Mid-level donors represent a crucial segment in any organization’s donor base, often acting as a bridge between the annual fund and planned and major gift contributors. Despite this, many organizations lack a structured approach to identifying and nurturing these valuable donors. At the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, we had a structure in place that measured success based on how many touchpoints a gift officer had. The goal was quantity over quality and relationship building. This model resulted in a fragmented approach to reaching donors and a limited capacity for personalized interaction. Our program needed a reset.
This session tells the story of how we transitioned from a high-volume outreach model to a tiered color wheel system that clearly delineated responsibilities among team members to reach out to donors at specific giving levels. This offered gift officers more manageable portfolios, allowing them to focus on deeper, more personalized relationships with each donor.
We’ll cover our whole process, showcasing how to create a structured approach to cultivate donors, utilizing data-driven insights and personalized engagement strategies. Attendees will also discover techniques for maintaining and growing these relationships, ultimately fostering a pipeline of loyal supporters who are primed for planned or major giving.
Learning Objectives:
Creating Your Mid-Level Donor Universe: Learn how to conduct a gift-band analysis to effectively identify mid-level donors within your organization that will ultimately help you develop KPIs for your program.
A Personalized Approach: See how to create more personalized and elevated engagement strategies to help mid-level donors feel more connected to the impact they are making to your organization.
Feeding the Pipeline: Gain insights on how to move donors up the fundraising pyramid into planned and major giving and vice-versa.
