Principal Gift Checklist™

Your Porter Score
8 / 17
Risk: expect a “not now” or lower amount

Ben’s Chief Concern

No meaningful engagement of spouse/family

The largest gifts are rarely individual decisions. A spouse or family member can endorse, downsize, or stop a gift. Failing to include the key family member—especially the spouse—can create a "higher power negotiation," where they influence the gift decision from afar.

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Your score and response record are in the two-page PDF.

CHECKLIST 2.0

Your score is what 17 questions can see.

But what happens when 50 questions start interacting with each other?

It can stop $5M asks from becoming $1M gifts.

It even tells you when you're asking too little.

See Checklist 2.0
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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.

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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.