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

“One guy came to me — he started at $25 — at an event we had in Denver, says ‘I’m just here to kick the tires.’ Very low-key guy. He wandered back to me, and I said, ‘How’d the tires fit?’ He says, ‘Pretty good; I’m gonna go back and talk to my wife and accountant.’ Calls me back and says, ‘I’m gonna send a pretty good-sized check.’ “