A few years ago, Joanne and I hosted a fundraiser at our house for a ministry we support. We had six or so couples join us for a nice dinner and presentation.
I asked the ministry leader as part of her presentation, to give our guests a single page describing 5-6 needs the ministry had, each project with its needed funding requirement. I asked her to list the projects starting with the one requiring the fewest funds to the one requiring the largest amount. The most expensive project cost 120k. I was very surprised that one donor at the end of the evening said they wanted to support the 120k project in full.
What I learned from that and other fundraising events is that many donors like to fund an entire project. They like to feel that they made a difference in full and saw a project to fruition. This is why ministries commonly invite you to sponsor a child and to communicate or maybe even go visit that child. In this way, the donor receives a tangible feeling about what they donated, how they specifically helped, and the satisfaction that a need was met in totality (meaning, they were the one who made the difference in that project or that person).
There are many ways to present the needs of your ministry. However, many donors, especially big ones, want to know specifically how much you need and for which projects. Many times, if you have done your homework, donors will cover that need in full with their donation of support.
