Question of the Month: How to Set Goals for Your Major Gifts Program

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Question of the Month

How to Set Goals for Your Major Gifts Program

Many organizations have a transactional mindset when setting goals for major gifts. But when leadership pulls a number out of a hat (think: “Raise X% more than last year”), it doesn’t honor the donor or acknowledge their passions. Instead of a blanket goal that applies to everyone, our approach takes the full relationship into account and sets individual goals for each major donor.

In this Question of the Month video, Richard and Jeff discuss how to approach goal setting in a way that’s honoring to the donor and centered on connections rather than on a dollar sign.

If you'd like to learn more about goal setting and the rest of our system and structure for major gifts, be sure to check out our Certification Course for Major Gift Fundraisers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are a couple FAQs we get on this topic

How do I set a goal for a donor I’ve never spoken to?

Before you set a goal, you need to make sure that the donor is qualified and desires a two-way relationship with your organization. For donors who don’t want that level of contact, it’s going to be very difficult to assign a specific goal, and they might be better served in mid-level.

Why shouldn’t I just ask each donor for X% more than they gave last year?

First of all, this transactional mindset is off-putting to many donors who sense that you’re just looking at the dollar signs and trying to squeeze more out of them this year. Secondly, it limits your donors who have the inclination and capacity to give more, but instead, they’ll just give what you asked for. Taking a relational approach honors your donor by aligning your giving goals for each individual with their passions and their capacity to give.

Veritus Group is passionate about partnering with you and your organization throughout your fundraising journey. Where do you need more support? Learn more about ways to partner with us here.