If you’re fundraising from individuals, then you have middle donors.
No matter what size your donor support base, there are donors who give larger gifts (“major” gifts) to your cause, there are some that give smaller, and a group that gives right in the middle.
These middle donors are your organization’s future. Your major donors come from this pool. Many bequest gifts come from this group. And even better – many of your middle donors will stick with you for the long run. They are often some of your most loyal donors, giving consistently year after year.
To start a middle donor program, you don’t need to go out and get more donors – you already have them.
You just need to find them. You have to determine where your middle is.
Take stock of what you have. Look at the data to find your middle donors.
Most middle donor programs start with donors who give $500 or $1,000 up to $10,000 annually, but we suggest that you look at the data to see what makes sense for your organization.
This is not your major gift program. You want to leave enough people at the “top” of your pyramid to personally solicit and cultivate as major donors as possible given your resources.
These are the donors that are “in between”, the ones that give more than the “membership” or general contributor level of $25 or $50, but not the biggest gifts to your organization.
Here’s a handy Middle Donor Calculator to help you determine what the right parameters are for your middle donor program.
Mix in groups of supporters that also show middle donor potential.
Once you have your middle level giving levels defined, fold in donors that are good prospects for the middle donor program and start treating them like middle donors.
Monthly Donors: Be sure to include those donors who are giving monthly donations that total up to your middle donor entry level gift. For example, if you’ve determined that your middle donor program starts at $1,000, those donors who give $100 monthly should be included. These donors don’t need to be converted to one-time donors, but be sure to ask them to upgrade their monthly gift!
Donors just below the middle level: If you’re program starts at $1,000, you should be sending invitations to those giving just below that level at $500 or $750, asking them for an increase to join this special initiative.
Lapsed Major Donors: Once you have your middle donor messaging and program specifics in place, go out to your lapsed donors who were giving at this level previously. Some will re-engage with a specific ask. In addition, you can approach lapsed major donors with a middle donor ask to get them back in the door.
Donors who gave a first gift above your average gift: This group (normally donors that give $100 or $250 for a first gift) is also a great prospecting pool for middle donors. They have proactively shown their interest and capacity to do more.
Interactive Donors: These are donors that have shown interest in your organization by attending events, volunteering, signing petitions or letters, visiting your offices, writing or calling with questions, and just generally playing an active part. These donors can be very receptive to a middle donor ask. Many are very devoted to you but may not have the resources to be major donors. Others need a very specific ask which a middle donor structure provides. In any case, these are your friends – see if they want to join in!
Test your middle donor blend and see if you’ve found the right ingredients for your organization.
We heartily encourage you to make middle donors a big part of your individual donor strategy, but if you only have the time and money to start small, do that. It’s better to get the concept right and engage the right donors than to initiative something that you are unable to sustain.
And don’t forget to test! You’ll need information to tell you if you picked the right giving levels and which of these groups respond best to your middle donor message.
Happy brewing! We’d love to hear about your best middle donor mixture!
