Tips to Retaining Different Kinds of Donors

* Low-value donors. Make sure you’re not investing more in this group than is warranted given the level of gifts you expect from them over time. But the authors advise that they not be neglected, as “sizable bequests can come from donors who have given little during their lifetimes.”

Maintain enough of a relationship with them that you retain their loyalty while obtaining a positive ROI. Send them a limited number of appeals and updates each year and urge them to “convert their giving to a regular commitment in order to reduce administration and retention costs.”