How to Set a Giving Tuesday Goal Your Board Will Back

A Giving Tuesday goal needs 2 numbers. One is the dollar total. The other is the number of gifts it takes to reach that total. A gift count tells your team how many people need to say yes.

You have 42 days until December 1. Set the goal this week and every later decision gets easier.

Start With Your Own Numbers From Last Year

Pull your results from your last Giving Tuesday or your last year-end campaign. You need 3 figures: total raised, number of gifts, and average gift. Your giving platform or your database will have all of them.

If this is your first Giving Tuesday, use your average gift from the past 12 months. A rough number you can trace to real records is better than a number from a blog post.

Turn the Dollar Goal Into a Gift Count

Divide the goal by the average gift. The answer is the number of gifts you need.

Imagine a team with a $20,000 goal and an average gift of $100. They need 200 gifts. That number can be explained to a volunteer in one sentence, and it can be tracked on a whiteboard all day on December 1.

Test the Goal Against the Size of Your Audience

Count the people you can realistically reach through email, text, social, and your own events. Compare that count to the gifts you need.

If the gift count is close to the size of your entire list, the goal is too high for this year. Either lower the goal or plan how you will reach more people before December 1. Both are valid answers, and writing down which one you chose keeps the whole team working from the same page.

Present a Target and a Stretch Number

Bring leadership 2 numbers. The target is the figure your plan supports. The stretch is the figure you will pursue if the early hours of the campaign go well.

Boards back goals they can see the math behind. Show last year's results, the gift count, and the reach you need. Then ask for approval on the target and agree on what happens if you hit the stretch.

Decisions Only You Can Make

Thoughtful leaders choose different levels of ambition. Settle these questions with your team and write the answers down:

• Is this campaign meant to hit a funding need or to grow your base of supporters?
• Which gift count would you be proud of even if the dollar total came in lower?
• Who has the final say if the goal needs to change in November?

Next Step

Setting the goal is Lesson 1.2 in Module 1 of the Giving Tuesday Campaign Blueprint, and Lesson 1.3 picks up the one big ask. We are releasing a suite of workshops because we believe more nonprofits' missions should be funded, and a clear goal is where a funded mission starts.

Set your Giving Tuesday goal inside the Campaign Blueprint course, then come back tomorrow for the one big ask.