A Realistic Look at Annual Funds

Pareto’s Principle that 80 percent of our outcomes result from 20 percent of our effort (80 percent of the funds from 20 percent of the donors) continues to skew northward, and we now realize that more than 80 percent (much more) of the money comes from fewer than 20 percent (many fewer) of the donors. The truth: Though we thought about it as a fundraising program — and many of us still do, especially our trustee friends — we are now beginning to understand in new ways that annual giving is really more about engagement than about fundraising. It’s more about loyalty, teaching and involvement.