Abacus Launches Major Donor Ask Calculator

Credit: Abacus

Abacus, an emerging provider of paradigm-changing fundraising tech for nonprofits, announces the launch of the Major Donor Ask Calculator. The Ask Calculator is a powerful tool that picks up where philanthropic capacity estimates from wealth estimation services and other donor research leave off. It allows fundraisers to determine bold yet respectful Asks that they can confidently request from major donors to maximize pledges. Abacus is now available via a free 7-day unlimited trial and paid subscriptions.

The Major Donor Ask Calculator is a web-based tool that dramatically improves the methodology and reliability of determining how much to Ask a donor for a major gift. It is easy to use and provides fundraisers with a structured, objective way to determine a Pledge Ask amount that is aspirational yet respectful to donors.

A Readiness Score helps fundraisers understand if they have sufficient donor information to have a successful gift conversation. The Calculator provides an expected Pledge Goal amount that fundraising teams can rely on for planning. Tips and guidance for making the request and closing the gift accompany the Results. A robust library of donor calculation profiles provides a variety of analytics.

"We are thrilled to launch the Abacus Major Donor Ask Calculator," said Larry Raff, Founder and creator of Abacus. "This breakthrough resource overcomes the challenges of using imperfect philanthropic capacity estimates and the inherent bias fundraisers often have about money and wealth. We believe the Ask Calculator will be a game-changer for organizations that rely on major donors to fund their mission and programs.”

The Ask Calculator is based on a proprietary algorithm that considers various objective factors, including the donor's giving history, wealth, and organization-specific engagement. Abacus normalizes the wide variability of wealth service philanthropy capacity estimates. The result is an Ask amount that is bold yet respectful, credible, and defendable.

Credit: Abacus

In real-world evaluations, philanthropic capacity estimates from wealth estimation services — the current gold-standard source of donor information — were a considerable 250% off from actual pledges. The Ask Calculator’s expected Goal was accurate within 2% of actual pledges, and the aspirational Ask was within 40% of actual pledges.

The Calculator’s predictive accuracy gives fundraisers a superior planning tool. They can profile their top campaign donor candidates to determine if there are sufficient potential contributions in advance of undertaking a campaign. The results are numerous — saving time, money, and donor goodwill. Using Abacus, they can also value their donor pipeline to make effective staffing and strategy decisions and set key performance indicators for improved team performance.

Lauren Dorn-Jones, Senior Development Officer, Cambridge Health Alliance Foundation, said, “Abacus is incredibly accurate and amazing. The Calculator will dramatically increase the confidence and results of anyone engaged in a campaign or working in major donor fundraising.”

The Major Donor Ask Calculator is available now on the Abacus website. Organizations can sign up for a free 7-day unlimited-use trial to see how the tool works and how it can specifically benefit their fundraising efforts. Monthly subscriptions are available for single users and fundraising teams at hospitals, higher education, performing arts, human services, and other nonprofit sectors, as well as with consultants that serve them. Private one-on-one training, instructional videos, and other major donor fundraising resources accompany the service.

Source: Abacus

The preceding press release was provided by a company unaffiliated with NonProfit PRO. The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of NonProfit PRO.