How Do You Know How Much to Ask a Donor For?

While presenting at a recent CASE Conference, a member of the audience asked, “How do you know how much to ask a donor for?” I felt the collective movement as the audience of major gift fundraisers leaned forward, eager for the simple answer. What was the mathematical equation we could all rely on?

The panelists each delivered that seemingly frustrating and vague answer, “It depends.” And they were right.

Asking a donor for a major gift is a big deal even for the very experienced fundraisers among us. It is not, nor should it ever be, routine. One should have done a lot of work evaluating, listening, relationship building, cultivating, and educating before asking. What are some of the ways you can position yourself as a fundraiser to make the right ask?

·        Evaluation of data: What do you know about the prospect in terms of biographical information that would be an indication of wealth or better yet, liquidity? What does your data tell you about your prospect’s inclination to give? Is there a good record of past giving, attendance at events, volunteering, or engagement with social media with your institution? Is this data captured on the prospect’s record?

·        Cultivation and Relationship Building: How have you established a relationship with your donor? If you are asking the right set of questions, you should know about her passions, her philanthropic interests, and many other details about her connection to your mission and philanthropy. How much of her total philanthropic spending is your institution receiving, if any?

·        Impact: The most important question you can ask your potential donor – one that will lead you and the donor to the answer of “How much should you should ask for” – is “What kind of an impact would you like to make?” This moves the conversation from a dollar amount to an idea, and often results in the donor giving more than what you planned to ask her for.

For example, you may have learned through research that the donor has the capacity to make a $50,000 gift. When asked about impact, the donor reveals that she would like to fully fund a scholarship, an amount much higher than $50K. Now you can have a conversation about how to fund a full scholarship instead of asking for an amount that you predetermined. Even if the donor does not have the capacity now to fund a full scholarship, you can work with her over time and creatively help her to realize her dream.

Always understand what kind of impact your donor would like to make before making the ask.