Follow These 4 Steps to Determine Target Ask Amounts

I was an accidental fundraiser. Money made me, frankly, uncomfortable in any situation. But I found myself overseeing a sizable Class Agent program as a graduate assistant and realized fundraising was actually really interesting — and there was an art and science to this profession that I didn’t even know existed.

Over time, I learned a lot about relationship building, strategy and the analytics critical to a successful program. One of those lessons was around target ask amounts. A key takeaway for me was that if you don’t ask for a specific amount, you aren’t letting donors know what you need. It shook me a little bit — wasn’t that greedy? Shouldn’t we let supporters make their own decisions? And how could we possibly know what the right number to ask could be?

Throughout the next 20 years, I created, tested and recreated ask strategies for large campaigns and small annual giving programs. For universities, soup kitchens, dioceses, schools and almost any organization in between. What I found over time is that target ask amounts make a difference. They help provide guidance to supporters and allow for measurement around expectations versus reality in measuring programmatic growth.

I still believe relationships come first and that target ask amounts do not trump conversation — you know your donors better than any data ever will. In growing annual giving programs over the years, beginning the fiscal year, giving season or calendar year with a testable metric for each person you are reaching provides the most valuable insight I have seen in terms of understanding organizational giving patterns. 

My process has been to start with a set of giving levels that match your organization's annual giving history and growth plans. Traditionally, I have seen the following ask levels: 

• $25
• $50
• $100
• $250
• $500
• $1,000
• $2,500
• $5,000
• $10,000

Once you have your guiding group established, pull a list of all individuals or families you intend to reach out to via large-scale outreach (direct mail, email, phone, etc.) over the course of the next several months. Include in your spreadsheet export:

• CRM unique identifier (ID number) 
• Name 
• Zip code
• Total annual giving for each of the past five years (for the program you are targeting) 
• Total lifetime giving (for the program you are targeting) 
• Largest gift amount (for the program you are targeting) 
• Largest gift date (for the program you are targeting) 
• If the individual is assigned to a staff or board member for cultivation
• Wealth capacity (if available)
• Giving capacity (if available)
• Highest gift made elsewhere (if available)

Now it’s time to get cozy with your data. Grab a cup of coffee or tea, turn off all notifications and pull up your spreadsheet. Be prepared for a couple hours of sorting. And remember — always save as you go. 

1. Organize Your Data

Here are a few tips to help you out: 

• Clean up your column headings for clarity to match the list I provided.
• Freeze the top row so it is easier to sort.
• Add a column for the final target ask amount.
• Add a working column for a working ask amount.
• Hide the CRM unique identifier or ID number. 

2. Start With Non-donors

If you have wealth or giving capacity information, sort your non-donor list with that factor. You can also include donors who have not made a gift in the past five years in this list. Consider this breakdown:

• $250 ask if the giving capacity is more than $100,000
• $100 ask if the giving capacity is more than $25,000
• $50 ask if the giving capacity is more than $10,000
• $25 ask for everyone else

Why so low? Are we leaving money on the table? We start with smaller ask amounts because an ask amount is nothing more than an invitation. Once they have made their first gift, you can certainly increase your ask amounts over time. 

For those without a giving capacity, consider a blanket $25 or $50 initial ask supported by the language in your appeal. Then, add the amount to your final target ask amount. 

3. Jump to Donors Who Have Given More Than Two Years Ago

Look at their total giving for the last year they gave and copy that data into your working target ask amount. Review the data to see if anything stands out.

• For gifts less than $25, up that working amount to $25
• For gifts more than $1,000, take a deeper look to see if the gift made was for a special reason. Consider if that is the right amount or if you need to go a bit lower using your ask scale. 

For those with no wealth or giving capacity data, take your working number and plug it into your target ask amount. 

For those with wealth or giving capacity data, compare your current ask to the capacity number and consider increasing to:

• $1,000 ask if the giving capacity is more than $500,000
• $500 ask if the giving capacity is more than $100,000
• $250 ask if the giving capacity is more than $25,000
• $100 ask if the giving capacity is more than $10,000

Take your updated number and plug it into your target ask amount. 

4. Round Out Your Ask Amounts With Donors From the Past Two Years

Look at each donor’s last year of giving and in your working target, multiply it by 1.25. Round that number to your nearest giving level.

Go through that list and see if anything stands out just like you did with your review of donors with more space between their last gift.

For those with no wealth or giving capacity data, take your working number and plug it into your target ask amount. 

For those with wealth or giving capacity data, compare your current ask to the capacity number and consider increasing to:

• $2,500 ask if the giving capacity is more than $500,000
• $1,000 ask if the giving capacity is more than $100,000 
• $500 ask if the giving capacity is more than $25,000
• $250 ask if the giving capacity is more than $10,000 

Take your updated number and plug it into your target ask amount. 

And there you have it! Import your target back into your CRM to either a designated location or a custom field. Use your ask constantly over the next several months. You can leverage your potential ask amounts in your annual giving pyramid to see what is possible for your annual giving growth. After a few months, run an analysis of your target versus your actual donor responses this year versus prior years. Were they the right numbers? Too high? Too low? 

Your ultimate goal is twofold. First, get to know your donors better. Second, show an increase in gifts year over year in your outreach programs.