Advancement · Grants & Funding

Plan the ask
before you take the stage

A paddle raise or fund-a-need is won or lost in the planning: the levels, the first gift, the match and a script short enough to hold a room. Set the goal, list the gift levels with the gifts you expect at each, and write the welcome, story, ask and close. The tool projects the total, times the script and prints it for the podium with a tally sheet for spotters.

Add an appealWhat you get
$12one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $12

Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Grant writer’s desk, $49 for 60 items.

Appeals

The worked example is made up: a school gala with a match, a fun run lunch well short of its goal and a theater night that rests on one gift. Saved on this device only.

Loading the appeal form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Advancement · Grants & Funding$12 · included with Classroom and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A record per live appeal: event, date, speaker, goal, match, gift levels with expected gifts and what each funds, the welcome, story, ask and close, and six run-of-show checks; the projected total with the match, percent of goal, speaking time and top-level share; a large-type speaker script with the levels from the top down, and a spotter tally sheet.
Who it is for
Development staff, event chairs, board members and volunteers at schools and nonprofits who run a live appeal at a gala, lunch or community event.
Format
Browser tool with a saved record per appeal. Prints the speaker script, a spotter tally sheet, the record, every appeal in a table or a blank form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$12 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Grant writer’s desk ($49) and the Advancement Suite pass ($99), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Grants & Funding space in Caveat Advancement.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Set the goal and any match.
  2. List the gift levels from the top.
  3. Estimate the gifts at each level.
  4. Write the story and the ask.
  5. Print the script and the tally sheets.

Add an appeal

How a live appeal works

Seven minutes that fund a year1Thank the roomName volunteers and sponsors2Tell one storyOne person, one change3Name the goalAnd the match, if there is one4Start at the topA first gift arranged ahead5Walk down the levelsThank each paddle by number6Close and thankWithin 48 hours, in writingSeven minutes that fund a year1Thank the roomName volunteers and sponsors2Tell one storyOne person, one change3Name the goalAnd the match, if there is one4Start at the topA first gift arranged ahead5Walk down the levelsThank each paddle by number6Close and thankWithin 48 hours, in writing
Most of the money in a paddle raise is set before the event: the first gift, the match and the guest list.

Levels from the top down

The speaker calls the highest level first and walks down, thanking each paddle by number while spotters record it. Each level should name one concrete thing it pays for. Expected gifts at each level come from the guest list and pledges in hand, not hope: if the projection falls short, add pledges before the event, not adjectives on the night.

Timing and the match

At about 130 words a minute, a podium pace a little slower than conversation, a 700-word script is more than five minutes of talking before the first paddle goes up. Keep the story to one person and one change. A matching gift, announced before the first level, gives guests a reason to give now. Count the match only up to what the room actually gives.

Sources

  1. Association of Fundraising Professionals. Fundraising event and special appeal resources (afpglobal.org).
  2. Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Event fundraising and donor stewardship resources (case.org).
  3. Internal Revenue Service. Publication 1771, Charitable contributions: substantiation and disclosure requirements (irs.gov).
  4. National Center for Voice and Speech. Speaking rate: conversational English averages about 150 words a minute (ncvs.org).

The worked example is made up, including the events, people and amounts. The 130-words-a-minute pace, the six-minute limit and the 50% top-level share are working rules stated on the page. Gift receipts and any value guests receive follow your organization’s own practice and IRS guidance. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.