{
  "slug": "fundraising-goal",
  "title": "Fundraising Goal Calculator",
  "heading": "Fundraising Goal & Gift Range Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/fundraising-goal",
  "summary": "Turn a campaign goal into the gift pyramid and prospect count it requires.",
  "description": "Campaigns fail at the top of the pyramid, not the bottom. Standard practice says the lead gift funds 10–20% of the goal and the top ten gifts fund a third of it. This builds the gift range chart and the number of qualified prospects you need to cultivate for each tier.",
  "formula": "Gifts per tier × tier amount = tier total; prospects = gifts needed × prospect ratio (typically 4:1).",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=fundraising-goal",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "goal",
      "label": "Campaign goal",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 500000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 1000,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "leadShare",
      "label": "Lead gift as share of goal",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 15,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 2,
      "max": 40
    },
    {
      "id": "ratio",
      "label": "Prospects per gift closed",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 4,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": 12
    },
    {
      "id": "closeRate",
      "label": "Expected close rate on asks",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 30,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 1,
      "max": 100
    },
    {
      "id": "avgSmall",
      "label": "Average grassroots gift",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 150,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "lead",
      "label": "Lead gift target",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "topTen",
      "label": "Top ten gifts must total",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "majorDollars",
      "label": "Major gifts (top 60% of goal)",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "majorGifts",
      "label": "Major gifts needed",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "prospects",
      "label": "Qualified prospects to cultivate",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "asks",
      "label": "Asks required at your close rate",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "smallGifts",
      "label": "Grassroots gifts needed",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Campaign goal: 500000 $",
      "Lead gift as share of goal: 15 %",
      "Prospects per gift closed: 4",
      "Expected close rate on asks: 30 %",
      "Average grassroots gift: 150 $"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Lead gift target: $75,000",
      "Top ten gifts must total: $165,000",
      "Major gifts (top 60% of goal): $300,000",
      "Major gifts needed: 21",
      "Qualified prospects to cultivate: 84",
      "Asks required at your close rate: 70",
      "Grassroots gifts needed: 1,333"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter campaign goal ($).",
      "Enter lead gift as share of goal (%).",
      "Enter prospects per gift closed.",
      "Enter expected close rate on asks (%).",
      "Enter average grassroots gift ($).",
      "Read your lead gift target on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "goal": 300000,
        "leadShare": 9,
        "ratio": 2.4,
        "closeRate": 18,
        "avgSmall": 90
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "goal": 500000,
        "leadShare": 15,
        "ratio": 4,
        "closeRate": 30,
        "avgSmall": 150
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "goal": 800000,
        "leadShare": 24,
        "ratio": 6.4,
        "closeRate": 48,
        "avgSmall": 240
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "Why is the lead gift so large?",
      "a": "Because momentum is real. Campaigns that quietly secure 15–20% from one donor before going public close far more often than those that open with a blank chart and hope volume arrives."
    },
    {
      "q": "What is the quiet phase?",
      "a": "The period before public launch when you secure 50–70% of the goal from board members and top prospects. Announcing a campaign at 10% raised is the fastest way to stall it."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/donor-retention",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/fundraising-event-roi"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Fundraising Goal Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/fundraising-goal)"
}