The Principal Gift Checklist™
Answer 17 quick questions about your next $5M+ ask and get an instant, free readiness score — no strings attached.
The Porter Score is based on two studies encompassing 353 principal gifts across 27 universities. It looks at conditions that exist immediately prior to a $5M+ solicitation.
A score of 12 or higher was associated with successful gifts in both studies.
“Who Is This Ben Porter Guy?”
Ben Porter spent 23 years in advancement, including serving as AVP of Principal Gifts during Northwestern University’s $6 billion We Will campaign, where he created The Principal Gift Checklist. He later served as CAO of the Kellogg School of Management and the Tuck School of Business.
Today, through Principal Gift Strategies LLC, he advises institutions on raising their largest gifts.
Note: This checklist and its underlying data come from two studies of $5M+ gifts made to higher education by living individuals. It's built and worded for colleges and universities. It does not guarantee donor behavior or gift outcomes. If legal, tax, financial, or other expert advice is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.
(Principal gift advice? You’ve come to the right place.)
Operated by Principal Gift Strategies LLC under a license with Ben Porter and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.
"The Principal Gift Checklist: How to Cultivate and De-Risk Gifts of $5M–$100M+" © 2019 Council for Advancement and Support of Education. All rights reserved. The checklist questions and scorecard are used under license. New website content, 2026 study data and findings, customized analysis, software, report design, and separately identified frameworks © 2026 Principal Gift Strategies LLC. All rights reserved.