How to Lose Your Major Donors

* They give more money. Duh. But this fact should inform what you ask them for. Are you asking folks who routinely write you checks for $500 to give you $20? If you are, you’re not only leaving money on the table, you’re saying loud and clear, “We don’t really know you!” If you are basing your ask amounts on donors’ giving, are you making sure what you ask for makes sense? Suppose you’re raising funds for vaccinations that cost 22 cents each. A $20 gift provides a robust 91 vaccinations. Nice. A $500 gift covers more than 2,000 — a number that’s hard to visualize. Maybe you should change the scale: $500 is enough to vaccinate an entire village.