How to create a healthy fundraising ecosystem for your not-for-profit or charity.

Most not-for-profit and charitable organisations engage in some form of revenue raising or cause-related fundraising programs.

Several inter-linked strands combine to form an organisation’s fundraising ecosystem and as we all know, a well-managed ecosystem is both productive and sustainable.

If you are part of such an organisation, how well-defined, well-oiled and effective is your suite of fundraising mechanisms?

I can work with your organisation to develop any or all of the elements required for successful and sustainable fundraising.

Contact me to discuss developing or reviewing any of the following aspects of your fundraising ecosystem…

Strategic Plan

A strategic plan is a document that establishes the direction of an organisation. It outlines priorities and how resources may be allocated to pursue this strategy. A strategic plan often explains an organisation’s Vision and on-going Mission, expresses its core values, explores its strengths weaknesses opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis), outlines annual and long-term goals, and includes a list of actions. These actions can also be further detailed in a Fundraising Plan.

Vision

A vision statement describes the way you envision your business – what does success to look like?

Mission

A mission statement describes the work your team currently does, for whom and how. It explains how what you do contributes to achieving your stated vision.

Fundraising Plan

The ‘delivery’ side of a Strategic Plan can be outlined in a Fundraising Plan – what steps can you organisation take to continue delivering on its mission? It’s your over-arching action plan, outlining the tasks you’ll undertake, who you will approach for fundraising and how to reach those cohorts.

Case for support

At the centre of the Fundraising Plan is your Case for Support – a statement that explains the ‘why’ and which can be quickly understood by all stakeholders. Getting this right will demonstrate the impact of your organisation’s work, while illustrating why public funding will help deliver on the mission.

Giving programs

There are many ways to raise funds by engaging potential donors. The type of mechanisms that suit your objectives will relate to your organisation’s structure and primary activities.

Such mechanisms include hosting fundraising events, building relationships with corporate partners, working with community and small business sponsors, implementing gifting programs, managing memberships, inviting bequests, convening a project-focussed donor circle, or promoting an annual funding drive.

Stewardship Plan

The Fundraising Plan should also incorporate a Stewardship Plan describing how your organisation will recognise donor support as well as how to manage such a task within your resources. It may include a matrix for donor interactions.

Fundraising platform

Managing all this information can be efficiently achieved using one of many cloud-based donor management tools on the market today. Selecting the platform that best suits your organisation’s capacity and budget is an important decision.

Marketing & communication

You’ve created your fundraising plan and now you need to tell everyone about it!

Your public-facing documentation and communication channels may include a regular newsletter, an annual report, a fundraising prospectus, a social media strategy, advertising campaigns and donor surveys.

I can compile a 12-month timeline to achieve your project vision and help manage your time according to the capacity of your management committee or Board.

Events

For many small to medium sized NFTs and charitable organisations, hosting events is both the most impactful fundraising mechanism and the most time-consuming activity in which they engage.

Events Delivered was conceived to provide a complete suite of event management and production services under one roof, including budget control, sponsorship/grant funding, event logistics and infrastructure, health and safety, marketing, graphic design and advertising.

What’s right for you?

This brief overview of the various components of an effective fundraising ecosystem is designed to stimulate thinking about your current fundraising strategy and mechanisms. Are there areas in which you would like to improve, or have identified gaps to be filled?

Whatever your requirements, the starting point is a conversation, so get in touch today.

Final thought

A well-defined and clearly communicated fundraising plan can also attract new members to your organisation’s management committee, helping to relieve the widely experienced challenge of succession planning in NFP and charity organisational structure.