We’ve made it to the end of the first Monthly Giving Awareness Week—and what an exciting week it has been.
For those who missed out on all the fun, we still have a host of resources available for you at monthlygivingweek.com. From blogs to videos to podcasts and more, these resources are dedicated to helping nonprofits grow their recurring giving programs.
In this blog post, we’re sharing the winners of the Monthlies!
The Monthlies celebrate three organizations who are doing incredible things in their monthly giving programs. We separated the entries into three categories, based on annual operating budget:
The three Monthlies winners will each receive a shoutout in GivingTuesday’s newsletter and get a podcast episode spotlight on Missions to Movements.
We also have a few other special recognition picks to share:
Without further ado, below are the winners of 2025 Monthlies.
Roots Ethiopia has made recurring giving a core element of its outreach to donors. They promote monthly giving through strategic social media posts, targeted direct mail and targeted email campaigns. Monthly giving is also prominently featured on their website and on their FundraiseUp platform.
The monthly donor experience is top notch, with a receipt for giving that changes at least twice a year to keep it interesting, a quarterly video update that is just for monthly donors, and unique travel reports from the board chair for live sharing of the program in action. In addition, twice a year there are phone calls by board members and also photo postcards thanking monthly donors.
As a result, Roots Ethiopia has a 93% retention rate for their 208 monthly donors and they see an annual income of more than $120,000 from this program. And the best part? This is all run by one person on their staff. Amazing!
When donors join the Meow Team, they get a welcome letter with a 10% coupon to use at the organization's shelter boutique and thrift store, thank you letters if they upgrade or renew, special announcements and invitations to exclusive CAT events (like their State of the Mewnion address.) Meow Team members also get a handwritten postcard on the anniversary of when they first signed up, impact statements, yearly summary of their gifts and more.
Cat Adoption Team, the largest cat shelter in the Pacific Northwest, has made monthly giving a prominent feature of their communications, promoting the Meow Team in newsletters, social media, blog posts, etc. With a wide range of outreach and engagement, there are many ways people become aware of the Meow Team.
The Meow Team program started in June 2009 with a total of $2,400 in monthly giving donations from 17 donors. In 16 years, the total giving from the Meow Team is nearly $1 million—incredible!
The Core is nearly 1,000 members strong, and more than half of Core members have stood with The Hunger Project for more than two decades—a testament to their deep dedication and belief in a world without hunger. What sets The Core apart is its identity as more than a monthly giving program—it’s a declaration of belonging. The name “The Core” reflects the essential role of monthly donors and evokes a deep emotional resonance, anchoring supporters in the heartbeat of a global movement.
Members of The Core begin their journey with a welcome series that includes a personalized video of gratitude from our CEO, along with heartfelt stories and connections shared by colleagues around the world. During their first year, members receive two surveys, providing opportunities to share feedback and help shape the future of The Core. The Hunger Project also provides quarterly updates featuring compelling programmatic stories, impact data and spotlights on individual members making a difference. They celebrate milestones with anniversary emails and host “Core Community Calls” that bring members together to deepen connections and amplify our collective impact.
Ultimately, The Hunger Project does a fantastic job of nurturing lasting relationships that make every member feel truly valued and intimately connected to the heart of their mission.
What makes the Mountain Giving Club unique is its strong, nature-inspired branding that ties directly to the transformative outdoor experiences at the heart of Take a Hike’s programs. The donor journey is personal and meaningful, with thoughtful touches like handwritten thank-you cards from youth, exclusive wilderness stories in their quarterly "Summit Report" and a branded welcome package that includes a sticker, toque or water bottle.
Through consistent, inspiring messaging and creative incentives, donors feel like valued partners in a long-term mission to support vulnerable youth across British Columbia, Canada.
For $52 a month—about $1.75 a day—BridgeBuddies help provide daily meals, academic help, literacy development, spiritual guidance and social-emotional learning to kids in South Dallas. In return, they receive exclusive gear like a student-designed T-shirt and the chance to send encouragement, deepening their connection with the children and the community.
But the best part is that every Tuesday, monthly donors receive a text that has a photo and message from a student in the program. This allows donors to feel like they’re getting to know the kids/program even when they can’t make it onsite. Most of these monthly givers have also give additional gifts on top of their monthly donation and have volunteered at least once a year. It’s a great testament to building relationships that go beyond transactions.
SLO Food Bank received a generous $500,000 matching gift from the Balay Ko Foundation, and they strategically applied it to their monthly giving program. In June 2024, SLO Food Bank launched a year-long campaign to grow their community of recurring donors—affectionately known as the Hunger Ending Action Response Team (HEART).
A $500,000 matching gift dedicated to recurring giving might seem ambitious—but it inspired the SLO Food Bank team to think creatively. Through thoughtful marketing strategies, timely appeals with special incentives (including a limited-time triple match), and the generosity of several major donors who gave strategically throughout the year, the campaign was a huge success. It increased their HEART donors from 700 to nearly 1,000 and successfully unlocked the full match ahead of their June 6, 2025, deadline.
In a time of economic uncertainty, this strong foundation of monthly recurring donors provides much needed stability. The result is a huge amplification of the impact on their community in San Luis Obispo, California.
Congratulations to all of the Monthlies winners! Your dedication and creativity to building monthly giving programs that inspire donors and fuel your missions is worth celebrating.