Imagine, for a moment, that you are a fundraiser. You've just registered online for your nonprofit's fundraising event and have set up a personal fundraising page for the first time. At this point, you might find yourself wondering, "What should I set as my fundraising goal?"

Suggesting a team or individual fundraising minimum or goal to your fundraisers is an important step toward reaching your event fundraising goal.An easy way to determine a fundraising minimum is to divide your total fundraising goal by the number of participants or fundraisers you expect. You might also consider the average amount raised by each participant at last year's event (or the FirstGiving fundraising page average, which is $400), and factor in how much you want to grow this year.

For example, suppose last year each of your fundraisers raised an average of $385 online. This year, you want to grow your fundraising event by 30 percent. The calculation for the new amount is $385 x 1.3 = $500, which you decide to suggest as a fundraising minimum this year. Of course, you also give your fundraisers some helpful ideas to get their fundraising going. With these steps, you are well on your way to meeting your 30 percent growth goal. Here's an example of how one of our nonprofit partners included a suggested fundraising minimum for their annual fundraising event:

How Do I Set My Fundraising Goal? A suggested team goal is $1,000. Consider asking 10 people for $100, 20 people for $50, or 40 people for $25. You will be surprised how many of those people will recruit others to the cause. Try to estimate a realistic amount, and your team can celebrate exceeding it! Consider Facebook, MySpace, and other social networking sites when thinking of people to contact.

Remember, both donors and fundraisers are motivated by making progress toward a goal. Setting fundraising expectations is one easy way you can support and encourage your fundraisers to raise more money online for your nonprofit organization.