Fundraising Basics – Planning

January 30, 2018

Over the next several weeks we will be doing a series on Fundraising Basics. These blogs will be intended to help you in the overall planning and implementation of a successful development program.

As I’ve said before, the most effective form of nonprofit fundraising comes from a planning process. That’s why we believe a successful fundraising program begins with an effective planning process. Why plan? As strategic planning consultants we list at least 6 benefits that planning makes possible:

Planning clarifies your mission, vision, core values, goals, strategies and action plans. Defining and understanding these things is crucial for moving any organization forward. Essentially the planning process gives you a sense of where you’re headed and how you will get there.
Planning helps you identify your critical planning issues. When we help organizations plan, we are able to identify the critical issues through three activities. First, we conduct an internal review of several reports that we request. Second, we interview several members of the leadership team and staff. Finally, we conduct an online stakeholder survey. That allows us to zero in on the 4 to 5 critical planning issues around which we will build the planning process.
Planning helps establish your priorities. Every day people inside organizations finish planning processes and then put the plan on the shelf and go back to business as usual. The planning process is actually intended to help you establish some new priorities with new strategies that are achieved through action plans. That doesn’t mean that I recommend getting rid of what’s working. Yet, at the same time leaders need to examine what they’re doing and sometimes change to stay on the cutting edge. As the late Coach Wooden used to say, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.”

I worked with a large church one time that also had a very large budget. The church leadership noted that they had a stewardship responsibility for the resources that were coming in to them, and they believed they needed to do more formal planning.

We started our work, but staff members soon challenged me. In fact, several of them visited me wanting to know why they needed to plan. They argued that their membership was growing, and their offerings and budget were also growing. Therefore, in their opinion there was no need to plan. Besides, the church leadership was attempting to micromanage their daily operations.

I explained that the reason members of the leadership team were micromanaging them was in part, because they didn’t have a plan. Likewise, their budgets would likely go a lot further if they spent more time thinking about the best ways to use those funds.

Planning focuses your direction, decision-making and resources. Inevitably “good ideas” tend to come to the forefront after planning has concluded. However, if something has not been included in the plan, then unless it’s something urgent you don’t have to allocate resources to it.
Planning enhances your communication and spirit of teamwork. When you bring the team together during a planning process, it emphasizes that we are all in this together. As people learn more about what other parts of the organization are doing it also can eliminate duplication of efforts.
Planning helps you increase both your efficiency (doing things right) and your effectiveness (doing right things). Ultimately, every organization I’ve ever been associated with has endeavored to be effective and planning helps pave the way to get there.

Next week we’ll take a look at what the fundraising planning should include.

“I really support The Covenant Group’s strategic planning process because their approach encourages staff-based support with board buy-in, and I felt that was important given what we were trying to achieve. The outcome is an effective plan that builds consensus and provides a clear sense of direction.”
- Jennifer Scott, Director of Development - The Cabbage Patch Settlement House

“The Covenant Group is highly competent, very experienced and knowledgeable. They provided a broad perspective by equipping us with useful data…and best practices in the field. All in all, they are excellent.”
- Dan Jones, CEO - 21st Century Parks

“The campaign has truly been a miracle. People were committed from the beginning, but…even raising $650,000 seemed like a stretch. To nearly double that amount is incredible! When the plan they developed allows you to hit a goal like that, it builds such a sense of community. The momentum built by the campaign is spilling outside the walls of our church and benefiting others in the process.”
-Father John Hollowell - Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church

“For those of us who don’t do this everyday, The Covenant Group instilled confidence in us. They helped us get through the fear and apprehension by providing us with a process, training and motivation. They taught us and helped us plan in a way that was for the better. We have built lasting relationships with donors and we will continue to steward these relationships long into the future.”
- Sue Finke, Director of Institutional Advancement - Covington Catholic High School

“No one anticipated we could raise this amount. Even the Archdiocese is surprised. The funds raised represent about 15 times our annual giving. But it’s not just the financial results. People stand around talking more than they did before the campaign. There is also a renewed and energized spirit among the parishioners. It’s the most exciting thing to happen in our parish in the last 100 years.”
- Gary Libs, Campaign Co-Chair - St. Mary of the Knobs Catholic Church

“The Covenant Group’s process involved a lot of people in our congregation doing small tasks … that built ownership. They took our vision and put it into a concrete plan. They helped us understand the importance of making our vision clear and laid out the steps to make the vision a reality. Their process built consensus and showed people how they could help. Their methods are based on a solid theological foundation that includes key documents, prayer support, and requisite training … all of which were invaluable.”
- Daniel Montgomery, Pastor - Sojourn Community Church

“Everything The Covenant Group did to help us…in the initial stages was helpful…the development of the case statement; our materials; the training of our Board members; strategies; all these steps laid the foundation for eventual success. They brought such a high level of professionalism, a wealth of experience and a strong track record of integrity and success… just being associated with The Covenant Group helped us.”
- Nancy Doctor, Development Director - Wellspring

“The structure The Covenant Group provided was excellent. It allowed our members to use their God-given talents to benefit the church community They helped us develop a plan and identify key leadership candidates to chair the effort, as well as engaging between 80 to 100 people to carry out the work of the campaign. It was truly a whole congregation effort and The Covenant Group helped facilitate that. They helped us reach our full potential as a congregation.”
- Ron Poisel, Pastor - Christ Lutheran Church

Fundraising Basics – Planning

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