More than just the in-between
Mid-level donors are the critical gap. They fall between mass market donors and major donors. Unfortunately, many ministries and charities don’t really know quite what to do with them.
They’re too financially valuable to be treated like a $50 donor. But they’re not at the level typically deemed worthy of a major donor portfolio. As the Association of Fundraising Professionals puts it, mid-level donors are “the most under-leveraged segment in the file.”
There aren’t many of them
Estimates suggest mid-level donors comprise 5% to 15% of the typical donor file. Yet those same estimates suggest they’re often providing 30% to 50% of annual income.
In 2022, Grey Matter Research joined forces with BBS & Associates to study evangelical mid-level donors. As few mid-level donors as there are, fewer still are evangelical Christians. There is not much research on this small but critical segment, which made our study groundbreaking.
The Critical Gap: Understanding Evangelical Mid-level Donors is today’s update of that seminal work. BBS and Grey Matter partnered again to track what has changed in this population over the last four years.
Learn the Logistics
How they give. Where they give. How much (and how generously) they give. How they want to stay informed. The extent to which church giving and political giving play a role in their donations.
We dig into the logistics of giving for evangelical mid-level donors.
Learn What Drives Them
But giving is far more than a transaction. The Critical Gap explores what causes them to add a new organization or drop one they previously supported. What role faith plays in their giving. (We learned what they say and do often don’t match.) Why they selected their top organization. Why they are or are not monthly sustainers.
To Whet Your Appetite…
Just a few tidbits to get you thinking…
- It’s the level of generosity, not the level of available resources, that drives mid-level giving.
- Even so, giving and generosity have fallen across the board. This includes giving to church, charity, and politics.
- Three out of four gave during some type of special activity by an organization: a matching challenge, special project, emergency need, etc.
- The importance of mail communication is declining – but still one of their top choices.
- There is a major correlation between monthly giving programs and planned giving.
Learn about these topics and much more in The Critical Gap: Understanding Evangelical Mid-level Donors from Grey Matter Research and BBS & Associates. The Critical Gap is free by request – just e-mail ron@greymatterresearch.com.
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Grey Matter freely distributes many research reports, but most of our work is for individual clients, whether the topic is religious beliefs, consumer behavior, donating, branding, or anything else.
What upcoming decisions could you make in a more informed manner if you knew what your target market is thinking? How they see you? How your organization makes them feel?
We answer these kinds of questions for ministries, denominations, non-profits, companies, and the agencies and consultants which serve them.
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