Appeals

Use appeals to track how donors are solicited and measure which outreach efforts generate gifts. Appeals connect outreach, donor response, and fundraising performance.

What Appeals Represent

Appeals represent the solicitations used to request gifts.

Common examples include:

• Direct mailings

• Phonathons

• Auctions

• Gala events

Use appeals to understand how donors respond to different outreach efforts and to evaluate which strategies are most effective.

Work with Appeals

To create and manage fundraising outreach, complete these tasks:

• To create a new solicitation, see Add a New Appeal.

• To review appeal details, performance, and packages, see Appeal Records.

How Appeals Work with Campaigns and Funds

Associate appeals with campaigns and funds to track how outreach supports fundraising goals.

• Campaigns define the overall goal

• Funds define how gifts are used

• Appeals define how gifts are solicited

For example, a New Building Campaign may use multiple appeals, such as direct mail, phone outreach, and events, to raise money for specific funds such as construction or landscaping.

Packages Within Appeals

Each appeal can include multiple packages. Packages represent variations of content or materials used in the solicitation.

Use packages to target different audiences with tailored outreach, such as:

• Introductory letters for new constituents

• Incentives for existing donors

• Premium materials for major donor prospects

Targeted packages help improve engagement and increase the likelihood of giving.

Appeal Goals and Performance

Set goal amounts for appeals to measure effectiveness and motivate fundraising efforts.

Review progress toward goals to:

• Track how much each appeal raises

• Evaluate performance across outreach strategies

• Adjust messaging or targeting to improve results

Under Overview in Work Center, you can review fundraising progress from active appeals under Goals.

View Appeals for a Gift

Open a gift record and review Fundraising details to identify:

• The appeal associated with the gift

• The package used in the solicitation

If a gift is attributed to multiple appeals, review the split to see how amounts and percentages apply to each related campaign and fund.

View Appeals for a Constituent

Open a constituent record and review Appeals to see which solicitations they received.

For each appeal, review:

• Name

• Date

• Package

Use this information to understand engagement history and tailor future outreach.