Mid-Level Giving: Don’t miss out!

In our first Back-to-School blog, we tackled your Major Gift program and reviewed the most important things you should be doing today to make sure your donors are ready to invest, and your non-profits reaches its MG goals.

Today’s topic is on Mid-Level giving.

Why you should focus more on your mid-level donors

Fundraising shops have typically focused on two primary channels, and are generally broken into two departments: 

  1. Marketing/Annual Fund    2.    Major Gifts

But what about all those donors who are giving very generous gifts in the middle?  Imagine you give $500 to a charity.  It’s the largest donation you’ve ever made, and you’re excited to make a bigger difference. 

You receive the exact same treatment you did when you gave $35 last year.  Ho-hum.  Do you feel inspired to keep giving at this level, or will you drop back if the charity doesn’t seem to care what size donation you give?

The past 15 years has brought an incredible surge of research on the middle-donor level.  The findings are astounding.  According to The Missing Middle by Sea Change Strategies, mid-level donors account for just 1% of all donors in the US.  Yet they are giving 33% of all philanthropic dollars.  Yes, you read that right… 33%!  In addition, these donors are the most loyal supporters.  They create a pipeline for both major and planned gifts in the future, and they give consistently if treated right.

Put that way, it seems obvious that you can’t afford to ignore these supporters!  

So… what should you do to maximize their loyalty and giving?

  1. Decide what is a mid-level donation for your non-profit.  The lower threshold is usually $500, and the upper threshold depends on your major gift level.  So it may be $500-$4,999 or $500-$1,499, etc.

  2. Assign a staff person to every mid-level donor.  And be sure this staff person enjoys talking on the phone!  Your mid-level donors deserve personal thank you calls, personal email updates, and invitations to gatherings and events. 

  3. Create opportunities for these donors to be heard.  Ask questions either in personal phone calls, at gatherings, or in survey form.  Donors want to know they are more than just an ATM machine to your organization.  Find creative ways to get their opinions and learn more about what they donate and how they feel your organization is making a difference.

  4. Steward these donors in a way that makes giving joyful. Let your mid-level donors know the impact their gifts are having.  Imagine you give $1,000 to two organizations.  One sends you a letter of thanks.  The letter shares all the wonderful work the organization has done this year.  The other has someone call you to say thank you.  They also send you a personal note explaining that your $1,000 is providing 3,000 meals for families in your community, with a photo of children holding a giant thank you banner.  Or that your $1,000 is paying for 8 abandoned puppies to be rescued, spayed/neutered, and rehouse with loving families, and includes a photo or a puppy meeting its new owners.  Both charities have met their obligation of thanking you.  But which one makes you feel proud and happy?

  5. Set Key Performance Indicators to keep you focused on the most important work.  Track these numbers, and as you watch the outreach numbers increase, you will also watch your revenue increase!

# Donors you spoke to personally

# Donors you emailed personally

# Donors giving more this year than last

# Donors giving at the mid-level

# Donors upgrading to a major gift 

Enjoy getting to know your mid-level donors.  Y0u’ll be amazed how happy they are to hear from you, and how much your enjoy the work!

Questions?  Email me at hollisconsulting@icloud.com.  And look for my next blog coming soon on stewardship.  All of my blogs can be found at www.piperhollis.com or at https://Linkedin.com/in/piper-hollis.

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Reaching hard-to-reach prospects

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Refresher course on major & mid-level giving