Wes Moon, Wisely, and the Missing Middle of Annual Giving, Ep #50

Episode 50

With Benjamin Johnson and Wes Moon

If there’s one thing every fundraiser wants, it’s more money. That’s exactly what the team at Wisely wants to help you accomplish! On this episode, Ben sits down with Co-Founder and COO of Wisely, Wes Moon, to discuss how his company is accelerating the donor giving cycle, bringing AI to the charitable world, and finding the missing middle in your donor database.

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

  • Diving into Wes Moon’s background as a lifer in the fundraising world [1:43]

  • The tech ecosystem and bringing AI to the charitable sector [7:08]

  • Accelerating the giving cycle and the value of tailored mid-level giving programs [10:02]

  • What is the missing middle? [18:26]

  • Integrating mass marketing and mid-level donors [22:03]

  • The best fundraising advice Wes has ever received [26:01]

  • Encouragement for new fundraisers [27:36]

Fundraise smarter, not harder

The charitable industry is larger than the oil or gas industries, yet there is hardly any tech representation for the non-profit sector. Most tools built for sales and client success do not have a fundraising counterpart. And it’s needed! While both for-profit and charitable organizations should be run well, their end goals are different, and their technology solutions need to reflect that. You might find something that solves a particular problem for your organization, but that system or solution was not built for your charitable organization. Wes Moon and the fine folks over at Wisely are trying to change that by bringing AI to the charitable sector. Wisely’s goal is to help its partners build and grow major and mid-level giving programs while successfully managing a portfolio and donor activity. They help charities predict how much and when someone will give, so they can prioritize which donors are more likely to increase that level with the right amount of engagement.

Accelerate giving

As a charity, when you are exceptional at mass marketing, you are building a habit in your donors to give similar gifts annually. This habit is essential because not every donor has the ability to give at a mid or major level, and the organization needs funds regardless. However, some donors can and will give more! The average donor journey takes seven years before the first $1000 gift is given. That is normally when a charity reaches out to deepen the relationship through education and elevated service. From there, it usually takes a donor only 18 months to make their first major gift. What changed? The charity disrupted the normal pattern and provided information essential for greater donor investment into the organization. If organizations can identify potential mid-level and major donors sooner, they can connect earlier in the donor journey and accelerate the giving cycle for a significant portion of their donor base.

Finding the missing middle

There’s nothing a fundraiser hates more than money left on the table. Money that could have been used to make an impact and further the charitable causes they serve. Yet, that’s exactly what happens when it comes to mid-level giving. A traditional mid-level giving strategy for most charities is to make that program a mix of major and annual giving. Rarely is mid-level giving viewed as the individual bridge space it should be. This creates what is referred to as “the missing middle”. Let’s face it: establishing a successful mass marketing program for annual giving is a feat in and of itself. And when it comes to major giving, most fundraisers start at the top and work their way down until they run out of bandwidth. All of this is understandable, but it leaves quite a bit of untapped potential in the middle of a donor roster. Charities should develop a tailored mid-level giving program to ensure no donor, or dollar, is left behind. Listen to this episode for more information on how to find the missing middle!

Resources & People Mentioned

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Ben Johnson