Missions to Movements
Missions to Movements is the nonprofit marketing and fundraising podcast that helps you grow recurring donors, scale monthly giving programs, and build digital campaigns that convert.
Hosted by Dana Snyder—speaker, strategist, and founder of Positive Equation—this show is packed with actionable nonprofit growth strategies, social media tips, and fundraising best practices.
Each week, you’ll hear how organizations are increasing donor retention, building thought leadership, and using digital fundraising to drive real impact. If you want to learn how to attract monthly donors, master nonprofit marketing, and transform your mission into a movement, this podcast is for you.
Missions to Movements
From 17 to 400: How CAT Scaled Monthly Giving with The Meow Team
From just 17 monthly donors in 2009 to nearly 400 today, the Cat Adoption Team (CAT) has built a creative and effective recurring giving program that has raised over $1 million dollars. In this episode, we’re chatting with Shanda Chroust-Masin, Development and Communications Director at CAT, to learn how their “Meow Team” has become an incredibly loyal base of brand ambassadors.
The most pivotal needle-mover? Leaning into playful, on-brand messaging (think “State of the Meownion” updates and “Cat Person” window clings), paired with strong volunteer engagement and donor stewardship.
Shanda shares ALL the tactics behind their growth: how they leverage volunteer relationships and embed monthly giving asks into evergreen experiences like adoptions and newsletters, plus their strategies for delighting donors with small but impactful touches.
This case study is packed with lessons you can apply right away!
Resources & Links
Learn more about CAT on their website and check out their Meow Team. To connect with Shanda and the CAT team, email shandacm@catadoptionteam.org or development@catadoptionteam.org.
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Today's guest is a true champion for cats and recurring giving. Shonda Krauss-Mason is the Development and Communications Director at Cat Adoption Team, aka CAT C-A-T, the largest cat shelter in the Pacific Northwest. Now, since opening their doors in 1998, they have placed over 65,000 cats and kittens into loving homes and now boast a thriving community Meow Team members of nearly 400 monthly donors who help power its mission. Now they have raised over a million dollars through recurring gifts alone, building a very strong base of support that fuels everything from their foster care to their vet services. What sets their approach apart? Think cat-themed branding, insider updates, like the state of the me-onion I mean so good and unique perks that really turn donors into loyal brand ambassadors. It is for this reason that they were one of the 2025 Monthly's winners during Monthly Giving Awareness Week, in partnership with RKD Group and Giving Tuesday earlier this year. So if you are looking to build a thriving monthly giving program with heart, creativity and consistencies, you'll wanna take some notes from this conversation.
Speaker 2:Don't be afraid to call it out. Don't just say, make a gift and wait until they get down the line to select monthly gift. Like't just say, make a gift and wait until they get down the line to select monthly gift. Like, really make it its own thing. And it doesn't take a lot to try and be a little creative. And not everybody's nonprofits aren't going to have the same ways to make it creative, but you can be creative. You might not have cat puns or things like that, but you know, just make it fun somehow.
Speaker 1:This is one of my favorite topics of conversation on Monthly Giving and you have grown the Meow team from 17 monthly donors in 2009 to over 300 today.
Speaker 2:Yeah, closer to 400, actually.
Speaker 1:Yes, oh my apologies, no, that's okay, when I pulled the numbers originally, I yeah, I love to be wrong in that direction. It's like 360. School me wrong, all day it's better to be that direction. That's right. Okay, I'm sure everyone just wants to know, like, how do you do this If someone is in a similar position to like 17, 40, 50, like what were some of the really pivotal moments or strategies that you put into place that have fueled this expansive growth?
Speaker 2:Well, I'm not going to take credit for it. I will be honest that I have only been at cat adoption team since February. So, with that being said, I know it's amazing.
Speaker 2:I know, right, and I came into this and I was like, wow, this is what a monthly giving program is supposed to look like. And this is amazing that you know. I was like this is like the dream, right. So I was super excited to come in and I started asking questions and I was like, well, how did we get here? So that's why I was like this is amazing. So it started out so small and grew so quickly and, honestly, I really think the pivotal thing that I've come to realize here is our branding. It's just on point, it's amazing is our branding?
Speaker 1:It's just on point. It's amazing. I love that you just said branding, because I feel like so many people don't focus time or attention or investment into branding and the creativity behind Meow Team Branding especially. You have this cat person window cling in the state of the meow-ian. It's so good. What drove this personalization and really identity-driven marketing to impact the donor growth?
Speaker 2:We definitely had taken a step back and we're like we don't want to advertise ourselves as the sad support us. I hate to say it but, like the Sarah McLaughlin-like sad cats and things needing our help, we still tell the story of the need, but we definitely have a little bit more whimsical, playful branding and so we use a lot of the cat puns and the cat terminology, like possum and meow team and you know things like that, and have a lot more playful colors and playful things like that, and I really think that is helpful and it just makes people more excited to be a part of something and still give back. That's where our Meow team started was with our volunteers. So we have 40-something staff but we have over 600 volunteers and without those volunteers we wouldn't exist. So I think it's like 30-something total full-time positions that the volunteers do cumulatively when you add them together.
Speaker 2:And so we really started with those people that already give their time and energy to the organization and they kind of were those first handful of Meow Team members and then that kind of just snowballed and started accumulating People, realizing that the impact of you know, a $10 a month gift, so messaging that Right and then just making it fun, like I'm. Not only am I a volunteer, but I'm a part of this meow team and I'm this cat person, as the window cling says, and branding that and promoting it and telling friends. So it's just kind of word of mouth being a big part of it as well, so making them feel special and then they tell their friends and then you know, it just kind of goes from there.
Speaker 1:Was there a moment where it really started to pick up, where you just saw? Or it was a much bigger priority in the organization that you saw significant leaps of new monthly?
Speaker 2:supporters gosh. It was more than doubled Gosh. I want to say it was like 80 something versus 17 in the second year. So we really put a focus on that and we actually even started mid-year when we established the Meow Team. So those 17 or 7 or 17, whatever donors in the Meow Team was only a reflective of part of the year. So it definitely was our focus initially when we first started rolling it out, because we knew that we had to have that foundation in place for a monthly giving program. It definitely was our focus initially when we first started rolling it out, because we knew that we had to have that foundation in place for a monthly giving program. So we definitely targeted it in our marketing and advertising.
Speaker 1:Yes, would you say that, because you have such a big volunteer base, are most of your volunteers, do they become part of the Meow team, or is it also just individual donors as well that are not a part of the volunteer base?
Speaker 2:Both. When I looked at the numbers, I would say it's roughly 50-50. We're very unique, though, in that which is amazing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we have a really diverse pool of funding that comes from individual donors. We have the variable donations that come from adoption donations, so when people come in to adopt they have the opportunity to donate at checkout or during the adoption counseling process, because we have a pretty extensive adoption counseling process and so those are one-off ones and a small handful of those might turn into monthly givers. So that's a big part of it. And then other donors individual donors are more likely to turn into our Meow Team members.
Speaker 1:I think that's so important. What you just highlighted Like what are any evergreen experiences that someone might have with your organization and how can you implement and insert a monthly giving program? Ask through that process whether it's onsite or through the thank you emails that go out or through a handwritten note that goes out. And I know what's very cool now to see is that your, since the group is growing, the impact is obviously compounding and growing quicker and quicker every year. So with now more than a million raised over the past 16 years, how has that consistency really helped the organization plan expand, especially during maybe some fluctuating fundraising times?
Speaker 2:Oh, it's definitely helped. I mean, obviously it's not the only revenue, but it's so significant to be able to budget for at least what you raised the year before in forecasting. So it's definitely significant. And we've had a few instances like we had a flood a few years back, so knowing we had that.
Speaker 2:But we could also go to those members and say, hey, we are actually short on this amount of money to do some renovations due to the flooding, and so it's like a reliable donor base to say your monthly gifts have really helped and we also need a little bit more. And they are like, oh, I can give a little bit more, and whether it's increasing the monthly donation or a one-off donation, so having that is very significant. But they also feel so invested and involved, like I've seen Meow Team members like there's a sense of pride too, especially if they're here and on site once a week or twice a week volunteering. There's just like, oh, I'm a Meow Team member and they share what that means and what that is and they get other people oh, I want to join, so it's great.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah.
Speaker 1:I love that you're speaking to so many often limiting beliefs and the fact of oh, they're a monthly donor. Like, should I ask them for an upgrade gift? Yeah, like, these are your core believers. Like, ooh, will they give again? Yes, they'll probably give another one-off gift if you ask them and are called to in those specific circumstances. Now, your team uses multiple outreach channels from newsletters, events, there's boutique perks. What have been some of the? And I want to go back to one thing you said, too, about forecasting a second, but what's really been helpful? The best channel when it comes to acquisition and growth.
Speaker 2:It's really a mixture, to be honest. Like I said it will be. Some of them will be adoption donors, and then I want to say our newsletter is a big one. So even if you adopted and you didn't donate the day you adopted, they get put on our newsletter mailing list, and so then they may not have been able to give at the time, but then they will oh, I'll send in a donation or join the Meow team, and then they are also on the mailing list for any appeals.
Speaker 2:So it's not just appeal letters or appeals campaigns. They get put on our newsletter list and different things. They get our e-news as well, our cat tells and our cat e-tells. Different things they get are e-news as well, our cat tales and our cat e-tales. So I think all of those have shown different, various ways for people to donate. So it's really been, when I looked at the numbers, a very good mixture of all the different ways.
Speaker 2:So I think it's really important to remember that it's not just one set way. You're going to see a variety of different ways, so the more you can add them to the better. And if they don't want to be on your appeals, great. But if they're still giving the newsletter, which isn't a hard ask, there's still a percentage of them that will donate. So one of the things, though, that is very, very unique to Meow Team, though, what we have seen when people do increase their monthly donations is when we send them their Meow Team anniversary postcard every year. So that is not something that I've seen done. Other places that I've been and worked at was an anniversary postcard, and so it's just like a thank you. It's not asking them to increase their gift, but we do see when we send them that or that, the New Year's card that is unique just to them is kind of a thank you. We see increases to their monthly donations.
Speaker 1:Awesome. So it's not an ask, it's just the one-year anniversary mark.
Speaker 2:It's your cat-iversary is what we call it as a Meow Team member, and we thank you so much Awesome.
Speaker 1:I want to point out that two things that you talked about is that it allows you to forecast, I think when we're talking to accountants and if you have a CFO or a fractional CFO on your team, the ability to forecast sometimes you can't forecast if a grant's going to come in or not. Maybe you can't forecast if a major gift is going to happen or not and that monthly giving really provides you, dependent upon your individual program's retention rate if it's 80, 90%, that's really strong that you can pretty much guarantee that's going to continue. On your website I want to call out you do have a big button right in the header that says monthly giving, driving people there, letting them know that it's important to be able to join. It's so powerful just to make it easy for somebody to join. For anybody that's listening right now. If they are just starting their program, if they're maybe needing like a little refresh, what advice would you give to them for really building both the creative engagement and then also a strong infrastructure from the ground up?
Speaker 2:a strong infrastructure from the ground up. I would definitely say that you want to make it easy and I would say finding a system that is really easy to set up. Recurring monthly giving is really important and also definitely brand it in its own thing. I've seen places that have like donate now and then there's no monthly giving mention until you get to the donation page and it says one-time gift, monthly gift, and not really calling that out. So don't be afraid to call it out. That would be definitely one of my advice. Don't just say make a gift and wait until they get down the line to select monthly gift. Like, really make it its own thing and it doesn't take a lot to try and be a little creative. And not everybody's non-profits aren't going to have the same ways to make it creative, but you can be creative, you know, like you might not have cat puns or things like that.
Speaker 2:But you know, just make it fun somehow. You know, like having its own name is very significant. So start there. What is a fun name that we can tie it to? That, you know, makes it fun and to not overthink it. Yeah, don't overthink it.
Speaker 1:Like make it fun, yeah, yes, just get started. I love that Branding it having its own landing page. Like make it easy to give in that way you are preaching all the things that I teach in my framework. It's been so lovely to chat with you. Where can listeners connect with you if they want to pick your brain, get ideas? Where's the best place to go?
Speaker 2:I mean, you can definitely connect with us on our website at catadoptionteamorg, but you're more than welcome to email me directly at shandacm at catadoptionteamorg or development at catadoptionteamorg. We also have very active social media accounts, and our website is a great place as well to get all the information.
Speaker 1:Oh, that is a good question. Actually, have you seen social being a driver of recurring donors? Do you run any paid ads for monthly giving?
Speaker 2:We have. We haven't recently, but we have, yes, but a lot of our. I would say that, based on a lot of our KPIs, because we do track our KPIs for social media and online content do drive traffic to our donation page Awesome.
Speaker 1:Yeah, try it out. Try it out, don't be afraid to reach out. I'm all about community, like she is an amazing person in the trenches doing the work. Reach out, be friends. Thank you so much for being here and congratulations again on winning the monthlies. Thank you I appreciate it, Honored to chat with you and the next time I talk to you it's going to be like a thousand monthly donors.
Speaker 2:Oh, a thousand monthly donors. Oh, let's hope. But I hope it also helps other people get monthly donors as well.
Speaker 1:So this is a shared effort, always, always. If we're creating a more generous society, then they will be giving all around Exactly Amazing. Thank you so much for being here. Appreciate you. Thank you very much, you as well. Thank you so much for tuning into today's episode of Missions to Movements. If you enjoyed our conversation and found it helpful, I would love for you to take a moment to leave a review. Wherever you're listening, your feedback helps us reach more changemakers like you and continue bringing impactful stories and strategies to the show. Don't forget to hit that subscribe button too, so you'll never miss an episode. And until next time, keep turning your mission into a movement.
