Helping Your High-dollar Donors to Stand Out

1. Focus on assets and discretionary income — not gross household income: It all starts with an understanding of the potential donor’s true ability to give. Unless a prospect has the capacity to make the gift, no amount of research and cultivation will be fruitful. Typical gross household income measures tend to be unreliable and don’t effectively discriminate consumers. Understanding what discretionary dollars remain after essentials such as food, clothing and shelter provides better insight into how a donor might give. Nonprofits vie for the discretionary funds.