Donor Segments

Believe it or not, your donors actually have expectations based on specific character traits.

Budgeting as a fundraiser can be challenging. Too often, the overall goals seem to be (1) spend less and (2) raise more. It's as if it was as easy as simply willing it to happen … I am unable to solve that problem for you, but here are six groups you need to be sure have a starring role in your next fiscal year budget.

Mind the gap. That’s the advice in a new report on midlevel donor programs. The folks at Sea Change Strategies caution that nonprofits are missing out on a ton of money simply because they’re overlooking a committed and productive audience: middle donors — the donors who give more than low-dollar direct-marketing donations, but less than major-gift targets.

Neglecting your mid-range donors can have quick and devastating effects across all areas of your fundraising.

Too often, fundraising focuses on money. Fundraisers and their organizations search (too often desperately) for money … and the bigger the bucks, the better. “Fundraisers and their organizations keep searching for the top of the pyramid,” Tom said. “They don’t spend enough time moving the base up.”

Ah, yes, the pyramid and its top: the pinnacle of the pyramid, where so few donors reside. And fundraisers focus on the top. They and their organizations keep looking up. Too few fundraisers pay too little attention to too few people.

In the May 2010 issue, I wrote this column, "Listen and Learn," asking readers to really consider the language and focal points of their communications with different groups of donors.

What are you doing to message to different donor groups (perhaps we should first ask what you are doing to identify different donor groups!) in a more donor-centric way?

In June 2011, a handful of writers took on the task of breaking down traits and tendencies associated with a variety of donor segments — mature, African-American and faith-based — in our story, "Segment Snapshots."

If your organization’s retention efforts aren’t fine-tuned, this is the perfect webinar to help you focus.

Three fundraising professionals shared 30 ideas for fundraising success at Fund Raising Day in New York. Here are ideas 21-30.