FundRaising Success Looks Back on Its First Issue 10 Years Later

By Margaret Battistelli Gardner

Never stop testing: “Heritage Foundation tested its monthly giving program for 15 years with no great success. Two years ago, it was bringing in $5,000 a year. But then the foundation found a format that worked, and it now brings in $750,000 a year.”
Don’t forget the back-end analysis. “Many organizations don’t look at the life value of a donor. Are there giving patterns that might red-flag someone with potential? They don’t look at renewal rates. Is there a warning in there that they’re not approaching people the right way?”
“Constantly ask yourself, ‘Is this moving our mission forward?’”
“Treat donors like human beings, not like accounts.”