What are your nonprofit organization’s assets?

Step one in the Simple Success Fundraising Plan is to identify your assets.  What are your organization’s assets?  They are things that you have going for you that you can leverage in your plan.  Here are some examples of nonprofit organizational assets: 

• Compelling mission (like feeding the hungry or housing the homeless)
• Large donor base
• Incredible organization name recognition (like Habitat for Humanity)
• Well-known staff or Board members
• Facility that lends itself well to a tour (like a clinic, shelter, or food pantry)
• Organizational vehicles that are driven around town regularly
• Website with LOTS of daily visitors
• Opportunity for earned income (like a thrift store or gift shop)
• Well-known local, regional, or national celebrity who supports your organization
• Something else?

What are your nonprofit organization’s assets?

Want more info on the Simple Success Fundraising Plan?  Click here: www.getfullyfunded.com/simple-success-retreat.

Get help creating a detailed fundraising plan

Join me next Friday, Feb 19, as I lead a virtual retreat to help you create a detailed fundraising plan for 2010.

A virtual retreat is just what it sounds like – a time to step back and plan, but you can do it from home or your office.  You just need a phone and internet access.  We’ll be on the phone for a while, then I’ll give you an assignment and you’ll hang up and work on it.  Then we’ll get back on the phone together and do the next part.  I think you’ll really enjoy this format!

I’ll be taking you through the creation of goals, objectives, and action plans for your fundraising program this year.  We’ll talk about everything from special events to major donors, and I’ll share nearly a dozen templates and tools that I’ve developed and used over the years to help me raise money more effectively.

To read more or to sign up, visit http://getfullyfunded.com/simple-success-retreat

7 Questions your Fundraising Plan MUST Answer

Yesterday, I led a webinar to teach people my “Simple Success” Fundraising Plan.  One of the things I shared was the 7 questions your fundraising plan MUST answer.  I thought you might enjoy them too, so here they are.

1. How much money do we need to raise?  You need a specific goal for your plan.  If you just want to “raise more money” you’re setting yourself up for failure.  After all, how much is more money?  $1 more? $100 more?

2. Where will the money come from?  You need a mix of revenue streams to ensure the health of your organization.  Will you raise money from individuals? Foundations? Events?  Don’t set a goal without knowing where you will raise the money.

3. Who will we ask?  Be specific.  Who will you ask for money?  This gets into creating lists of potential donors.

4. When will we ask?  Create a calendar of when you will ask.  Include grant deadlines, events, etc. to get a complete picture of your year.

5. How much will we ask for?  You need to think through the amount you will request from each donor.  You may have to do a litle research in some cases to find out how much is appropriate, particularly if you’re working with major givers.

6. How will we follow up on a gift?  You need to know how you will thank your donors, how you will steward gifts, and how you will build relationships.  Be proactive about this – not reactive!

7. How soon will we ask again?  Don’t be afraid to ask several times during the year for a gift.  If you only ask once during the year, I promise you that you are leaving money on the table!  If you are doing a good job building relationships with your donors, they WANT to support the work you are doing.  Make it easy for them by giving them multiple opportunities to give.

If you’re currently wrestling with a fundraising plan and you’d like help, I invite you to check out the virtual retreat I’m leading on Friday, Feb 19 to walk you through my “Simple Success” Fundraising Plan.  Get all the details at www.getfullyfunded.com/simple-success-retreat.

The Top 10 Reasons NOT to Plan

I thought I’d have a little fun here and list for you the Top 10 Reasons NOT to create a fundraising plan (David Letterman style).  Here they are:

10. You like working in crisis mode.  It makes the day more interesting.

9. You think flying-by-the-seat-of-your-pants is somewhere between “coach” and “first class.”

8. If you have a plan, you might lose your membership in “Underachievers Anonymous.”

7. You think “crisis du jour” means soup of the day and you’re hoping it’s broccoli cheese.

6. Being reactive actually forces you to scurry around the office more, and it counts as exercise.

5. If you had a plan you might need to be organized, and you’re afraid of what you might find if you were to clean your office.  Some of those piles of paper have been there a LONG time!

4. You LIKE wandering aimlessly!

3. You have no more space on your bookshelf for the binder containing the plan.  (Isn’t that what we do with plans?)

2. Working a plan would mean being more efficient and you’re not sure what you’d do with all your free time.

And the number 1 reason…

1. If your plan is successful and you raise a lot of money, you might work yourself out of a job!

Are you planning to thank your volunteers?

There are so many little things that get overlooked when we as Fundraisers get busy.  One of them is thanking volunteers.

I was coaching a busy Executive Director lately and she mentioned that she has a lot of people who are volunteering with her organiazation and doing sweet things.  I asked her if she had thanked them recently. “Thanked them? Uh, no.” 

So here’s the idea I gave her.  Go pick up a box of valentine’s and write a personal note on them, then mail them to your volunteers.  It’s simple, it’s affordable, it’s quick, and it works!  Most of the time, people just want to know you appreciate them. (This also works for some donors and other supporters.)

Brainstorm a couple of ideas throughout the year when you can do these little things to thank your volunteers.  Then get them on the calendar so you won’t forget.

Would you like more great little ideas like this?  Join me Thursday afternoon at 3 pm eastern for a free call.  Sign up and get all the details here: http://getfullyfunded.info/where-is-sandy/free-teleseminars.

My favorite nonprofit planning quotes

Here are some of my favorite quotes about planning.

The significance of a man is not in what he attains but in what he longs to attain. Kahlil Gibran

If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.  Yogi Berra

Don’t bunt. Aim out of the ballpark. David Ogilvy

Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude. Thomas Jefferson

Success always comes when preparation meets opportunity. Henry Hartman

If you can dream it, you can do it. Walt Disney

Plan your work.  Then work your plan.  Anonymous

Do you have a favorite quote on planning?  I’d love to hear it!  Click on the comment link and share.

A note about setting fundraising goals

Setting goals is a key part of creating a plan.  How you create your goals is equally important.

True story:  I’ve asked nonprofits to share their goals with me and they say “raise more money” or “raise a lot of money”.  Those are not good goals.  They’re too vague.  They set no direction.  Does “raise more money” mean you want to raise $1 more?  Or $100 more?

Be as specific as you can when setting goals and you’ll be much more likely to achieve them.  Setting a goal of “raising $10,000 by July 1″ is a better goal – provided that you have the capability to raise that amount of money in that timeframe. 

Once you set a goal, be sure that you know HOW you will achieve it.  Pulling numbers out of the air and then hoping you’ll reach them is no good.  Be sure you have specific work plans to back it up.  In the case of the $10,000, if you know you can add one more direct mail appeal to your schedule and raise that money, then that’s a good goal and one you’ll be likely to achieve.

Got fundraising plans?

If you need help putting a fundraising plan together for this year, I’d love to help!

Join me Thursday, February 4th at 3 pm easter for a free call as I present my “Simple Success” Fundraising Plan.

I’ll tell you

• Why you need a fundraising plan
• 7 questions your plan must answer
• The optimum number of goals you should set
• How to create goals that you can reach
• My proven tool to keep yourself on track each month

Plus, you’ll hear about a virtual planning retreat I’m hosting in February.

Sign up now for this free call! http://getfullyfunded.info/where-is-sandy/free-teleseminars

If you want to hear the call, but can’t be there with us, go ahead and sign up.  I’ll send you a link to the recording.

Register at http://getfullyfunded.info/where-is-sandy/free-teleseminars.

The 1 question to ask before you plan

Before you embark on fundraising planning, there’s one question you need to answer.  Knowing this answer will help ensure your success.  Here it is:

“Why are you raising money?”

You need to be very clear about the reason for fundraising.  And it better be compelling to your donors. 

Raising money to cover overhead won’t appeal to your supporters.  Raising money to change peoples’ lives will.

What are you raising money for this year?

The How and Why of a Fundraising Plan

Before you begin any fundraising program you need a plan to guide you along the way.

A good fundraising plan is a roadmap to success and shows you how to allocate your precious resources of time and money.  It can also help keep you out of crisis mode and help you control the flow of work in your office.   This is a shift from being reactive to being proactive. When you’re proactive, you’re organized and focused.  You raise more money. 

A written plan should contain the Who, What, When, and How Much information about each fundraising strategy and goal you are working toward.  It should include the case for your organization, or the reason why someone might support it.  Your plan should clearly state your overall and specific fundraising goals along with potential sources of donors and strategies to reach those donors.  Be sure to include an implementation plan along with revenue projections and a way to measure your success.

Before you implement a plan, you need to have everything in place so that your plan is effective.  There are 3 basic things you need before you begin to plan.  You must know:

• Your organizational strategic direction.
• Your organizational goals for the year.
• Your revenue/expense history and budget.

Gathering information before you start will help you create a fundraising plan that is supportive of your organization’s overall goals and needs.  Once you have a handle on the big picture, you can put together a fundraising plan that will help keep you on track for the year. 

Don’t be tempted to cheat and create a Fundraising Plan to “raise a lot of money” or “get lots of new donors”.  You need to have a clear picture of why you are raising money for your organization.  Fundraising plans must be tied to organizational goals and objectives.

Even though raising more money and getting more donors is ultimately your goal, you want your plan to be solid and effective so that more -donors and more money is the result of your plan. 

Itemize each goal so that you can work to achieve it.  It’s really simple. Just look at what your organizational needs are over the next year and think about separate funding goals in each of these categories:

• Programs and projects
• Administration
• Equipment
• Capital

This will help you evaluate funding opportunities and help you assign priorities.  When you start getting to know your donors and funders well, you’ll learn which ones prefer which kinds of gift opportunities.  It will make your fundraising more targeted, and your fundraising efforts will be much more fruitful.

Get SMART about fundraising goals

As I kick off a series of posts on planning, I thought it would be good to talk first about goals.  Setting goals for your fundraising plan is the obvious first step.  Without them, you may wander aimlessly from one thing to another.

Is your goal to “raise more money than last year” or “get more donors”?  No good. Do yourself a big favor and make your goals SMART.

SMART is an acronym that will help you set yourself up for success. It’s a way to set goals that you can easily create action plans for and later determine if you’ve met them or not.

Here’s what the acronym means:

S=Specific.  Set specific goals for your fundraising activities, like “acquire 100 new donors this year” or “write 10 grant proposals in March”.  Answer the ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘where’, and ‘why’ questions to make your goals specific.

M=Measurable.  Make sure your goals are easily measured.  Establishing concrete criteria will help you determine if you are successful or not.  Think through questions like ‘how much’ and ‘how many’ to make your goal quantifiable.

A=Attainable.  Set goals for yourself that can be reached with the skills and resources you have.  Don’t set goals that are unrealistic – you’ll likely get frustrated and stop working on them.

R=Realistic. Set goals that you are willing to work on and that are reachable.  Otherwise, it’s just a dream and that won’t move your fundraising program forward. 

T=Timely. Create a timeline for reaching your goals.  If you plan to double your donor base, by when will you do it? 

Good examples of SMART goals:

• Increase our donor base by 10% by June 1, 2009.
• Recruit 2 new sponsors for our Spring Golf Tournament by March 1.
• Find 6 volunteers to help sort donations at the thrift store on Mondays.  Orient them and have them in place before April 15.

By setting SMART goals, you’ll be much more likely to be successful in reaching them and raising the money your organization needs.

If you want more help setting your goals and getting your fundraising plan together, I invite you to join me for a free webinar on February 4 where I’ll share my “Simple Success Fundraising Plan.”  Here’s the link for more info and registration:  http://getfullyfunded.info/where-is-sandy/free-teleseminars.  See you there!

Planes, Trains, Automobiles… and Leadership

I’ve just returned from a short trip to New York and I wanted to share an amazing adventure with you.

Part of my travel required a flight from Philadelphia to Newburgh, NY.  Everything up to Philly was uneventful.  But when I arrived in Philly, I found out they had cancelled my flight to Newburgh and it was going to probably be 9 am the next morning before I could get on another flight.  I needed to be in a meeting with my new business coach at that time, so I said to the woman in line next to me that we should rent a car and drive.  I didn’t know how far it was, but it couldn’t be that far.  Turns out she worked at a college in that area and knew the drive (about 3 hours she said).  After about a half hour of waiting in that line and getting more agitated, we decided to go for it.  Several other passengers decided to jump in with us and our merry band of 5 struck out to find the car rental counter.

Long story short – I made some wonderful new friends including a preacher, an assistant Athletic Director at a college, and 2 pre-med students.  I got to see part of the country I’d never seen before, and I arrived safe and sound at my destination just a couple of hours later than originally planned.

It took a little leadership on my part to suggest the idea and a little leadership on the part of another to rent the car, but we made it happen.  The big lesson I came away with is that sometimes things don’t work out as planned. But if I keep my eyes on my goal and keep my cool, there are always options for reaching the goal.

I’m going to be sharing more about planning over the next couple of weeks and I think this is the perfect time of year for it.  We’re all still thinking about the year in front of us and how we can make the most of it for our fundraising efforts.

So if you need a little help getting your thoughts together for creating a plan, stay tuned!!

The 3 things that you should do for End-of-Year Fundraising Success!

Now that it’s officially Fall, it’s time to kick-start your fundraising plans for the end of the year.

What have you got planned?  I hope you have something planned so you can be proactive instead of waiting to see what happens. (That won’t serve you very well.)

Here are three things you need to make sure you do in order to raise the most money you can in the final quarter of 2009.

1. Communicate with your donors. Tell stories about people whose lives your organization has changed.  Donors want to hear about the good work you’re doing.  It affirms them and inspires them to give again.  If your communication plans include a newsletter, make it a donor-focused on and include the information donors want to read.

2. Thank donors for their past support. I don’t care how busy you are, there’s no better use of your time than connecting with a donor to say ‘thanks.’  Donors will appreciate and remember those organizations who take the time to show their appreciation.  You might want to gather up a few Board members or volunteers and do a Thank-A-Thon to call all your donors from 2009 to thank them.

3. Give people the opportunity to give. You must ask for a gift. Don’t assume that people will give if they can.  Encourage their giving by offering them the opportunity to make a gift. In other words, send them a letter or call them.  Your organization is probably not always on the mind of your donors.  You’ve got to gently remind them that you’re there and that you continue to need and want their support.  Remember that one of the biggest reasons people give is because someone asked.

Don’t get bogged down into any negative thinking like “it’s been a tough year and people won’t be generous this holiday season” or “people probably don’t have much to give this year.”  The truth is that you don’t know what people will do until you ask.  Don’t make their decision for them by assuming their giving capacity is diminished by the economy.

Focus on your mission and the people who depend on your organization.  It’ll position you for the most success.

Friday Freebie

Here’s a cool freebie I ran across this week.  It’s a Fundraising Campaign in a Box from Network for Good.

Grab it here: http://www.fundraising123.org/article/fundraising-campaign-box

And let me know what you think about it!

Find out what your donors are thinking

Do you know what your donors are thinking?  Or what they want from their relationship with you?

It’s easy to find out.

A simple donor survey can help you learn what’s on your donors’ minds and what they’re interested in.  Here are some tips for creating an effective survey.

• Plan your survey.  Be clear about what it is you want to find out.  This will help you hone in on the most important questions.
• Keep it short and simple.  Remember that donors are busy people and won’t take the time to complete a long survey.  I recommend 10 questions or less.
• Use a variety of questions (a mixture of simple answer, multiple choice, and fill in the blank).

My favorite survey tool is Survey Monkey (www.surveymonkey.com).  It’s easy to use and offers a free version.  You create a survey then email your donors the link.

I used Survey Monkey with a client recently to find out what donors thought about their enewsletter.  The survey featured only seven questions and we were able to learn that we needed to rework the format a little bit.  The result was a more effective enewsletter that donors were more likely to read.  Cool huh?

Are your fundraising goals SMART?

It’s that planning time of year!  Have you decided to “raise more money than last year” or “get more donors”?  No good. Do yourself a big favor and make your goals SMART.

SMART is an acronym that will help you set yourself up for success. 

S=Specific.  Set specific goals for your fundraising activities, like “acquire 100 new donors” or “write 10 grant proposals in March”.  Answer the ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘where’, and ‘why’ questions to make your goals specific.

M=Measurable.  Make sure your goals are easily measured.  Eastablishing concrete criteria will help you determine if you are successful or not.  Think through questions like ‘how much’ and ‘how many’ to make your goal quantifiable.

A=Attainable.  Set goals for yourself that can be reached with the skills and resources you have.

R=Realistic. Set goals that you are willing to work on and that are reachable.  Otherwise, it’s just a dream. 

T=Timely. Create a timeline for reaching your goals.  If you plan to double your donor base, by when will you do it?

Good examples of smart goals:

• Increase our donor base by 10% by June 1, 2009.
• Recruit 2 new sponsors for our Spring Golf Tournament by March 1.
• Find 6 volunteers to help sort donations at the thrift store on Mondays.  Orient them and have them in place before April 15.

Post a comment with one SMART goal that you plan to use in your organization this year.

Do you have a BHAG for the new year?

BHAG:  Big, hairy, audacious goal.

Have you set yourself a big ol’ goal for the new year?  Or are you satisfied with more of the same from last year?

Personally, I like to stretch myself and reach for more.  When I sat in the Development Director’s chair, I wanted more donors and more dollars.  I created BIG goals for myself.  Sometimes I reached them and sometimes I didn’t.  But you know what? By setting BIG goals, I made BIG things happen.

So what’s your BHAG for the new year?

Are you overwhelmed yet?

When I saw in the Development Director’s chair, it was easy to get overwhelmed this time of year. There’s so much to do and so little time. I was trying to juggle direct mail appeals, special events, grants, media interviews and anything else that came down the pike.

How do you handle overwhelm? I try to brain dump and get everything on paper (either real paper or in a computer file). I group like things together. Then I prioritize based on the time I have available. I ask myself “What do I really want to get accomplished in the 3 hours I have this afternoon?”. That helps me decide which tasks to tackle. Otherwise, I can wander mindlessly from project to project and not really get anything done.

What do you do when you get overwhelmed at work?

Accidents happen…

Yep, they do.  To all of us.

Seems like every time I’ve turned around this week, something unexpected/unfortunate has happened. A couple of days ago, my daughter drove into the garage a bit too close to the door and took off the mirror on the passenger side of the car.  Tonight, I was trying to hustle up and finish a quilt and managed to sew my finger (not to worry – I’m fine.  Just gonna have a sore finger for a while).

Accidents and unexpected things happen in fundraising too.  Appeals don’t generate the dollars we expect, computers crash and we lose all our data… the list could go on and on.

The best we can do is have a plan, work the plan, and do our best.  In fundraising, keep good donor records and back up your data.  Build relationships with your donors and always work to build trust with them.  It’s basic stuff, but it works.

And in quilting, I’m thinking I should find a way to keep my fingers away from the needle on the sewing machine!

Got a plan for fundraising?

For many, July 1 is the start of a new fiscal year.  Do you have a plan for how you will raise money this year?

You’ve probably heard the old saying “Fail to plan and you plan to fail”.  There’s a good bit of truth in that.

If you need help getting a plan together, I’m leading a teleseminar on July 15 at 2 pm eastern called “Create a Simple, Workable One-Year Fundraising Plan”.  I’ll guide you through a simple tool I created to help get you well on your way to a great plan.

Here’s what folks have to say about this teleseminar:

“The information was wonderful and very useful”

“It helped me to refocus.  Very useful.”

Want to join in on the next one?  Sign up at www.getfullyfunded.com/teleseminars.htm.

Next Page »