Every development operation has donors whose deepest loyalty is hiding in plain sight. Consider a fictitious donor we’ll call David Park. He has given to his local food bank every year for six consecutive years, always to general operations, always in response to the year-end appeal. He attends the annual dinner. He opens every email….
Every donor in the portfolio deserves personal attention, and every development professional knows that most of them aren’t getting enough of it. Growing supporters whose trajectories signal readiness for deeper engagement go unnoticed. New donors fall behind on welcome sequences. Loyal givers who have supported the organization for years never receive a personal phone call….
Think about the donor we know best. The one we could describe to a colleague over lunch without looking anything up. We wouldn’t recite a giving total. We’d say something like, “She’s given three times this year, each gift a little larger, and she’s really passionate about the mobile pantry program.” Or, “He’s given every…