Fundraising planning does not begin with a calendar. A list of activities and associated dates is the final stage of a good plan, not the beginning. But, once you get there, how you manage the calendaring process can really mean the difference between “business as usual” and a darned good plan.
But first, be sure to create your plan in the right order:
1. Assess
How did things go for you last year? In addition to comparing financial goals to results, ask yourself things like: What are the multi-year trends you’re seeing in your program? Do you have a robust donor pool at every level of the pyramid?
2. Set Strategic Goals
Once you understand where you are, you can establish overarching goals for your fundraising program that go beyond a task orientation. Free your imagination a little and see where it takes you. What do you want your program to look like in three years? More donors, larger gifts, better communications, more board involvement, a stronger stewardship program? What can you be doing this year to move toward your vision?
3. Establish Measurable Objectives, then Activities
Now that you’re fully grounded in where you’ve been and where you’re headed, set goals for this year that are specific and measurable. For example, upgrade 10 donors from $1,000 to $5,000. Or, recapture 10% of lapsed donors. Or, activate 2 board members who can raise $5,000 each. Then fill in the activities you’ll need to undertake in order to achieve those objectives.
OK, now you’re ready to put together your calendar. This is where the rubber hits the road. Here’s an exercise that has worked for me:
-Get a bunch of people into one room for an extended “calendaring retreat.” This obviously depends upon the size of your organization, but it could include your development staff, communications team, Executive Director.
-Using color-coded post-it notes, put all the activities that are in your plan up on the wall month by month. The color-coding can include things like: written in stone activities that can’t be changed, events, mailings, infrastructure activities, board meetings, etc.
-Then step back and ponder: Does everything on the wall support your long-term vision? Are there goals that can be achieved by combining some activities.
-Consolidate some post-it notes.
-Get rid of some post-it notes!
-Step back and ponder again.
-Whittle away at your calendar until it’s a streamlined set of achievable activities that specifically and obsessively support the achievement of your goals and objectives.
With limited resources and high demand, efficiency is your only option. Try this exercise and let us know how it goes. Or, if you have a different way of streamlining your work, share it with us!
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