Blog
March 25, 2015
Mid-level donors often slip through the cracks in the Advancement world. In many organizations, they represent a large swath of prospective donors — the muddle in the middle — between the Annual Giving and Major Gift giving pools and typically are not assigned to prospect portfolios. Or, if they are assigned, they may go unmanaged because there’s no expected immediate return from these donors. Prospect managers have large financial goals that can only be filled by higher impact prospects.
This begs the question of whether the muddle in the middle matters. (Say that three times fast!) They do and here’s why:
- Mid-level donors provide a consistent and reliable income stream; their donation level ranges between $500 and $10,000.
- Because they are habitual donors, mid-level donors are statistically more likely to include your organization in their will. Your objective is to increase that share.
- Mid-level donors are your major donors in-waiting. It is a truism that for every major gift initiative or campaign, you need four prospects; mid-level donors fill your bottom-level of major gift prospects. You need to nurture that bottom level or their money will go elsewhere.
If you are not already nurturing your relationships with mid-level donors to build your prospect pipeline, there is no time like the present to begin. Accounting for these donors and incorporating them into your fundraising strategy does not require a sea-change in staffing. The solution is at your fingertips: Salesforce.
Next Time: How Salesforce can help you identify, target and ultimately grow your mid-level donors.
Erin Troia is a seasoned fundraising professional with 15+ years of direct progressive management experience in both the nonprofit and higher ed sectors. In August 2014, Erin brought her expertise to ACF Solutions and has worked with Columbia University, Auburn University’s Harbert College of Business, and Allegheny College.
