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

It’s all part of the big picture, she explains. The integrated approach to fundraising, the intermingling of departments in the development office, even the department’s approach to personnel and morale make up Heritage’s game plan.

The plan is to “empower staffers on all levels to do their jobs.” That means “hiring well,” promoting from within, and even something as seemingly simple as proper training on office systems and software. The result, Klucsarits says, is low turnover in the development office and a general sense of camaraderie that translates into effective campaigns.