Q:  Which is preferable: a Challenge Gift or a Leadership Gift? Do you have any data on this?

Jessica in Florida

A:  We do not have data on whether a Leadership Gift or a Challenge Gift is better. A Challenge Gift will leverage other giving. The bottom line is to ask all your major donors if they're willing to have their gifts used as a challenge, and odds are they'll say yes. You can always pool a few larger gifts together into a Challenge Gift pool. That way, you don't necessarily have to name each donor individually (if one wants to remain anonymous, for example). Whether given by one donor or pooled by several donors into a Challenge Gift Fund, when used as a matching gift, it gives the donor the perception of a bargain—a way to leverage even more value from their gift.

For more information on Challenge Gifts, visit our archives.