One of the challenges of fundraising is knowing when to take a risk and when to play it safe. In the fund-a-need, for example, the longstanding wisdom was to start at the highest level where you have a known donor waiting to give.
Over time, however, that thinking has changed. Now it is common practice to acknowledge the first donor, and to fish for contributions at higher levels. If you choose to go out on a limb and see if anyone wants to donate a higher amount, follow these guidelines.
Never go out on a limb higher than one level above your known first donation. It is OK to go out on a limb and get no donations at one level, as long as we can immediately drop to a level where there are known donors. As soon as you have two or three levels of crickets, your fund-a-need is doomed. What we are doing onstage is emotion management, and if the crowd starts to feel like this is a failure, it ripples.
Always check with your pre-committed donor to make sure they are on board with the plan. Most donors will be supportive of the idea of trying to find someone to give more. Occasionally, however, a lead donor really wants to be the lead donor and will be offended if you try to go over their head.
Be sure you can justify the ask. If you have a lead donor at $10,000 and want to go out on a limb at $25,000 you better need the extra money, and be able to explain to the crowd in real-time why.
Just because someone has wealth does not mean they are committed to giving it to you, even if they are attending your event. Cultivate donors, engage them in conversations, and empower them to support your cause. Whatever you do, don’t make gambling part of your donor development strategy, and never confuse capacity with commitment. And if you choose to go out on a limb, remember that It’s a valid strategy, as long as you know you won’t fall too far if it breaks.
