Nonprofit organizations track fundraising dollars in two different ways, each serving a distinct purpose:

1. Raised dollars
2. Received dollars

Depending on the context, both ways of counting are accurate even though their totals will almost always differ. Understanding these distinctions is key to evaluating fundraising success and financial planning.    

Fundraising teams work to raise money through charitable gifts, which can take different forms. Some gifts are given all at once (outright gifts), whereas others are given with the intention of being paid in installments over multiple years (pledges). Because of this, fundraising dollars are categorized as either raised or received to reflect both commitments and actual funds collected. 

This distinction is especially helpful when interpreting giving-focused Clarity dashboards, which may include data that reference raised versus received dollars. By understanding what each term means, you will be better equipped to use those dashboards to inform decisions, track progress, and report outcomes. 

Below, we will explore the differences between these categorizations to build understanding of how contributions are recorded. Let’s get started! 

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What are Raised Dollars?

Raised dollars represent the total commitments secured by an organization. When measuring the fundraising effectiveness, organizations often focus on raised dollars, which include:  

• Outright gifts (one-time donations)
• Pledges (commitments to give over time)
• Other types of deferred gifts, such as bequest expectancies (under specific conditions)

Pledges 

Donors sometimes make pledges to maximize their giving by spreading payments over time. Since the total amount isn’t immediately available, pledges allow donors to commit to larger gifts while organizations track the total pledged amount as part of their fundraising productivity.  

If a fundraiser asks for a gift and the donor responds with a pledge, that fundraiser is credited with raising the entire pledged amount, not just the initial payment. Development offices track pledge commitments to properly attribute fundraising activity to the correct staff member in the correct year. 

During fundraising campaigns, organizations set specific goals and deadlines to encourage donors to commit funds now. The most important metric in a campaign is raised fundraising, which counts both outright gifts and the total value of any pledges made during the campaign period. 

Example: If a donor pledges $1 million in the final year of a campaign, to be paid in equal parts over five years, the full $1 million is counted towards the campaign. The subsequent years’ $200,000 pledge payments are not counted within raised totals, as the pledge was already counted on the day it was originally documented.

Bequest Expectancies 

Some organizations track other types of deferred gifts in addition to cash pledges. One common example is bequest expectancies. These are documented commitments from donors who plan to leave a gift in their will. Many organizations treat these expectancies as a type of pledge, even though they do not have a fixed due date.  

When a donor passes away and the bequest is received, it is typically recorded as a bequest payment if the expectancy was previously documented. However, if the organization was unaware of the bequest until it was received, it is recorded as a bequest gift. This is a new gift rather than the fulfillment of an earlier commitment. 

For organizations that track bequest expectancies, the total amount raised includes both:

• Bequest expectancies (a type of pledge)
• Bequest gifts (a type of outright gift)

However, bequest payments (which fulfill a pledge) are excluded from the raised total, similar to the subsequent pledge payments in the example covered earlier. This distinction helps fundraising teams accurately track new commitments and recognize bequests made during a campaign as part of their campaign activity.

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What are Received Dollars?  

Received dollars refer to actual funds deposited into the organization’s account within a given timeframe. This includes:

• Cash gifts received
• Pledge payments made during the reporting period
• Realized bequests (if the donor has passed away and the gift has been received)

Counting received dollars is much more straightforward than counting raised dollars. Received dollars are important for financial planning because they reflect the money available for immediate use. Excluded from this count are pledges or other types of deferred commitments such as bequest intentions. 

Example: Using the pledge example above of a $1 million gift paid over five years, each $200,000 pledge payment within the specified date range is included in the received dollars, along with outright cash contributions. 

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Why Track Both Metrics?

Tracking both raised and received dollars allows fundraising teams to understand two important aspects of their efforts:

• Productivity: “How much money will result from our work this year?” This is measured by raised dollars and is important for campaign fundraising and managing development teams. 
• Actual Dollars: “How much money was made available to the institution?” This is measured by received dollars and shows the immediate financial impact of charitable giving. 

Avoiding Double-Counting

Some contributions count toward both metrics. Specifically, any outright gifts donated without being committed first are included in both raised and received totals. 

For example: 

• If a donor responds to an ask with a check, credit card payment, or other cash equivalent, their donation is counted in both types of reports. 
• If a donor leaves a gift in their will, but does not notify the organization in advance, the cash received from their estate is counted as both raised and received when the organization receives the funds.  

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For any other questions, reach out to EverTrue Support at genius@evertrue.com.