Whitepaper
Midlevel Donors: Maximize the Middle
When we began evaluating the challenges in development more than a decade ago, the issues revolved around how well development professionals understood and utilized technology. More recently, in light of nationwide economic trouble, many frustrated fundraisers are asking, “How do we innovate? How do we find ways to do more with less?”
Development professionals face a number of challenges, including siloed organizations, competitiveness across different functions, and competing priorities. Some of these challenges are practical, and some extend across whole systems.
But one thing we’ve noticed over the last 10 years is that, unfortunately, the nonprofit space is steeped in mediocrity. We celebrate incremental increases. We don’t look for the dramatic. We have big dreams and big plans and big campaigns, but the disciplines around creating dramatic results are absent in the marketplace.
Midlevel donors are probably one of the most overlooked areas in development. This article will discuss methods and strategies that have been proven to maximize mid-level giving and identify the next generation of major donors. With a solid strategy, you can acquire mid-level donors, build a sustainable pipeline of future major donors, and secure immediate commitments to meet and exceed your annual goals.
This whitepaper is presented by Tony Smercina and Erik Tomalis. Tony is the Executive Vice President of Pursuant’s Charitable Partners program, which has compressed years of traditional cultivation into just months through effective midlevel donor prospecting. Erik Tomalis is Vice President of Development, and oversees midlevel work for clients such as Children’s Medical Center, Sigma Nu Educational Foundation, and The Association of Former Students of Texas A&M.
