Go Figures

Conventional wisdom suggests that a fund-raising campaign like The Campaign for Bates succeeds by building a so-called pyramid of gifts, from a few big ones from major donors at the top to many smaller ones, typically coming through the Bates Fund, at the bottom. With the campaign deadline of June 30 looming, Bates was about $3.1 million shy of its $120 million goal as of May 25. Here’s how the pyramid looked at that point:

Gift Size               Number Needed          Number Given

$10 million                      1                             0

$5 million                        3                             2

$2.5 million                     7                             6

$1 million                       23                           18

$500K                            25                           17

$250K                            30                           45

$100K                           100                          60

$50K                             150                          92

$25K                             260                          166

$10K                             350                          299

Under $10K                  Many                      16,434

Source: Bates Office of College Advancement.

For final figures, go to www.bates.edu/campaign