I recently subscribed to The Non-Profit Quarterly Magazine and read something that got me thinking. The article, "The United Way: Missed and Missing Goals", suggested that some non-profits are trending to not focus on $$ goals for individual giving, but rather the number of donors.
This reminded me of how Minnesota Public Radio uses this strategy for matching funds during campaign drives. It usually sounds like "if we get 2,000 contributors today, we will secure an extra $30,000 from ____ donor."
I think this kind of goal setting is especially great for newer or smaller organizations. Especially if you have little to no track record of individual giving, the best thing to do is bulk up your numbers. Every donor, including the one that gives $25 a year, could be a potential major donor in the future. Plus, donors tend to be great advocates for your organization. The more you have at any level the merrier.
A goal like this may be easier to sell to board members and the organization's core community. The message is simply "We would like to welcome 100 new contributors this year." You could easily divide and conquer a goal like this amongst the board, staff, subscribers, and current donors.
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