How to set a fundraising target for your charity event
In short
- Work back from your room, not your wish list: guests, giving capacity and the strength of your lots set the ceiling.
- The live pledge usually drives the biggest share of the total, so build your target around it.
- Set a target that stretches the room without scaring it, and keep a private stretch goal above the public one.
- Gift Aid and a well-run night can lift the real total well past the headline figure.
- The right auctioneer routinely beats the target, which is exactly why the fee pays for itself.
Knowing how to set a fundraising target is half planning and half psychology. Aim too low and you leave money in the room; aim too high and you deflate it. I am Kevin Durham, a charity auctioneer of twenty years with over £10 million raised, and here is how I help organisers land on a number they can actually beat.
How to set a fundraising target you can beat
Work back from the room in front of you, not the number you wish you needed. The honest inputs are your guest count, their likely giving capacity, the strength of your lots, and how well the night is run. Multiply those realistically and you have a floor.
Then set the public target a little above comfortable, so it stretches the room, and keep a private stretch goal above that for yourself. A target is a tool for the night, not just a line in a budget. There is more on the wider planning in my guide to planning a gala.
What actually drives the total?
Fewer things than most organisers think, and they are not evenly weighted. A handful of levers do most of the work:
- The pledge. Usually the single biggest earner of the night.
- A few strong lots, sold hard, rather than a long catalogue.
- The room’s engagement, which is built by the host.
- Gift Aid, which quietly lifts eligible giving by a quarter.
Across galas the live pledge or paddle raise averages around 28% of total revenue, so any realistic target has to be built around it rather than around the auction alone.
Should the target be public or private?
Both, and they should be different numbers. Announce a public target the room can rally behind and feel it has beaten, and hold a private stretch goal that you quietly aim past.
A visible, beatable target is a motivator: rooms love to smash a number, and a good host will use the moment you pass it to push for more. A target nobody believes, on the other hand, kills momentum before the first bid. UK donors give around £14bn a year, and a well-pitched target helps your room contribute its fair share.
How does the right auctioneer change the maths?
A professional does not just hit your target; they change what the target could have been. The lift shows up in the gap between what a room was expected to give and what it actually gave once someone drove it properly.
At one gala the organisers expected around £14,000 from the auction. The auction brought in £27,000, and a live pledge they had not planned for added a further £30,600. Set your target for the room you have, then let a professional beat it. Gift Aid on eligible gifts adds another quarter on top. You can see the full scope on my auctioneer services page.
Common questions about setting a fundraising target
How high should a first-year target be?
Cautiously ambitious. Base it on your actual room and lots, then add a modest stretch. It is better to beat a fair target than to miss a fantasy one.
What if we do not know our guests’ giving capacity?
Estimate from ticket price and audience, and lean on the pledge, which lets people give at whatever level suits them rather than needing to win a lot.
Can an auctioneer help set the target?
Yes. I help organisers pitch a target and then build the night to beat it. My client reviews show the pattern, and you can hire an auctioneer for a free consultation.
Kevin Durham
Charity auctioneer & event host
Let’s talk
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