Those who are bunched in the middle of the pack are often overlooked, in any walk of life, but in fundraising that group known as midlevel donors can be huge.

And that means the money they can provide to a nonprofit organization can be huge.

Still, it can be easy to take these donors for granted, and it can be easy to think that fundraising among this group for granted, thinking that it does not require much thought or preparation. No segment of the donor base can be overlooked, because lots of little gifts can add up to big funding.

Speaking during the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) International Fundraising Conference, Mark Rovner of Sea Change Strategies offered the seven biggest midlevel questions that nonprofit fundraisers should be asking. They are:

* How do I get started?

* How do I know it’s working? What metrics matter?

* How many people need to be involved?

* How do I measure the return on investment (ROI) of a cultivation?

* How do I get direct mail and major gifts to play nice?

* Where does the Internet fit in?

* What issues come up in hindsight?