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

An even more eye-opening example came during the foundation’s two-year, 25th anniversary campaign in 1998-99. During that campaign, there were two $10 million gifts made, one $6 million gift, one $5 million gift and 20 gifts of $1 million each. Of those 20, four were $1,000 donors at the beginning of the campaign. Two of those people started at $25 and the other two at $35.