“You can't jump across a chasm in two equal leaps and expect to have any followers.
People inexperienced in fundraising often think in terms of average gifts. They have somehow gotten it into their heads that what you do is divide the goal by the number of likely donors, then ask everyone to give the same amount.
For example, if the goal is $1 million, and there are 200 good prospects, someone will suggest that each prospect be asked for $5,000. The idea is to reach the goal through 100% participation at the $5,000 level.
Assuming that everyone can easily afford to give $5,000, this sounds like it should make the volunteer's job easier. But seeking average gifts produces below-average results. In fact, it is certain to lead to failure.
One problem with raising money by the multiplication table-$5,000 times 200-is that not everyone will participate. We'd like to think they will, but they won't. Even worse, seeking $5,000 from each donor will, in effect, set a ceiling on what an inspired donor may want to pledge.
Tolstoy described this phenomenon in War and Peace: ‘The distinguished dignitary who bore the title of Collector of Alis went round to all the brothers.
Pierre would have liked to subscribe all he had, but, fearing that it might look like pride, subscribed the same amount as the others.’
Let's say someone you know pledges $5,000. You feel that because of the donor's financial circumstances, he or she is twice as capable as you. Are you likely to pledge $5,000? We all tend to give in relation to what others are giving.
"One hundred per cent participation" has a nice ring to it, but doesn't work much better than seeking average gifts. When the word gets out that the objective is to get everyone to give, no matter how much, many people will give as little as they can. This tokenism will lower the sights of the leaders, and you'll raise less money.
Finally, the "averaging" approach assumes that twenty pledges of $5,000 each, taken together, will have the same impact as a single pledge of $100,000.
Not so. In fundraising, the commitment that really counts is not the average one or the token one. It's the leadership commitment that makes things happen.”
— James Gregory Lord, The Raising of Money
