Fundraising Resources - Free Downloads, Whitepapers & Guides

Thanks for visiting the Front Range Source Toolbox

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Below are some resources you might find helpful in your own fundraising work. Just click on them and they are yours to keep!

Please let us know if there is something that you find particularly helpful or something else you’d like to see by e-mailing us here.

INTERACTIVE E-WORKBOOKS

The Leaky Bucket

Why invest in new donors if you can’t keep the ones you’ve got? This interactive e-workbook aims to help you make the most of your efforts to get donors and keep them.

WHITEPAPERS & GUIDES

In this section we have included some “How-To” documents that you can put to use right away.

10 Steps to the UnGala

This guide will help you create specific, strategic objectives for your next event and create a plan for achieving them.

Prospect Rating & Screening Form

This tool will help you target your prospect list and make immediate headway in your major gifts program.

Year-End Appeal Checklist

It has everything you need to consider for a great year-end results. Just print it out or keep it on your screen and check off these best practices as you go.

House Party Guidelines

Check out this step-by-step guide for one of fundraising’s most successful techniques.

READY-TO-GO REPORTS

Use these Excel workbooks to synthesize and analyze your fundraising program so that you can make good strategic decisions. Just plug in your data!

Snapshot Report

This Excel worksheet will help you to track fundraising performance in terms of both dollars and donors so that you can spot opportunities and weaknesses in your program.

Three Year Fundraising Analysis

This multiple page report will help you to get a handle on the performance of your fundraising program over time.

Year-End Fundraising Analysis

Use this report to create a full analysis of your year-end fundraising results. A great tool to present to Executive Directors and Board Members!

Donor Relationship Builder
Also known as Moves Management, our Excel version provides a simple framework for tracking individual donors

Sample Appeal Report
This simple Excel spreadsheet helps you to track mail appeals from one year to the next.

Monthly Campaign Report
A useful format for reporting on your campaign progress.

NUTS & BOLTS

These simple, easy-to-use handouts will help you get to work right away.

The Big Picture Worksheet
This Big Picture Worksheet will help you match your programs with the right foundation funds.

Logic Model Worksheet
Work through this Logic Model Worksheet to set the stage for your next compelling grant proposal.

Middle Donor Calculator
This calculator will help visually show the distribution of your donors!

Solicitation Briefing Template
This guide will give you all the confidence you need before your next solicitation!

Donor Retention Calendar
Retention doesn’t just happen! You have to plan for it. This is a sample calendar to get you started.

The Flow of Personal Solicitation
All conversations are different, but this chart provides an outline of a face-to-face ask.

Planned Giving Benefits
This three-page handout goes through basic planned giving instruments and their benefits to the donor.

Logic Model
A visual of the classic construct for grantwriting!

Who's in Your Orbit
This exercise and worksheet are a very effective way to build prospect lists with your Board and volunteers.

My Prospect Worksheet
A helpful tool for volunteer solicitors to use when planning for a face-to-face ask.

Development Budget Categories
Building a budget for fundraising for the first time? Use this list of typical revenue and expense lines.

6 Steps to Fundraising Planning
A step-by-step outline for creating a fundraising plan from scratch.

Cost of Fundraising Guidelines
A chart of general cost ratios for standard fundraising channels - a classic!

Annual Report Template
A simple template for what to include that gives you design tips and “how-to’s”!

Board Fundraising Menu
A variety of locally grown, sustainable options to engage your Board in fundraising!

Thank You Letter Starter Template
This simple template will help you get started on writing a killer thank you letter!

December Weekly Checklist
This one-page checklist will help you to create your daily plan for this most important month of the year for fundraising.

Donor Motivations
Why do donors give? Check out our one-page handout based on a study by Hope Consulting.

Creating Your Fundraising Story
This simple handout can be used by staff or volunteers to refine their own fundraising language.

Cooking Up a Case Statement
Use our checklist to improve the effectiveness of your case for giving.

Creating Your Year-End Appeal
This four-page handout has the steps for you to follow to create a high performing mail appeal.

Age and Wealth Matrix for Planned Giving
Check out this recreation of the classic planned giving matrix created by the Sharpe Group.

Acquisition for Grassroots Groups
This two-page matrix outlines the pros and cons of techniques for getting donors on a smaller scale.

Strategic Objectives Worksheet
Use this simple template to outline the strategic objectives, activities, and evaluation methods for your fundraising work and strategic planning.

Cycle of Donor Relations
The most versatile fundraising tool there is! It will help you organize your entire fundraising program.

SAMPLES

Looking for a good example? We’ve just started this library, but we plan to add to it over time. Let us know what else you’d like to see!

Capital Campaign Case Statement
We helped House of Neighborly Service in Loveland, CO create this heartfelt campaign brochure.

Case Statement
A good case statement is hard to find, but we like this one from the Community Foundation Serving Boulder County for their Community Trust Campaign.

Planned Giving Language
Contains sample language for marketing bequests and other planned gifts.