Determing Donor Levels

Dear Kim:

What is the best method for determining where to split the levels of donor giving as far as recognition is concerned? This is for the purpose of recognition in a quarterly newsletter.

Thank you for your common sense approach to fundraising.

–Death by Detail

Dear Detail:

Generally, the split is at these intervals:
Less than $100
$100-$499
$500-$999
$1,000-$5,000
$5,000-up

If you have a lot of people giving more than $5,000, then just continue with divisions by $5,000 (i.e. $5,000-$9,999, $10,000-$14,999, $15,000-up and so on.)

You may also want to consider this: sometimes the bigger donors don't want to be recognized as such, and for some of the donors of any size of gift, the amount they are giving you may be a very big gift to them. Many organizations are going to a recognition that simply lists the donors in alphabetical order without any gift amount, and then offers a note of thanks: "This list represents gifts in the range of $5-$50,000, and we appreciate all of your gifts. Each helps us meet our goal. Total giving this quarter was $35,492.43."

-Kim Klein

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