Honoring a Fundraising Pioneer

The nonprofit industry lost a true pioneer when Don Kuhn passed away last November. He was 83. I didn’t really know Don; I spoke with him a few times, usually at DMA Nonprofit Federation conferences. But I know his work and his legacy.

Don was a pioneer, an innovator who loved donors. While working at the American Lung Association, he led the effort to move nearly 15 million donor records from index cards into a computer database. He was the pioneer of donor-file segmentation. He once wrote that no donor segment should ever be discarded, arguing that even lapsed-donor segments from 20 years earlier would have a few precious folks who would respond again. He was an early advocate for quick gift acknowledgments and reporting to donors how their gifts were being used. At the time of his death, Don was still consulting, helping others to improve their fundraising programs.