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

“We actively pursue getting our staff members, policy analysts and researchers into op-ed pieces, on talk shows, to be interviewed in newspaper articles and on television programs,” Walter says. “We have an active program to train people how to speak if they’re on CNN or Fox News or CSPAN.”

Integrated approach
Summed up into one word, Heritage’s approach seems to be “nurturing.” It’s nurturing donor relationships, as well as relationships among and within departments. A key to its success, Walter says, is that it takes an integrated approach to fundraising. Within the development department, there are three legs — direct marketing (for donations of $1-$1,000); major grants ($10,000 and more); and deferred giving (e.g., wills, legacies). Donors who give between $1,000 and $10,000 are split between the direct marketing and major gifts sectors, depending on the level of personalized attention it takes to keep them active, Walter explains.