Next Up Oregon: Testing Alumni Storytelling to Grow Monthly Giving

The Organization

Next Up Oregon helps young people build leadership, organizing, and professional skills through paid participation in UPTURN Leadership Academy and the Community Action Team. UPTURN graduates can return as paid Community
Organizing Instructors, helping lead programs and sharing their experiences with supporters. The monthly donor community, the Disrupters, provided about $1,695 per month from 114 donors before the experiment. Growing this base would provide more dependable, flexible support for youth programs and general operations.

The Goal

Next Up is testing whether stories from young people, combined with personal fundraising calls from program alumni, can grow its monthly donor community from 114 to 139 donors (Disrupters) at an average monthly gift of $15. The idea is straightforward: hearing directly from young people may give supporters a stronger reason to give each month. Early signs to watch include new monthly donors and donor responses to digital outreach and personal calls.

Strategies and Tactics in Motion

Next Up launched a digital storytelling campaign in May, then trained program alumni to make fundraising calls in July and August. Outreach included email, Instagram, texts, and phone calls. The stories remain on Next Up’s website and donation page. Staff are considering using them again in a fall campaign, depending on available staff time.

Early Learning

• Personal outreach connected better with donors than the digital campaign, according to staff. This is an early observation; channel-level conversion data were not reported.
• Young callers grew more confident with practice and coaching. Staff identified ways to improve coaching for future cohorts.
• Grant funders responded positively to the participant stories, suggesting they can help explain Next Up’s work beyond the original donor campaign.

In Flight Multiplier Signals

• Early giving: Next Up reported 120 monthly donors, six above the starting base of 114, plus approximately $750 in one-time gifts. Recurring revenue received through the experiment and donor retention were not yet reported.
• Capacity to build on: Trained youth callers and participant stories offer a starting point for future fundraising.

What We Are Watching Next

Next Up is assessing whether it has enough staff capacity for a fall campaign during an organizational restructuring and possible communications staff furlough. Staff would also like to repeat youth calling with future summer cohorts. Questions ahead include whether new donors continue giving, how coaching can improve calls, and whether existing stories can bring in more support when used again.

Why This Matters Now

This experiment offers an early look at how support for fundraising can also strengthen youth leadership and create materials an organization can use beyond a single campaign. It can also help Progressive Multiplier learn what staff support and coaching organizations need to turn youth storytelling into dependable revenue.