Many charities particularly in the arts, dismiss the idea of reaching out to individuals for support believing the public to be apathetic to their issues or dismissing them as not important enough.

Others simply don’t know how to ask, many have never tried.

But those that have can be richly rewarded and in the long run develop a growing base of supporters – many of whom develop very personal relationships with the organisation.

Encouraging, asking, recognising and nurturing when done properly can result in donors staying active, year in and year out, for a very long time, sometimes for a lifetime.

Identifying and communicating properly with your supporters can and should pay dividends. But how do you set up a dialogue which is appropriate, cost effective and productive? Who should do the asking? How often? How much for? And for what? Which approaches will net the greatest return? Do you need new donors or should the current ones be asked to give more? Should you look outside your immediate constituency?

Get it right and you could establish a valuable and growing income stream that will be active for years into the future.