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

“And frankly we have not had great success in reaching these potential members cost effectively,” he admits.

Even more surprises
But what spurred the biggest change in Heritage’s fundraising philosophy was the survey’s second major finding: The foundation, despite decades of successfully soliciting charitable donations, had failed to build relationships with its core of regular donors.