HTML Preview Strategic Development Fundraising Plan page number 1.
DEVELOPING A FUNDRAISING STRATEGY
Developing a written fundraising strategy is essential in helping you to take a long-
term view, to plan and prioritise your fundraising work and in the long run, it should
help to increase your fundraising income. It may seem like a lot of hard work but
developing a fundraising strategy can mean you are more successful in the long
run.
The depth of your strategy document will depend on your groups fundraising
ambitions. If you only require a small sum for a one off activity, you probably don’t
need a full strategy.
Developing a fundraising strategy takes a lot of time and will involve a considerable
amount of drafting and refinement. It will also need commitment from everyone in
your organisation. Once the strategy is written, the work continues with regular
and on going reviews. But all the effort is worthwhile because if you get it right,
you will save a lot of wasted time and effort and increase your chances of success.
Why Develop A Fundraising Strategy?
It can help you:
• Increase your chances of success. Discussing the issues and planning the
fundraising activities should increase the success rate of your fundraising
• Assess all the options. The process of compiling a strategy means that you
think through all funding options and are less likely to miss funding
opportunities
• Formalise your fundraising plans. It can be useful for the people who will
undertake the fundraising activity to have the plans formalised
• Remember your goals later on. It is easy when fundraising to lose sight of the
long-term goals. Having a formalised plan will remind everyone of the aims and
objectives
• Spot potential links. By formalising the fundraising activity it will be easier to
spot links and to group pieces of work together
Aims Of A Fundraising Strategy
There are normally five main aims, they are:
• To continue current work
• To expand your services into new areas of work
• To decrease dependency in order to increase independence, decrease donor
power or reduce the risk of over reliance on a single source of income
• To build up reserves
• To raise more regular long term funding
Process Of Developing A Fundraising Strategy
The development of a strategy is likely to take place over a reasonably long period
of time. It will begin with wide discussion within the group or organisation and
should include all relevant internal and external partners, including management
committee members and staff.