In the Trenches: Nine Successful Habits of Direct-Response Fundraisers

1. Have an annual plan. That doesn’t mean taking last year’s actual numbers and adding 5 percent. If individual contributions make up a significant portion of your revenue, decide before beginning the year if file growth or an increase in net revenue is the goal. Unless you’re willing to invest a lot more in a donor program, you can’t make major headway in both growth and revenue. I see many managers trying to do both, with great frustration. Write a plan for the year to acquire more donors than you will lose, and make sure your current donor file is managed to show positive net revenue.