Capacity

Why it matters

Capacity tells you how big an ask could be. Affinity tells you whether the donor cares enough to say yes. The best major gift prospects have both, and a donor with high capacity and no connection to your work is a long cultivation, not a quick ask.

For a small shop, the most reliable signal of capacity is often already in your own data: the largest gift a donor has made, how steadily they give, and what they have told you in conversation. Outside estimates can add to that picture but should not replace it.

How Steward shows it

Steward does not estimate wealth. The "Proven capacity" filter groups donors by the largest and most consistent giving they have actually done with you, and the directory's Giving strength column ranks how much, how recently and how often each person has given. Neither looks outside your own file.

Related terms

• Wealth screening Wealth screening is running a list of donors through an outside service that estimates their giving capacity from public information such as property, business ownership, stock holdings and gifts to other charities.
• Affinity Affinity is how strongly a donor is connected to your organization and its cause: how much they care, how involved they are, and which parts of your work matter most to them.
• Gift range chart A gift range chart is a table that lists how many gifts you need at each size, and how many prospects you need for them, to reach a campaign goal.