Donor pancake vs. pyramid: Do you need syrup?

I was talking with a smart fundraiser the other day who just started a new gig. He said, “We don’t have a donor pyramid. We have a donor pancake.”

Basically, the organization he works for has a thriving low-dollar membership program. But they have very few major donors.

As he restructures his department, he sees middle donor fundraising as a key to evolving his pancake into a pyramid.

Middle donor fundraising is a conduit. It’s a pipeline. If you have no middle donor program, the leap from low dollar to major is pretty drastic. And while that leap can happen unassisted — many times through planned giving — your donors will take it more frequently if you give them a little bit of help across the divide.

When you don’t invest in middle donor programs, you better order some syrup to go with that pancake.

Want to learn more? Download your free copy of The Missing Middle: Why Neglecting Middle Donors Is Costing You Millions.