Major Donors: Like Cylinders

Lastly, if your system is working properly, you will be able to identify the major donors in your file and plan on doing some things to help them stay interested in your ministry.

While everyone plays a part in development, major donors are like the cylinders that really get the station going. The fuel and spark of your development engine come together to help a major donor say “yes” when asked to fund important projects at your station.

Every day, the General Manager or some other top person at your station, should be calling and writing a few major donors or potential major donors. During my stint as a GM, I made this my top priority and completed it within my first 30 minutes in the office to make sure it got done every day. Yes, that’s a lot of effort. Sure, I’d rather played with the station’s music library or helped set up a remote. But, in time, the effort I invested with major donor activity helped our station more than anything else I could do.

Remember the old “80/20 Rule?” It states that 80% of your results come from just 20% of your efforts, and it definitely applies to development. Most radio stations have or could have a base of just 20% of their donors funding the majority of the station’s annual needs. Your development engine has to be good at moves management, which is helping donors like this rise to the top so they can be identified for special handling like handwritten notes, personal emails, phone calls, lunches or in-person visits.

 Next: Development Engine Diagnostics