The Five Warning Signs of Direct-mail Fundraising Trouble

But trouble here can go unnoticed for as much as a few years. During this time, a shrinking base can be upgraded and/or gift frequency increased -- resulting in what appears to be income growth. But it won't last. Within a couple of years, continued roll-backs in the number of donors will become a burden that cannot be offset by the increases in gift size and frequency. Unfortunately, by the time gross income begins to ebb as a result, retention has usually become an extraordinarily difficult trend to reverse.