Gift Tables: The Roadmap to Successful Major Gift Fundraising

Gift Tables — aka Gift Range Charts or Gift Pyramids — are they key to successful major gift fundraising. That’s because they clearly demonstrate how many gifts you need at what levels to be successful.

In other words, they provide a roadmap to your fundraising goal.

How a Gift Table Works for Major Gift Fundraising

Let’s say you want to raise $100K in major gifts. The clearest and most direct path is the following:

• 1 gift of $20K ($20K total)
• 3 gifts of $10K each ($50K total)
• 5 gifts of $5K each ($75K total)
• 6 gifts of $2,500 each ($90K total)
• 10 gifts of $1,000 each ($100K total)

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• 25 Total Gifts

Alternatively, you can play with the numbers, up or down, to reflect the donors in your database. If you can start with a large gift at the top, it’s likely you will need less gifts overall, as in this example:

• 1 gift of $25 ($25K total)
• 3 gifts of $10K ($55K total)
• 5 gifts of $5K ($80K total)
• 8 gifts of $2,500 (100K total)

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• 17 Total Gifts

How to Create a Gift Table for Your Fundraising Goals

First and foremost, you’ll need two or three names of prospective donors for each level of your gift table who are “A, B, C qualified” — that is they have:

• A = Ability (they are financially able to make the type of gift you are requesting)
• B = Belief (they believe in your mission and your organization)
• C = Connection (they will respond to someone at your organization via email or phone)

Gather Your Development Committee

Share a chart like one of the examples above with your development committee and ask them to help you come up with the appropriate chart for your donor base. Ask yourselves:

1. Will your chart be tall and thin (a very few donors and a few gifts)?
2. Or will it need to be wider at the base (more gifts at lower levels)?

You’ll probably need to play with this for a few rounds until the numbers feel right for your organization.

Identify Specific Prospective Donors

The next step is to attach a list of names to each gift you need. Remember, you will want to identify two or three prospective donors for each gift you need. If you find you can’t identify any prospective donors for the top giving level, you will need to adjust your table accordingly.

Start with a list of your largest and most loyal donors. Segment by recency, frequency, and lifetime giving to your organization. Those who have given most recently (within the last year) and most frequently (multiple times per year or for many years in a row) are your best prospective donors for major gift solicitations.

Be sure to include board members as they are likely some of your best prospective donors. Once you have a solid list, start at the top and work your way down. Develop a strategy for each donor you’ve identified for the top gifts.

Determine a Strategy for Each Prospective Donor

Brainstorm with your committee and discuss each prospective donor individually.

• Who should reach out to them?
• What is their giving history to your organization?
• Do you know about their giving to other organizations?
• What do you know about them in terms of their interests and their giving history and patterns?
• Should you include their spouse or significant other?

Practice Asking for Gifts as a Committee

To hone your solicitation skills, have committee members practice asking for a gift on your gift range chart of one another — but for real. Have them ask for feedback at the end.

Each person should provide two compliments to every suggestion they make. And the donor/committee members should make their own commitment before preparing to ask other donors.

Find out if anyone on your committee would like to issue a challenge match to help meet your goal. You might be surprised by who steps up to the plate.

Raising Your Major Gift Goal: From Cultivation to Stewardship

Assign each member of your committee to help cultivate, solicit, and steward at least one person on your list. Provide support wherever and whenever possible. Go in pairs, so if one person gets cold feet, the other person can step in.

Work methodically through your list. In a number of months, if you stay diligent and follow up, you will have raised your major gift goal. And if you do, I’d love to hear how it went. Leave a comment below or reach out through my contact page.

Good luck!