Suggested Giving Amounts

Suggested Giving Amounts can be a great way to strategically encourage donors to give gifts of a certain size. With a little planning and careful consideration, this tool can serve as a powerful way to ‘anchor’ your community members’ donations. Plus, Suggested Giving Amounts are easy to set up and offer powerful analytics about your donors' giving habits!

To Suggest or Not to Suggest? 

Adding Suggested Giving Amounts 

To add Suggested Giving Amounts to a campaign or standalone giving form, go to Online Giving > Campaign Giving Experience > Form Settings & Display. On that page, you will find the Ask Amounts section.

To review donor activity for Suggested Giving Amounts, go to Online Giving > Campaign Tracking and Analytics > Statistics.

The One Time Suggested Amount Utilization and Recurring Suggested Amount Utilization charts display both the number and percentage of donors who contributed at each suggested amount, as well as those who gave less than, between, or more than your suggestions. Use these insights to adjust amounts mid-campaign and refine your strategy for future campaigns.

Note: Suggested Giving Amounts are not available for pledge forms or membership forms.

These settings will allow you to set dollar values, create labels, adjust the order, and set a default amount. 

Best Practices for Suggested Giving Amounts

When adding Suggested Giving Amounts, it's important to be strategic. Many donors will choose these preset amounts, so carefully consider the impact of each suggestion—or whether to use them at all.

Tailoring Suggested Giving Amounts

• Narrow Audiences: If targeting a specific group with similar giving patterns (e.g., a senior class gift campaign), Suggested Giving Amounts can be straightforward. For instance, you might suggest $20.21 for the Class of 2021.
• Diverse Audiences: When engaging a broader audience, be cautious. If suggested amounts are too high, you might alienate potential donors who want to participate but can't give at that level. Conversely, suggesting amounts that are too low might discourage higher-capacity donors from giving more.

Consider Your Audience

• Specific Outcomes: Tailor each Suggested Giving Amount to a specific audience and outcome. For example, if donors typically give $25, suggesting $30 might encourage them to increase their contribution. However, be aware that donors who usually give $35 might also be drawn to the $30 suggestion.
• Substantial Differences: For large and diverse audiences, offer Suggested Giving Amounts that are significantly different from one another. For example, in a reunion campaign for the Class of 1999, you might suggest $19.99, $199.99, and $1,999. This approach ensures that donors with higher giving capacities don't settle for lower amounts because those are the only options presented.
• Targeted Campaigns: In some cases, you may want to focus on small or large amounts, such as when targeting leadership donors. For instance, if you're appealing to giving societies, use Suggested Giving Amounts that correspond to each society’s qualifying gift value.

Order of Suggested Giving Amounts

• Anchoring High: The order in which you enter Suggested Giving Amounts in your settings determines how they appear on the giving form. Entering amounts in descending order (e.g., $5,000, $1,000, $250) can encourage generosity. This technique is especially effective in reunion giving, where a higher, aspirational amount can lead the list, followed by more accessible amounts.

Bonus: Adding Emojis! 🤩 

Want to add some fun to your form? Try using emojis in conjunction with your Suggested Giving Amounts! We LOVE this example from The Lawrenceville School who added some flair to their young alumni-themed recurring gift form. For more info on how to access your emoji keyboard, head here. 

You can include emojis in your Suggested Giving Amount labels to add personality. For instructions on accessing your emoji keyboard, see Adding Emoji to your Campaigns and Giving Forms.