Planning for a Successful 2022

The new year provides an opportune time to create a fundraising plan. The successes and not-so-successes of the previous year sit fresh in your mind, and hopefully, you have a little bit of a lull in your schedule so you can spend some time assessing and evaluating data to build the plan for this year.

Having a fundraising plan makes it easier for you to focus your limited time and effort on those activities that will reap the greatest gains while saying “no” to those that waste your time. You know your time wasters! I always say that you want to work smarter, not harder, and a good plan can help you do that.

You can go through an elaborate process to create a fundraising plan or spend a few hours or days working with your staff, board, and key volunteers – or even just you and your data. The process does not determine the outcome. Invest the time you have, just make sure you invest the time.

Answering the following questions can help you create a plan that will guide you and your team to future success.

1.       What is most important to you and your organization? Short-term cash? Long-term relationships? Funding a particular program? Once you know what you deem important, you can develop a plan that focuses on realizing it.

2.       What is your goal? Where do you see your organization at the end of the year? End of the month? Five years from now? A plan without a goal is like shooting arrows without target. They fly everywhere because you have no idea the direction you want them to go. Your goal becomes your target that focuses everything else you do. It also lets you know when you hit a bullseye and when you miss completely.

3.       What strengths and weaknesses does your development team have? How do you raise the most money? Here you need data that tells you who gave and through what means (e.g., letter, personal visit, email), who lapsed, who upgraded, etc. Start with a good assessment of the year that just ended. Benchmarks – either internally or through the literature – will help you see where you might have room to improve. Even without them, you can see trends in your giving to see improving and declining revenue from a given method. A lot of lapsed donors points to a need for better stewardship or more frequent solicitations. Declining event revenue might signal time for a refresh.

4.       What stands in the way of achieving your goal? If nothing stood in the way of your goal, you would have achieved it. Honestly assess why you have not. For example, maybe you need to raise more money this year, but do not know your constituents well enough. Identifying this focuses your time and energy on donor cultivation and relationship building activities that can really make a difference in achieving your goal rather than wasting time spinning your wheels. Again, focus on the top 3-5 things that serve as real barriers to your success, not the nuisances that you use as excuses. Need professional development? Get it. Need a new computer? Request it.

5.       Develop a plan to meet your goals. The plan should leverage your strengths and overcome your weaknesses while honoring your values. Continuing with the previous example, if you need to get to know your constituents better, develop concrete steps to meet your constituents. Talk to your program staff about introducing you to some key individuals. Join the local Chamber of Commerce or service club. Have a timeline, budget, and accountability measures to improve your chances of success. Maybe you set a goal to meet with 3 new people each week. That way, you know if you stay on track to meet your overall goal.

6.       Work the plan. Planning is easy; executing is hard. As you plan your weeks, days, even hours, ask yourself if the activity you plan to undertake (1) fits your values, (2) moves you closer to your goal, and (3) helps you overcome one of the key barriers standing in the way of your goal. If you answer no to any of these, don’t do it (or re-prioritize it). If you answer yes to each of these, go full steam ahead! By working strategically, every action moves you closer to your ultimate goal.

7.       Evaluate the plan. A few months down the road, look at the plan again. Have you made progress toward your goals? Are your goals still reasonable and accurate? If not, honestly assess why not and create a new plan based on your new reality.

Having a fundraising plan helps you better focus your attention on those things that matter most to your organization and your success.

What’s stopping you? A few days of developing the plan now can reap significant monetary (and psychological) rewards throughout the year.

Good luck!

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