Five Things I've Noticed Recently About Mid-Level Giving
I was researching mid-level giving last month to prep for a workshop I was co-leading at the BuildGood Summit, and I noticed a few things that seemed obvious to me, but felt somewhat missing from the larger conversation around this important, often overlooked, aspect of nonprofit fundraising.
1. Despite its usefulness as an internal term, no one outside the fundraising world ever refers to or thinks of themselves as a “mid-level” donor.
This is simply not a term in the mind of your average giver.
It may be a helpful category for segmenting fundraising strategy and communications, but it’s not a label anyone ever uses on themselves.
Most people giving at this level likely think of themselves as supporters, believers in the mission, or simply … people who care.
2. Mid-level giving strategy should NEVER be just a stepping stone toward a major gift.
People giving at this level are important in their own right and should be treated with the same level of respect as anyone else. (I say this as someone who isDECIDELY a mid-level giver to a number of causes.)
3. As a sector, we’re finally waking up to the idea that people making mid-level gifts can provide valuable financial support to the causes they care about.
This is great. But … for the most part, if you actually look at the fundraising strategy of most nonprofits across the sector, we’re still largely undervaluing the time and expertise this group has to offer.
This is a mistake.
When organizations do tap into this expertise well, it looks like advisory roles, focus groups, volunteer leadership positions, or leveraging their professional networks.
These people often have decades of experience and industry knowledge that could benefit your mission beyond financial contributions.
4. Mid-level giving strategy should NEVER be just about the money.
In its purest form, it’s also about building relationships, creating a sense of community, and helping people grow in their philanthropy.
This looks like offering learning opportunities, providing behind-the-scenes access to your work, or connecting them with other like-minded donors who share their passion.
If you do those things well, increased giving usually follows.
5. No matter how much someone gives, everyone wants to know they’re making a difference and be part of something bigger than themselves.
This idea should be reflected at every level of our fundraising strategy … from the things we do to attract first-time believers to the ways we serve legacy leavers.
Many organizations struggle with mid-level.
This group is often too large for traditional major gift treatment, but too small and too important for generic mass marketing. This leaves a strategic gap that many nonprofits haven’t figured out how to bridge effectively. Here’s a graph my friend Mike Duerksen 👋 created to illustrate this gap:
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
What else would you add? What am I missing? What innovative ways are organizations taking care of this important group of people?
I’m always looking for examples from others who are getting this right.
And what about you? What’s your experience been like as a mid-level donor to a cause you care about?
