Estimate a giving program’s revenue by modeling each funding source separately, using explicit participation assumptions, and subtracting known costs. Keep projected contributions separate from collected funds and the cash your organization actually receives.
Use this worksheet for a pilot conversation. The sample figures are invented to demonstrate the method; they are not CauseFi. averages or expected results.
Step 1: Define the period and participants
Choose one period, such as a month. For round-ups, estimate the number of active participating accounts during that period and the contribution per active account. Use the same unit throughout your model: people and linked cards are not interchangeable.
Round-up contributions = active participating accounts × average collected round-ups per account.
If you do not yet have program data, label each input as an assumption and test a lower case as well as your working case.
Step 2: Model additional funding separately
Use the Impact Partner give-back program guide to define qualifying activity before forecasting business contributions. For employee eligibility and caps, use the employer matching checklist.
For an Impact Partner agreement based on qualifying purchases:
Impact Partner funding = qualifying purchase volume × agreed contribution rate, subject to the agreement’s cap and exclusions.
For a simple employer match:
Employer funding = eligible employee donations × match rate, applying each employee’s cap and other program limits before totaling the results.
Do not apply an Impact Partner rate to all spending unless the agreement covers all of it. Do not apply employer matching to Impact Partner money or other ineligible contributions.
Step 3: Work through an example
| Input or calculation | Illustrative month |
|---|---|
| Active participating accounts | 100 |
| Collected round-ups per account | $12 |
| Supporter round-ups | $1,200 |
| Qualifying Impact Partner purchase volume | $4,000 |
| Hypothetical Impact Partner rate | 5% |
| Impact Partner contribution, assuming no cap binds | $200 |
| Employee donations eligible for matching, already included in round-ups | $300 |
| Hypothetical employer match, assuming no cap binds | 1:1 |
| Additional employer funding | $300 |
| Total gross contributions | $1,700 |
| Illustrative total program and processing costs | $100 |
| Modeled funds after those costs | $1,600 |
The $300 in employee donations is already part of the $1,200 supporter total. Only the additional $300 employer contribution is added again.
Collection and settlement timing may mean the full modeled amount is not available as cash during the same month.
Step 4: Complete your own worksheet
| Field | Your input |
|---|---|
| Forecast period | ______ |
| Active accounts × contribution per account | ______ × $______ |
| Impact Partner funding after eligibility rules and caps | $______ |
| Employer funding after eligibility rules and caps | $______ |
| Other contributions not already counted | $______ |
| Total gross contributions | $______ |
| Fees, refunds, and other applicable adjustments | $______ |
| Program operating costs | $______ |
| Modeled funds after costs and adjustments | $______ |
Run a second version with fewer active participants. For an initial downside case, leave uncommitted Impact Partner and employer funding at zero.
Step 5: Check whether funding is additional
Track changes in existing giving separately. New-program receipts alone cannot show that total organizational giving increased. Compare existing donor behavior, seasonality, and operating effort before calling the result incremental revenue.
Use this model to bring clear assumptions to a conversation with CauseFi. and replace those assumptions with observed results as your program develops.
Next step: Track actual performance with the giving program scorecard.