Your credit score is a powerful tool. When FICO first introduced the credit score in 1989, it was to help lenders determine the likelihood that you'd fall behind on payments in the next 24 months. FICO used a number of criteria to determine that some criteria weighed more heavily on your score than others.
The survey found that the average nonprofit donor retention rate is only 41 percent, compared to a customer retention rate of 94 percent for businesses. The average new donor retention rate is only 27 percent.
One study predicts that donations will fall by at least $13 billion, about 4.5 percent, next year. That decline is expected to be concentrated among gifts from the middle of the income scale. The richest Americans will mostly keep their ability to take the tax break. That could create new winners and losers in philanthropy.