Why string strategy matters more than ever in today’s donor environment
Customized, personalized gift strings can be the key to get the most out of your donors.
You see pricing psychology at work every time you shop – think 99 cents instead of $1. The best fundraisers also use pricing psychology to spur donors to make a gift and feel seen, versus feeling like just another contact in your database.
This kind of personalization is critical now more than ever: Total charitable dollars grew by 5% in 2025, yet the number of donors declined by 3.6%. Even if the topline is still strong, this pressure to get more out of a smaller donor base means every single touchpoint matters.
Optimizing string strategy – or don’t always default to $25
One of the most effective levers you can pull to personalize your appeals is your string strategy.
Far too many nonprofits default to the standard $25, $50, $75, $100 model. We’re not against those asks when you are mailing people for the first time. However, as you acquire those donors and learn more about them, it pays to use that hard-won information to encourage donors to invest more in your mission.
In our book How to Fundraise by Mail, we urge nonprofits to personalize their appeal letters to each specific donor using variable data. (Getting their name and address right is just the start of what you can do!)
Calculating a basic gift string
Your first step is to open Excel and create a formula for your gift strings. Having Excel formulas do the heavy lifting is a cheat code to making this a scalable process in your organization. This makes it much less of a manual nightmare to calculate while still being replicable so that everyone from the brand new fundraiser to the experienced pro can handle it.
A common starting point is:
Gift 1: The last gift amount (e.g., 1x)
Gift 2: 1.5x the last gift
Gift 3: 2x the last gift
To make these asks feel more natural, though, use the MROUND function to round to the nearest $5, $10, or $25.
Customize based on donor behavior
Now that you have the basics of calculation, you can get even more custom depending on the behavior of your donor base. Don't treat a first-time donor the same as a 10-year loyalist or a volunteer the same as a member of your organization’s legacy society.
Deeply lapsed donors:
To win back deeply lapsed donors, you may need to lower your ask. Anchor your gift strings in Excel this way: 0.75x the last gift, rounded to the nearest multiple, with a minimum ask of $50 and maximum of $1,000
Last gift value <$100, $25 multiple
Last gift value <$1000, $50 multiple
Last gift value <$2500, $100 multiple
Last gift value $2500+, $250 multiple
For the next level of gift, multiply the first gift amount by 1.0 and rounded to nearest $5
For the level above, multiply the first gift amount by 1.25 and rounded to nearest $5
Recurring donors:
To drive more cash from monthly donors, structure your string in Excel this way: the first ask amount is 1.2x the last gift, divided by 12, rounded to the nearest multiple with a minimum ask of $15 monthly and maximum of $500 monthly
Last Gift Value >=$2000, $250 multiple
Last Gift Value >=$900, $25 multiple
Last Gift Value <$900, $5 multiple
For the next level of gift, multiply the first gift amount by 1.25 and rounded to nearest $5
For the level above, multiply the first gift amount by 1.5 and rounded to nearest $5
The best guidance? Test… and test again
The best way to find the perfect gift string for your donor base is to test and learn. Try different multipliers. Maybe a 1.5x/2.0x/3x split works better for your mid-level donors. Learn what asks are too aggressive. Save larger gifts for major milestones or well-funded match dollars.
While it can be nerve wracking to see dwindling donor numbers across the nonprofit sector, that doesn’t have to be your nonprofit’s reality. By using a personalized, pre-planned gift string strategy, you can make it easier for donors to not just continue their support, but to upgrade their giving over time.
