“Middle donors” is an area of growing interest for many non-profits.
Fundraisers refer to middle donor programmes as an easy step up from a regular donors programme. Middle donor programmes fit with the donor pyramid model, suggesting that donors will upgrade from regular giving into the middle donor space and that some will go on to become major donors.
Despite the interest there is remarkably little data on this. We know little about who is giving, what they are supporting, and how much is being raised.
To add a little new data to the debate we’ve done an analysis in Factary Phi.
Interesting report. Strikes me that one of the reasons this is a (relatively) neglected area is that it falls between major gifts and individual giving and so doesn’t get the attention it deserves. I wonder if, with the rise of well-resourced regional or community fundraising teams, the value ‘value added’ donors could become more apparent.
Adding to Ben’s point, I think middle donors are also very tough to actually find from a targeting perspective without a good chunk of historic data. This makes them a potential target for larger, existing charities but tough to reach for others.