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 questionnaire looked at everything from age and income, to giving patterns, to fact-based questions to see how informed respondents were, to “attitudinal questions” that addressed their opinions on various issues.

Boiled down, it led to two major findings. The first addressed the existence of what Heritage is calling “The 9 Million” — 9 million potential donors who already have the propensity to give and who fit the age range, income level and ideological orientation of people who would seem likely to give to Heritage.