What is the 80/20 Rule in Fundraising? - BetterWorld (2024)

FAQs

What is the 80/20 Rule in Fundraising? - BetterWorld? ›

The 80/20 rule, also known as the Pareto principle, suggests that a small number of causes (20%) often lead to a large number of effects (80%). In the context of fundraising, this principle suggests that a small number of donors (20%) may contribute the majority of funds (80%).

This principle dictates that 80% of a nonprofit's funding is contributed by only the top 20% of their donors. Not every nonprofit fits perfectly into this model, but there's no doubt that major gifts are an essential aspect of any nonprofit's funding.

What's the 80-20 Rule? The 80-20 rule is a principle that states 80% of all outcomes are derived from 20% of causes. It's used to determine the factors (typically, in a business situation) that are most responsible for success and then focus on them to improve results.

The Pareto principle states that for many outcomes, roughly 80% of consequences come from 20% of causes. In other words, a small percentage of causes have an outsized effect. This concept is important to understand because it can help you identify which initiatives to prioritize so you can make the most impact.

If you're familiar with economics, you've likely heard of the Pareto Principle (or the 80/20 Rule). The Pareto Principle means this: 80% of your results come from 20% of your profits. In the early 1900s, Vilfredo Pareto recognized this occurrence when studying Italy's wealth distribution.

The 80/20 rule, also known as the Pareto principle, suggests that a small number of causes (20%) often lead to a large number of effects (80%). In the context of fundraising, this principle suggests that a small number of donors (20%) may contribute the majority of funds (80%).

The rule requires that you divide after-tax income into two categories: savings and everything else. As long as 20% of your income is used to pay yourself first, you're free to spend the remaining 80% on needs and wants. That's it; no expense categories, no tracking your individual dollars.

This rule suggests that 80% of effects come from 20% of causes. For example, 80% of a company's revenue may come from 20% of its customers, or 80% of a person's productivity may come from 20% of their work. This principle can be applied to many areas, including productivity for small business owners.

80% of your weekly tasks affect 20% of your future. 80% of grief is caused by 20% of people in your life. 80% of alarms will be set off by 20% of potential causes. 80% of the energy in a combustion engine produces 20% output.

The 80/20 rule is a guide for your everyday diet—eat nutritious foods 80 percent of the time and have a serving of your favorite treat with the other 20 percent. For the “80 percent” part of the plan, focus on drinking lots of water and eating nutritious foods that include: Whole grains. Fruits and vegetables.

How to calculate 80/20 rule? ›

Let's do the math. If 80% of 80% of business comes from 20% of the 20% of the customers, it's (0.80 x 0.80) / (0.20 x 0.20). This means that 64% of business comes from 4% of the customers. That is 80/20 squared or (80/20)².

He famously observed that 80% of society's wealth was controlled by 20% of its population, a concept now known as the “Pareto Principle” or the “80-20 Rule”. The Pareto distribution is a power-law probability distribution, and has only two parameters to describe the distribution: α (“alpha”) and Xm.

In the realm of real estate investment, the 80/20 rule, or Pareto Principle, is a potent tool for maximizing returns. It posits that a small fraction of actions—typically around 20%—drives a disproportionately large portion of results, often around 80%.

Pareto's Law can be summarized as follows: 80% of the outputs results from 20% of the inputs. Now let's make this relevant to the fundraising world: 80% of the funding comes from 20% percent of our donors. 80% of our total volunteer hours comes from 20% of our volunteers.

In investing, the 80-20 rule generally holds that 20% of the holdings in a portfolio are responsible for 80% of the portfolio's growth. On the flip side, 20% of a portfolio's holdings could be responsible for 80% of its losses.

80/20 is a process of sorting products and customers into two categories: those in the “80” category comprise 80 percent of the company's revenue. Those in the “20” category include the remaining 20 percent of the company's revenue.

One rule to live by when budgeting is to use 50 percent of your income on needs, 30 percent on wants, and 20 percent on saving for financial goals. The table on the next page gives you a snapshot of the type of items that you might assign to each category.

3-to-1 Rule: There should be at least three non-fundraising programs aimed at helping parents or children or advocating for school improvements for every one fundraiser.

It's not just about finding people willing to donate but about finding those who are genuinely aligned with your cause and can make a significant impact. This is where the power of the 3 Cs – Commitment, Connection, and Capacity – comes into play.

If you're a younger investor with a long time horizon and are comfortable taking on more risk, the 80/20 portfolio may be a good fit. However, if you're closer to retirement or prefer a more conservative approach, the 60/40 portfolio may be a better option.