A kinder, back-to-basics approach to donor relations amounted to a 30 percent increase in contributions for D.C.’s Heritage Foundation.

By Margaret Battistelli Gardner

The meetings — and, for lower-value donors, distribution of various research papers and reports — come in lieu of more tangible and traditional “premiums,” such as tote bags and baseball caps. Heritage stresses that “fulfillment” for its donors comes in the form of informational and relationship-building opportunities. For Heritage, refrigerator magnets simply aren’t an option.