The American Diabetes Association has fundraising down to an art and a science

By Margaret Battistelli Gardner

“There’s room for [all nonprofit organizations] but, obviously, you have to find the people who are interested in what you have to offer,” she says. “Once you find that unique individual who fits with you, you don’t want to lose him. It took a lot of time, energy and resources to find him.

“So you never quit acquiring donors,” she adds. “You have to keep the pipeline full. Cultivation and stewardship are 100 percent of all staff job descriptions. That and prospecting for warm leads, which don’t carry the same high price tag as cold lists.”