectthe fact that they are giving to
us monthly by not inundatingthem with asks.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
And I think something that you have been so
profoundly good at and speakabout is that recurring giving
isn't just a revenue stream,that it's truly a relationship
with the luminaries, and I knowthere's a lot of focus always on
acquisition and growth and atthe same time, if not as
important, is the retention andthe genuine connection that
(07:48):
happens can sometimes get lessattention.
I was really excited to grow amonthly gaming program.
It's like oh, we grew it, nowwhat do we do with these people?
What are some of those reallythoughtful, intentional ways
like especially this month, I'mhoping right there's going to be
a big surge of new luminarysupport.
What happens after?
Like, what does somebody lookforward to in their journey with
(08:10):
you as a recurring?
Speaker 2 (08:11):
supporter.
Coming to Trevor, we didn'thave anybody in this role that
was dedicated.
We had recurring donors, we hadfolks in that, but they were
just getting everything, everysolicitation, every email so
common to hear this, and I havealways been a monthly donor to
(08:38):
orgs that I support and feelpassionate about, and so when I
came on board, I was like thisdoesn't feel right, it doesn't
feel authentic, it doesn't feellike we're treating them like a
revenue stream.
We're not treating them liketrue, like these folks have,
month after month, raised theirhand and been like I want to
support you monthly.
So this is what it means for meto equate that journey for them
is to really be veryintentional about the
(09:01):
communications that we'resending them.
I took them for one yearcompletely out of all
solicitations and we saw theretention rate increase.
We were in the low 80s andwe're now up at 88% right, now.
And less people unsubscribingand less folks saying you're
spamming me, you're this, thator the other, and so really just
(09:24):
being intentional about thatexperience, and so now what
we're doing, and we have a lotof piecemeal systems that we're
trying to kind of do this withand also, caveat, I'm a
one-person shop, yeah, which Ithink people will be so
surprised.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
I think there's this perception with a lot of
organizations that have anincredible brand presence, like
the Trevor Project, that there'sa meanly, there's like 10
people on this team and you'relike me was at Trevor and same
thing.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
We had a large group of people that that helped, but
I predominantly did all of themonthly giving work by myself
but a gift processing teamthat's kind of supported me a
little bit more.
But yeah, it's just, they comein and they're just going to to
have that moment of feelingappreciated.
They're going to get pridespecific language, because they
came in during pride but then atsome point we transitioned them
(10:20):
into just like our overallcommunication.
So they will get their initialwelcome, which is very personal,
it's from me.
I am your personal contact here.
So really give folks, someonelike a name, like, oh, I can
email Kate and find out what'sgoing on with this, or I have a
question, or I have an issue oranything like that, and so
(10:40):
really trying to make ourmonthly donors feel like they
have a personal connection andcontact, that they can reach out
with any questions, and sothat's the initial email and
then they fall into.
You know, they get a messagefrom the CEO, they get a message
from a partner, which some ofthese we have on hold as we're
trying to fix some automationand stuff like that.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
So Always, always.
I love the personalization.
I actually have a text messagethat I got recently from an
organization where some werejust like message message, and
then like a third one that wassent actually had a person's
name and it just feels so muchmore like, oh, this was sent by
(11:23):
Joe or whoever and there's apersonal connection to that and
I think that's really important.
What is something?
I mean?
It could be innovative or not,or just something that's like
really worked.
That could be surprising.
That you've tried with theSustainers Program that you
think other nonprofits thelisteners could learn from,
(11:43):
maybe be inspired by, and itcould be something again that's
worked or has not.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
So my previous org, one of the challenges I had with
monthly giving is we had like80 million different funds, and
so how do you support monthlygiving with all of those variety
of funds?
And so I was super excited tocome Singular funds singular
focus.
And so I was super excited tocome Singular fun singular focus
.
And so I had this whole thingin my head of like this is what
I'm going to do and this is howI'm going to launch.
(12:08):
And I had a acquisitioncampaign that I had done my
first year in March and wecalled it March into Pride.
So I was all excited about my.
You know, I'm like, oh, we'vegot the great catch tagline
Nothing, we did get some, so Ishouldn't say nothing, but it
was not the outcome we werehoping for or that I was hoping
for.
So that really turned the lighton to be like we need to really
(12:32):
look at this and why is no oneresponding in this way?
And so really just dove intothe data, saw how the majority
of them were coming in.
And then, to start the fiscalyear for the next fiscal year,
all I did on our main givingpage was change the tagline,
because I think we had somethingon there that said you know,
(12:53):
make a larger impact, or make abigger impact or something like
that.
And I created this little thingthat just says monthly giving
powers our work.
And from that we went from like45, 50 monthly donors a month
to we jumped up over a hundredand then it just started ticking
up the more we were gettingthat traction.
I like to think it was just thatlittle thing that did it.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
I mean, yes, that is very well, it gets your eyeball
drawn to a different area on thepage and on the form, but did
anything massively change in theemail or social language that
was pushing people to that page?
Speaker 2 (13:31):
Not really Like we.
Just the main thing is we triednot to overthink it.
We as fundraisers get so stuckin our heads that we cannot pull
ourselves out to be like ohwait, let's take a step back and
really see how folks areresponding and meet them where
they are coming to us.
We didn't put any really stronglanguage in our social media
(13:53):
about recurring.
We talk about it when we'resending out impact pieces.
We make sure to include likeand this is how many recurring
donors and this is whatrecurring donor.
It powers our work, it powersour work.
And so just having thatcontinual mantra in what we're
putting out there is that if itmay not push the person that
time, but it may make them thinktwice when they come back the
(14:16):
next time for another gift.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Yes, are you seeing more recurring first donors than
one-time converting torecurring right now?
Speaker 2 (14:43):
a lot of organic traffic out there.
Trevor's in the news, we'rebeing promoted out there, and so
I would say converting we aredefinitely getting more in the
first time than we are withconversion, and this year is
probably a little bit differentthan last year.
Last year conversion was notgreat.
This year conversion's a lotbetter.
Just because I think peoplerecognize this is a need.
This is something we need tomake better.
Just because I think peoplerecognize this is a need, this
is something we need to makesure we're supporting, and so we
(15:05):
are getting some, but we arestill leading in first-time
acquisition.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Okay and I think this is a really interesting point
to go further into kind of themindset shift around focusing on
recurring.
A lot of times and listeners, Idon't know if you feel super
seen in this moment recurring isa, it's a PS, it's a quiet like
maybe would you consider givingit this way, like I don't know
(15:31):
there's a lot of fear aboutasking for a recurring first
gift, which I think is sointeresting for how retention
rates play out.
I mean, this is solely yourrole, right, and you see,
obviously, the intense need andhow powerful luminaries are in
the work that you do.
What's a practical step ormindset shift that you might
(15:51):
give to a nonprofit leader thatis wants to focus more on
recurring giving but hasn'tquite stepped over to make it
happen?
Speaker 2 (16:01):
Not sure if I can come up with one mind shift.
There's kind of a group of them, there's more of a mindset and
then practical steps.
With the mindset shift, I thinkthe biggest one for me is to
stop thinking of recurringgiving as a revenue stream and
start thinking of them as acommunity.
And when you view them as acommunity, they're your partners
(16:21):
, they're your advocates,they're your folks that are
going to go out there and belike.
I support the Trevor ProjectMonthly because of this and this
is what I see and I get to knowexactly what my dollars are
doing and I'm finding out moreabout the organization.
I'm feeling more connected.
I think the other piece is to,from the practical standpoint is
(16:42):
I think when people come intomonthly giving or start to think
about monthly giving, theystart to think about all of the
things.
Like, you don't have to startoff with all of the things.
Start off in one area, whetherit's your welcome message or
what's happening to them afterthey've made that monthly gift.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
What?
Even that like website changeyeah, was that a difficult thing
to have change?
Or was team be like, yeah,great idea, let's do it?
Speaker 2 (17:12):
I just submitted the request and had the graphic done
and then I popped the thing inthere.
Amazing, so I didn't have a lotof red tape.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Yeah, I can imagine that's a fight on with a lot of
organizations to be able to havethat yeah for sure.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
So I guess basically pick like one meaningful touch
point and start there Like howare you going to show up
differently for this group offolks than you would?
And think of their journey,think of their experience.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
So good.
Now I would say you have agreat opportunity because the
Trevor Project, to me, is one ofthe most recognizable, powerful
voices in this space, has anincredible social media presence
that's been built out in thenonprofit space.
Yeah, it's not just a brand,it's a massive, incredible
(18:02):
movement of supporters.
A massive, incredible movementof supporters.
Now, for organizations thatmight be small, medium, large,
any stage of this growth thatwant to build something that's
as recognizable, I think,something that is said a lot is
I'm the best kept secret inblank, right.
What lessons do you think thatthey can take from the Trevor
(18:23):
Project's approach to digitalstorytelling, this community
building that you're talkingabout, and, overall, truly just
visibility?
Speaker 2 (18:31):
Yeah, I actually reached out to our organic
social media guru, leah Juliet,and I felt like their
perspective in this is tooimportant not to quote directly.
So they said the TrevorProject's digital storytelling
ethos is rooted in authenticityand urgency.
Every post, video and campaignexists to save lives and speak
(18:52):
truth.
Our voice is honest and real,never shying away from the raw
realities LGBTQ plus youth face,while always grounding that
truth and hope and community.
Truth and hope and community.
Every story told is a bridgeconnecting isolated young people
to a support system that seesthem, hears them and fights for
them.
In a digital world full of noise, we try to cut through with
(19:15):
purpose to remind every queerand trans kid they're not alone,
and I just think thatbeautifully sums up what makes
Trevor's digital presence feelless like a brand and more like
a movement.
And what I'd add is that, frommy perspective, is that our
storytelling works because it'smission aligned and community
(19:36):
driven.
We don't just post to post.
We post to connect, to affirm,to activate, to activate.
So for other organizationslooking to build something
resonant, I'd say start bydefining your truth and your
tone and then be clear aboutwhat you stand for and then
speak directly to people whoneed to hear it most.
And then listen, because socialisn't just a broadcast channel,
(19:59):
it is an actual conversation.
So just kind of listening tothat and starting small again
and then building from that.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
So good.
I would invite everyone to gofollow their social accounts.
They really, truly do aphenomenal job this month.
In specific, where are therecertain things going on that you
would want to make sure toshare with people that they
should go check out what's thebest places to A find you and to
find out more about the TrevorProject.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
To find out more about Trevor Project, you can
just go to trevorprojectorg.
You can also do our pride page,which is trevorprojectorg,
forward slash pride and connectwith me on LinkedIn and I think
that's going to be in the shownotes.
But I am always learning fromothers and willing to share what
information I have, and so,from that perspective, I can
(20:48):
help answer or partner orhowever we want to do.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
that Amazing.
And I have one final questionfor you, because I think it's
still newer to think of having asustainer role.
When did you start focusing,like your career, specifically
in working specifically within arecurring community?
Speaker 2 (21:08):
I made the switch to recurring about eight years ago,
roughly in 2016.
I was actually hired at OhioState to manage their monthly
giving program specifically, soI worked in that space and grew
the program and then, when thisopportunity came up with Trevor
Project, it was the perfectmarriage of my experience and my
(21:29):
skills and a deep personalpassion for Trevor Project, and
so it just was a perfect fit.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
So I also think this is going to be a role that we
are going to see substantiallyincrease on platforms like
LinkedIn as job opportunities.
So connect with Kate, hearabout the expertise of what it
is running the show.
I think I mean two experiencesthat are really phenomenal in
this.
Is there something that youwould like to ask for help or
support on from listeners?
Speaker 2 (21:58):
We are always testing , which I think is another key
thing Test, test, test, test.
So if anybody has anything thatthey've tested that has worked
well or not, feel free to sharewith me, because I'm always
looking to learn more.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
Amazing.
Thank you, Kate, so much forbeing here and everything you
have going on.
Have a wonderful webinartomorrow with your luminaries.
Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (22:23):
Thank you so much for tuning into today's episode of
Missions to Movement.
Thank you so much for tuninginto today's episode of Missions
to Movements.
If you enjoyed our conversationand found it helpful, I would
love for you to take a moment toleave a review.
Wherever you're listening, yourfeedback helps us reach more
change makers like you andcontinue bringing impactful
stories and strategies to theshow.
(22:43):
Don't forget to hit thatsubscribe button too, so you'll
never miss an episode.
And until next time, keepturning your mission into a
movement.
Popular Podcasts
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.