When considering a change to giving levels in your nonprofit leadership society, focusing on your donor data is key. Several fundraisers on a recent podcast discussed their experiences changing giving levels and what they learned along the way.
A common takeaway was the importance of analyzing donor giving trends before determining new gift levels. As Gary Carskaddon of Sarah Lawrence College said, “decide what is the right number.” That may be the founding year of your institution, or another milestone. But setting higher targets just for optics or branding “would be afraid to do that. It doesn’t seem, are you all our annual giving folks. So, you all should appreciate the data.”
At Temple University, fundraisers looked at the cluster of donors currently in their leadership society. They wanted to set a level that would encourage most donors to “get across the finish line” and upgrade their gifts. For their donors already at a higher level, a lower increase may make sense. As Natasha Varyosh of Temple said, “going from 1200 to 2500 is a steep gap. And so you’re gonna lose more because of how high that jump is.”
The data can also reveal opportunities for new donor segments. Amy Feifer, Director of Annual Giving at Franklin & Marshall College, used analytics to identify major gift prospects not currently giving at a leadership level. Creating a higher society level and additional new levels gave these donors “an opportunity to draw them into relationships.”
When rolling out changes, continue tracking donor response and be willing to make adjustments. Some fundraisers kept the $1,000 level but branded it differently next to higher society levels, to signify the gap for donors. Follow-up surveys and focus groups can also provide insight into how your changes and stewardship are being received. The data you gather from these insights will help strengthen your leadership giving program for the long run.
View the full recording of this session in our Resource Library.