Large Charities Work to Smooth Midlevel and Big-Gifts Work So Donors Don’t Fall Through Cracks

Some of America’s biggest charities are working to make sure that fundraisers who focus on big donors are coordinating better with those who handle midlevel donations, according to a new report.

Tensions between midlevel fundraisers and those who raise big donations are well known. The two camps often clash over who should cultivate donors in the “middle” range — those supporters who give more than typical direct-mail or online donors and who might have the potential to make large gifts.

Fundraisers focused on midlevel donors often get frustrated because they say big-gift staff members try to take responsibility for the donors they work with — then take a long time to follow up, leaving loyal supporters with inadequate attention.

Some groups have taken steps to avoid this, says the report — which is based on surveys and interviews with 19 nonprofits, including big ones like the ACLU and the Nature Conservancy.

For example, the Wilderness Society asks big-gift fundraisers to meet with a donor before moving them out of the midlevel fundraising staff’s orbit, according to the study.

And Amnesty International USA sends all midlevel donors mail communications, even if big-gifts fundraisers are also communicating with them.

“In 2018 we’re seeing a giant leap in coordination between membership and major gifts,” the report argues. “Major gifts and direct marketers are learning to tango.”

A Boom in the Middle

The report also suggests that large charities are asking more fundraisers to reach out to midlevel donors.

The midlevel category is defined differently by each nonprofit, but it often encompasses supporters making donations of $1,000 to $10,000.

Organizations in the study reported an average of three employees assigned to handle midlevel donors, compared with just one midlevel fundraiser four years ago when a similar study was conducted. Only two charities interviewed for the most recent report had no employees assigned specifically to midlevel donors.

Today, many more fundraising leaders appear to be interested in targeting those middle donors, according to the report’s researchers.

“In 2014, leadership commitment to midlevel fundraising was definitely the exception,” said Alia McKee, principal at Sea Change Strategies, which conducted the report. “But in 2018, we saw chief development officers really championing midlevel programs — which we believe has led to a transformation in how many organizations are talking about prioritizing and, ultimately investing in midlevel donors.”