How to Build a Sustainer Program for Your Nonprofit

It’s estimated that nonprofits like yours spend five to 10 times more on acquiring one new donor than retaining an existing one, and these extra costs can add up quickly as you work to secure enough support to fund all of your operations and projects. So, unless your nonprofit is in a period of significant growth, donor retention should be your priority. One of the best ways to keep existing donors engaged long-term is to build a sustainer program.
In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about creating a sustainer program for your nonprofit, including:

• Sustainer Programs FAQ
• Tips for Building a Successful Sustainer Program
• How EverTrue Can Help You Find Recurring Donors

Let’s get started by reviewing what a sustainer program is and why launching one is useful for your nonprofit.

Sustainer Programs: Frequently Asked Questions

What is a sustainer program?

A sustainer program is a targeted effort to bring in consistent individual donation revenue by having donors set up automated recurring payments in your online fundraising platform. When donors enroll in your program, the giving amount they select is automatically charged to the credit card they put on file or taken out of their bank account at the frequency they choose.

This fundraising model can also be called a recurring giving program or a monthly giving program (the most common automated payment frequency), and supporters involved in these programs are known as sustainers or recurring donors.

Why should my nonprofit launch a sustainer program?

Sustainer programs benefit both the organizations that run them and the supporters who participate in them. Some advantages your nonprofit can experience include:

• A predictable revenue stream, since sustainers commit to regular payments for a known period of time.
• Additional donors, as sustainer programs can help you reach new donor segments (especially younger, tech-savvy supporters) and convert donors who may not give otherwise once they understand that even small gifts can make a difference.
• Increased donor engagement among supporters who are more likely to continue giving over time and participate in your mission in other ways (volunteering, advocacy, etc.).
• Greater fundraising efficiency that allows you to send out fewer overall appeals once some donors have established consistent gifts.

For donors, sustainer programs offer the convenience of automatic payments and often make them feel like they can be more generous once giving is part of their regular routines.

How much should my nonprofit ask recurring donors to give?

It depends. The average monthly donation across the nonprofit sector was $28 as of 2025, but more specialized sustainer programs often see higher donation rates. You can also ask for more money per gift if donors give less frequently, such as on a bimonthly or quarterly basis, and should request less if donors give more frequently (e.g., weekly or semimonthly).

Tips for Building a Successful Sustainer Program

Every organization’s journey toward building a successful sustainer program will look slightly different, so make sure to consider your unique goals and audience as you plan. However, here are a few strategies for getting started that apply across the board:

• Identify donors with sustainer potential. Your best sustainer prospects are those who already give regular small to midsize online gifts. For example, if a donor has made one $200 donation per year for the past three years, they might be a good candidate to join your recurring giving program at a rate of $20 per month. They could donate more conveniently, and you’d get an extra $40 from them every year, so it’s a win-win.
• Make a plan for your sustainer program. Set policies and procedures for tracking and managing recurring giving up front. Consider how you’ll identify sustainers in your donor database, what payment forms you’ll accept, how you’ll handle expired credit cards, how to activate and deactivate sustainer gifts, and whether you’ll allow multiple payment schedules.
• Market recurring giving across multiple channels. Leverage your nonprofit’s website, email, text messages, social media, digital ads, direct mail, and any other marketing methods you use to promote your sustainer program. Track conversions from each channel and focus on the ones that bring in the most recurring donors long-term.
• Explain sustainers’ possible impact. In your program marketing materials and on your donation page, show your donors that their commitments will make a continuous and measurable impact on your mission. For example, an animal shelter might state that a monthly gift of $20 will feed five cats in their care, while a $30 monthly contribution will cover intake exams and vaccinations for two newly rescued dogs.
• Develop strategic recurring gift requests. Align your ask amounts with donors’ existing giving capacities, and focus on getting your donors to commit to increasing their gift frequency. Monitor response rates to your solicitations so you can pivot as needed and keep what you’ve learned in mind for the future.
• Cultivate sustainers over time. Since you won’t be sending your sustainers repeated asks or appeals, you need to communicate the impact of their support to keep them engaged. Welcome email series, gift anniversary reminders, and well-timed gift increase requests are all good opportunities to share how recurring donors have helped your organization so far and what they can achieve by staying involved.
• Prioritize donor stewardship. Make sure your recognition provides the fuel donors need to stay involved in your program by thanking them regularly. You may also create a sustainer society to help recurring donors connect with each other and further demonstrate that you value them through exclusive perks (program-specific merchandise, discount codes for event registrations, etc.).

A sustainer program is a long-term—but worthwhile—fundraising strategy.  It’ll give your cause a strong, committed donor base and a predictable revenue stream, but you’ll need to be patient as it gets off the ground.

How EverTrue Can Help You Find Recurring Donors

One of the most challenging aspects of starting a sustainer program is finding supporters to participate in it. Fortunately, DonorSearch by EverTrue is uniquely equipped to help you in this area.

As the leading nonprofit prospect solution on the market, DonorSearch uses proprietary predictive AI algorithms to identify potential donors who are able, willing, and likely to contribute to specific fundraising initiatives—including recurring giving programs through its unique Sustainer model, available through DonorSearch Enhanced CORE.

Once you’ve identified potential recurring donors, EverTrue offers a full suite of donor engagement tools to assist with various other aspects of your sustainer program, from Signal for timing requests to Pledgemine for creating direct mail communications and ThankView for recognizing sustainers in a unique way. We bring every essential element of fundraising together to help you turn data into action and build donor relationships that last.

Final Thoughts

Your nonprofit’s recurring donors will have a transformational effect on your fundraising. They’re just waiting for you to ask! Use the tips above to launch your sustainer program or improve the one you already have, and remember to leverage the right tools—including DonorSearch by EverTrue—to identify and engage potential sustainers.

For more information on nonprofit fundraising, check out these resources:

• 7 Donor Outreach Strategies that Lead to Real Support. Dive deeper into best practices for promoting your sustainer program and other fundraising initiatives to your supporters.
• How to Create and Share Winning Donor Thank-You Videos. Explore a standout method for appreciating your recurring donors that’s easier to execute than you might think.
• AI Fundraising: Mastering the Future of the Fundraising Landscape. Learn more about how artificial intelligence can support your sustainer program and other giving efforts.