Marking Milestones

Some people celebrate anniversaries. At Imago, we celebrate Imagoversaries. And a couple of weeks ago, we celebrated our three-year Imagoversary. 😊🎉🙌

When I founded Imago Consulting, my hope was to help others and to inspire generosity.  Several desires were on my heart:

💜 To help nonprofits and businesses.

💜 To drive sustainable innovation.

💜 To grow recurring giving. 

💜 To create health and flourishing, personally and for those we serve.

💜 To spend half of my time writing, researching, speaking, and…

💜 To spend the other half of my time working with leaders and organizations to help them grow. 

Over the past three years, we’ve worked extensively with 35 organizations and raised more than $41 million in sustainable recurring giving, and trained hundreds more. 🎉

I published The Rise of Sustainable Giving, and the message of sustainable giving has reached tens of thousands of nonprofit leaders.

So far, so good. And we’re just getting started.

Marking Milestones

One of my favorite books is The Power of Moments, by Dan and Chip Heath. The subtitle of the book is “Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact.”

One of the most powerful insights from The Power of Moments is in how our memories work. People tend to assume that our brains are like hard drives, dutifully recording and cataloging each experience we have. Our memory of those experiences then becomes the average of all the things that happen to us, good, bad, and neutral. 

The problem is that the brain is nothing like a hard drive. The brain is flexible and fluid, and we are far more likely to remember four specific types of experiences – peaks, pits, milestones, and transitions. These remarkable moments tend to stand out in our memories. 

Peaks are the highest of highs.

Pits are the lowest of lows.

Milestones are significant events or markers along the journey.

Transitions mark when one stage ends and another begins.

When I speak about the power of moments, I talk about growing sustainable giving as a part of creating a compelling journey for potential and existing recurring donors. 

Specifically, I encourage leaders to identify these four core moments and to invest in each:

🏔️ ELEVATE the PEAKS – How can we take the best experiences, and elevate them even higher? Make them more special and memorable?

🕳️ FLIP the PITS – How can we not only fill in the potholes, but flip them and turn them into peak moments?

❎ MARK the MILESTONES – How can we identify significant markers of progress and acknowledge them in a way that lasts?

🎉 CELEBRATE the TRANSITIONS – How can we acknowledge the times of change, when we are experiencing a time of change?

💡 Takeaway: All elements of the journey are not created equal. To leverage the power of moments, focus on elevating peak moments, flipping pits, marking milestones, and celebrating transitions.

Where Imago is Going 🌊

As I reflect on this milestone, I see the next three years of Imago Consulting as a season of deepened impact:

• Partnering with nonprofits to drive millions more in sustainable revenue

• Hosting more in-person experiences that deliver wonder, clarity, and community

• Equipping leaders with the vision and tools to grow lasting legacies of generosity

So what does that mean in the next 3 months?

Sustainable Giving Workshop – January 28–30, 2026

I’m happy to announce our next Sustainable Giving Workshop will be held in January, and the best rate is available this month only.

Part workshop, part summit, and part retreat, we’ll gather just outside Seattle for 2.5 days of connection, inspiration, and strategy — all designed to help you grow sustainable recurring giving.

The workshop is designed for nonprofit fundraisers and leaders who are ready to kickstart sustainable giving growth in 2026.

Here’s what you can expect:

✅ Hands-on working sessions to apply proven frameworks to your organization
✅ Space to step back, reflect, and design your path forward with clarity
✅ A community of nonprofit leaders passionate about generosity and sustainability
✅ A setting that inspires — with creative excursions and shared meals that spark connection

If you want to start 2026 with clarity, momentum, and a customized plan for growing recurring giving, this is the place to be.

👉 Learn more and register now — early pricing ends October 31.

💡 Takeaway: Join a group of nonprofit leaders passionate about growing sustainable giving and walk away with a clear, customized plan to grow sustainable giving at your organization – all in a setting designed to inspire at the Sustainable Giving Workshop.

Scaling Your Recurring Giving Program – A Glimpse at the Sustainable Giving Accelerator

Over the past three years, 35 organizations and more than $41 million in recurring revenue growth later, we’ve learned what it takes to scale.

That’s why we’re launching the next round of our Sustainable Giving Accelerator — a concentrated, six-month partnership designed for organizations with 1,000 or more recurring donors or $ 500,000 or more in recurring revenue who are ready to go further, faster.

I recently asked a client we’ve worked with to share what this process has meant to them:

“Imago transformed our struggling monthly sustainer program within a year. Dave's wisdom, expertise, and team-building approach positioned our organization for long-term growth.”

I realize the Accelerator is not for everyone. But if you’re at that stage, or willing to invest and want to see what’s possible, let’s talk. You can request a complimentary exploration call here, and we’ll explore fit together. 

💡 Takeaway: We’re committed to building a future of sustainable generosity — through powerful client partnerships and unforgettable experiences. Whether you join us in Seattle this January or step into the Accelerator, the next season is all about helping leaders like you grow.

Until next week… Surf’s Up! 🌊

  - Dave

About the Author | Dave Raley

Consultant, speaker, and author Dave Raley is the founder of Imago Consulting, a firm that helps nonprofits and businesses who serve nonprofits create profitable growth through sustainable innovation. He’s the author of the book The Rise of Sustainable Giving: How the Subscription Economy is Transforming Recurring Giving, and What Nonprofits Can Do to Benefit. Dave also writes a weekly innovation and leadership column called The Wave Report, and the co-founder of the Purpose & Profit Podcast — a show about the ideas at the intersection of nonprofit causes and for-profit brands. Connect with Dave on LinkedIn.

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