Alan Sharpe, in his newsletter Expert Fundraiser, offers a solution if your board baulks at increasing fundraising budgets. “[W]hen you know how much money a typical donor gives to your charity in a given timeframe, you can approach your board with hard, persuasive evidence for investing in donor acquisition, donor stewardship, monthly donor conversion, bequest marketing, gift upgrading, mid-level-donor stewardship and much more.”

Sharpe provides a step-by-step process you can follow to work out your organisation’s long term donor value. The process will involve some homework on your part as you delve into your donor history. However, it will be worth it – not just for getting budgets approved, but also in being good stewards by investing your fundraising budget wisely.