“Hank,” the email said, “can you send me a gift pyramid that my organization can use in preparing for a capital campaign.” My response leaned somewhat toward the academic….
Gift Tables and Pyramids are great fundraising tools, but their construction and usage are often very much misunderstood. They are most often associated with capital campaigns, but are also great tools for major gifts fundraising for “fiscal year fundraising,” and even for major events.
There is, however, no such thing as a standard gift table. You may find many examples of gift tables in texts and in articles on fundraising, but they are examples, and not to be assumed appropriate for every circumstance/situation.
An “idealized” Gift Table (as follows) has as it’s top gift an amount that is 10-15% of the overall goal, with the bottom gift being no less than 1% of the goal. For a million dollar goal, therefore, that’s a top gift of $100,000 to $150,000 and a bottom gift of $10,000.
BUT, what if there’s no one on your list of prospective donors who can give at the 10% (or more) level? Clearly, then, for your gift table to be a useful/useable tool, the top gift has to be less than 10%. In fact, the top gift can only be as high as the highest gift you’re likely to get when you’re working toward your fundraising goal; and, all of your fundraising efforts must be able to obtain the number of gifts specified at each level of the pyramid.
All of the levels on a Gift Table must represent reality.
So, how do you construct a realistic Gift Table?
You, or your (fundraising/development/major gifts/events) committee must sit down and take a serious look at all of your potential donors – to be sure they’re really potential donors, see (http://managementhelp.org/blogs/fundraising-for-nonprofits/2010/06/15/who-is -a-major-gift-prospect/). Then, based on prior giving and on what other information you have about each prospect, you “attach” a dollar figure to each name on your list – said dollar figures to represent what you and the committee believes is a realistic likely gift from each listed person.
Your Gift Table is constructed from those figures. The top and bottom numbers and the steps you pick for the various levels of your pyramid must be based on the committee’s discussions. You may wind up with a lopsided gift table but it will reflect reality.
One caution, if you can’t construct a Gift Table that will add up to your goal, it is likely that your goal isn’t realistic.
Oh, yes, one other thought: Having constructed your initial Gift Pyramid, you’re not finished; you will need to update/revise it as additional information becomes available. Where the Gift Table should represent the most up-to-date information/circumstances, you don’t have to get compulsive about it !!
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My posting, next Tuesday, will address the use of gift tables in specific circumstances … event planning, major gifts fundraising, capital campaigns, and asking for the gift.
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Have a comment or a question about starting, evaluating or expanding your fundraising program? With over 30 years of counseling in major gifts, capital campaigns, bequest programs and the planning studies to precede these three, I’ll be pleased to answer your questions. Contact me at AskHank@Major-Capital-Giving.com
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Have you seen The Fundraising Series of ebooks ??
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Hank Lewis with Development Consultant Associates has over thirty years as a fundraising consultant and is a specialist in Board and Leadership Development, Capital Campaign, Bequest Program and Major Gifts.