Looking Ahead to Year-End 2014

3. Which donors upgraded to the midlevel and major-donor levels? And what have you done with them?
We all know how critical timing is when it comes to handling newly upgraded folks — and the best time for newly upgraded donors to fall through the cracks is when you have a lot of them moving up the ladder at the same time. That is why I ask you to do a quick review of anyone who upgraded at year-end to a mid- or major-donor level, and follow through with the plans you have in place for handling these folks. Friendly reminders to your colleagues in major gifts about the number of new donors who came their way or a friendly request to confirm new midlevel and major-gift upgrades to your direct-response team go a long way in bridging the gap and ensuring that the people who decided to give you more in 2013 than they did in 2012 feel good about that decision long into the new year. The only thing worse than a one-hit wonder in the music business is a donor who only upgrades once. Don’t let it happen to you!