Did you know your fundraising goal is one of the most effective tools in getting donations? By actively managing your fundraising goal, you’re able to inspire more people to take action and donate (and on the flipside, if you ignore it after surpassing it, you could be suffocating your potential impact).

Here are some tips, tricks, and rationale on using your fundraising goal as leverage:

1. People like to help others achieve their goal

There’s nothing better than seeing someone get close to achieving a goal and knowing you had a hand in making their dream come true. By setting an achievable goal, you’ll be giving your donors a sense of purpose and accomplishment. If you’re new to fundraising – start at $250 to earn your free entry. That’s just 10 friends chipping in $25! Once you get close, push it to $400. Donors want to support and invest in you, especially once you start seeing success. (Bandwagon fans happen in fundraising, too. Use it to your advantage!)

2. When you meet your goal – make it higher

It’s a fact that when a potential donor lands on your page and sees that you have met your goal, they’re less likely to donate. Why? Because donors want to help a fundraiser reach their goal (see point #1), making the donation mean a little more. If you’ve already met your goal, it’s not as satisfying for them to give.

3. …But be realistic

The flip side of that is if you have 2 days before the tournament and your goal is $5,000 and you’ve only raised $50, potential donors won’t be as willing to chip in to get you the $4,950 across that final finish line. By lowering your goal at times, it makes it more attainable (again…see #1).

4. Take home all of the swag!

Not like you need more of it, but upping your goal creates more motivation for you! Maybe you started with your goal at $1,000 thinking you’d never hit it, but you did, and you’ve still got a few weeks left. Up it to $2,000 (to earn that sweet gi) and you’ve got a new mountain to climb.

Ready to get strategic about your goal setting? Here’s how you can update your goals on your fundraising page:

Find the field to edit your goal and boom! You’re well on your way to reaching, exceeding and resetting your goal.