GO RIGHT – GO BIG ● Blog Post #115

THE NUMBER ONE MISTAKE MOST

CONSERVATIVE NONPROFITS MAKE

Post #115

                                                                                                              June 3, 2025

I first wrote this memo back in 2018, and it’s just as true, if not more so, today.

The most serious mistake made by the vast majority of conservative nonprofits is the FAILURE TO HAVE A FULLY FUNCTIONING DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.

Too many conservative nonprofits rely entirely on postal direct mail and email for their financial support.

I tell our clients that 90-95% of the value that our direct marketing program brings to them is to identify those donors who have the ability to give them 4-,5-,6-,7-figure gifts now and throughout their lifetime, as well as bequests.  In other words, in determining the lifetime value of a donor, only about 5 or 10% should come from direct marketing.  The other 90-95% should come from major gifts and bequests developed by the development team.

In the 1980s I began to notice that very few conservative organizations had a development department.  That was over 40 years ago, and unfortunately it’s still true today.

I’ve often said that direct mail is a curse and a blessing for the conservative movement.  The blessing is obvious—it raises money (and sometimes lots of money) for the organization, as well as identifies, educates, and activates voters.  The curse is that it allows too many “conservative leaders” to be armchair generals, seldom leaving their office—relying on direct mail and email to fund their organization.

I can also add that the conservative organizations that don’t have a fully functioning development department, may not have a strong Board of Directors either. Because if they did have a strong Board of Directors, and they still didn’t have a functioning development department after 6-12 months, the board should require a specific plan be produced and reviewed regularly until the goal is achieved. 

I’ve heard many reasons why people who run conservative nonprofits don’t have a development department:

            “I can’t afford to hire a development team.”

“I can’t find good people.”

            “I’m working on it.”

            “It’s on my list of things to do.”

              Etc., etc.

Next week I’ll give you some brief responses to these reasons and touch base on how to fix this problem.