introduction - eleo online fundraising & donor management ... · setters for your fundraising;...

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INTRODUCTION

WHY DO YOU NEED A FUNDRASING PLAN?

WHERE DO I START?

STEP ONE: ALL SYSTEMS GO

STEP TWO: LOOK BACK BEFORE MOVING AHEAD

STEP THREE: KEEP IT REAL

STEP FOUR: STAY ON SCHEDULE

STEP FIVE: FINISH STRONG

CONCLUSION

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Small nonprofits with limited staff, budgets and resources can find

themselves fundraising on the fly. They organize fundraising

events, post on social media, send out mass email blasts, but none

of this is strategically planned together in a coordinated effort. This

approach to fundraising is highly stressful, not sustainable and in

most cases ends up with poor fundraising results and low donor

engagement. Does this sound familiar to you? If so, use this guide

to advance your fundraising efforts to the next level.

Does this sound familiar to you? If so, use this guide to advance your fundraising efforts to the next level.

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“If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail”-Benjamin Franklin

The simple fact is that creating a plan helps everyone stay on the same page.

• You stay focused on the mission

• You create a stronger fundraising team

• You build better donor relationships

• You use resources more effectively

• You improve time management

• And… You and your team have time for happy hour!

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Starting can feel intimidating! Try not to let the process paralyze

you. This e-guide is designed with you in mind. It provides a simple

framework for developing a fundraising plan from scratch, focusing

on five key steps:

Step 1: All Systems Go - Get your systems in place

Step 2: Look Back before Moving Ahead - Review past fundraising efforts

Step 3: Keep It Real - Set realistic, measurable goals

Step 4: Stay on Schedule - Manage your timeline with a shared calendar

Step 5: Finish Strong - Learn the Art of Donor Follow-Up

TIP! As you get started, it’s important to make sure your Fundraising Plan is aligned with your nonprofit’s overall mission.

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The first step in creating your fundraising plan, is to make sure you have all the basic systems you will need in place. This will set you up for success now and in the future. You need:

I. A Dedicated Fundraising Team

II. An Online Donor Management System

III. An Email Communication Platform

IV. Online Donation Pages

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If you’re a ‘small shop’ nonprofit, then you know fundraising is

an “all hands-on deck” proposition. Your efforts to raise money

need to stay on everyone’s radar – your staff, volunteers, board

members, key donors and supporters.

When it comes to forming your fundraising team, be clear and

get commitments! Identify a group of key people who can work

well together and agree to take active, specified roles in your

fundraising plan.

Who should organize this fundraising team? Within your

nonprofit, there may be a fundraising chair or development

professional – however, you can think about expanding the

inner circle and delegate someone different to serve as the

TEAM LEADER.

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A Dedicated Fundraising Team

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way”- John C. Maxwell

How to spot a team leader?Look for an individual who is:

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Passionate about your causeKnows the history of your organization, has experience on other

projects and is a dedicated donor

A skilled communicatorLoves to make calls, send emails and talks to

strangers about your nonprofit!

Well organizedColor coordinated folders, lots of hand outs, a full

calendar until 2025 makes their life complete!

A smart delegatorUses team members’ talents effectively,

assigns tasks appropriately!

Your nonprofit’s cheerleaderEncourages cooperation and collaboration, celebrates the

nonprofit’s successes and always offers a helping hand!

Let’s start with a few questions –

• Is your donor information on a collection of

Excel spreadsheets?

• Scattered on different platforms?

• A messy system with duplicate records?

• A combination of all the above?

If you answered ‘YES’ to any of the questions above, you are NOT alone! Your current strategy is simply no longer meeting your needs. This is usually a signal that it’s time for a change!

YES NO

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An Online Donor Management System

Benefits of Donor Management System –

Donor management system allows you to organize and maintain a single

version of the truth for all your donor information.

System let’s all members of your fundraising team update donor records,

manage event activities, send thank you letters and generate reporting on the

progress of your fundraising plan.

Database streamlines your integrated email communications, online

donation processing, and automated thank you’s.

Online system gives you access anywhere – on your phone, tablet,

laptop, desktop, - where ever life leads you.

We all know in today’s world of instant communication, that it is

essential to reach people via email. It’s cost effective, direct and

arrives to the recipient within seconds. We know that email

communication platforms help your nonprofit capture the attention of

your supporters. But… Why?

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An Email Communication Platform

Branded messages make your organizational “look” come to life.

These emails can be used for all aspects of your fundraising plan -

invitations, newsletters, thank you messages and more – all branded

with your nonprofit’s logo and mission.

Let’s discuss.

Email platforms allow for :

• Colorful messaging

• Picture Inserts

• Your Nonprofit Logo

• Professional Appearance

• Scheduled Delivery

• Open Rates & Responses

By integrating your email platform with your donor management

software, you can tailor your messaging to specific groups and lists of

donors. Instead of sending a generic email to everyone in your

database, an effective email communication platform allows you to

segment and target particular people.

Another important part to note - Your Fundraising Plan will have a

communications timeline (don’t worry, we’ll get there). An Email

Communication Platform also allows you to schedule the delivery date

of emails. The goal is to send your branded messages in coordination

with other planned fundraising efforts.

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BEST IN BREED EMAIL PLATFORM SUGGESTIONS:

Alert! Make sure you’re not violating the Can Spam Act!

The CAN-SPAM Act, a law that sets the rules for commercial email, establishes requirements for commercial messages, gives recipients the right to have you stop emailing them, and spells out tough penalties for violations. ... The law makes no exception for business-to-business email.

One of the key components for your success in fundraising is making it

easy for donors to donate! Online donations are growing rapidly every

year. It’s therefore particularly important to have your online pages

optimized for success!

Place your ‘Donate Now’ button on your website, social media pages, emails, etc. - where the donor can see it clearly.

Create a straight-forward form with simple options to improve completion rates.

Try offering a few donation levels (Don’t go crazy!). Allow donations to be made ‘in honor of’ or ‘in memory

of’. Suggest a recurring donation to let your donor give

repeatedly. Include a simple option to cover the processing fee. Choose a donor management system that automatically

collects and processes donor information. Have your form send automatic thank you’s and receipts.

Here are a few to help your donation page thrive:TIPS


Online Donation Pages

Check It Out Below -


Anatomy of an Online Donation Page

The lessons we learn from history tell us - you have to look back before

you can move forward. The details of your nonprofit’s fundraising history

can offer valuable insight - the good, the bad and the ‘let’s try something

new!

How much money did you raise from each specific fundraising

activity or appeal last year? Two years ago?

What are the financial needs of the organization this year?

Which appeals worked and which didn’t? Why?

What improvements can be made for each activity/appeal to be

even more successful?


Start with a few questions -

1. Identify how you achieved the increase in donations.

a. Was it one major donor, or business sponsor?

b. Or was it a result of an activity at the event?

2. Find out why attendance went down.

a. Was your event too expensive?

b. Did potential guests have a “been there – done that”

attitude?

3. Create a strategy to engage non-participants.

a. What follow-up will be done for those who did not attend?

b. Will they have the opportunity to engage in a different way?

Example of a Post Event Review -

Correct Follow Up Questions -


Your Gala Event raised $50,000 from 150 attendees. The attendees of the event raved about the music, the lavish meal and the decorations. However, even though you exceeded your overall monetary goal by 10%, there were 50 fewer people in attendance. You raised more money but from fewer attendees.

Let’s Practice!

1. Details of your organization’s budget

2. Previous fundraising totals

3. Organizational financial needs

4. Projected plans and growth

Taking a ‘Look Back’ should be comprehensive. Keep in mind that

budgeting is not just money. Budgeting includes the time and

resources of staff, volunteers and board members. This is an important

part of creating a realistic fundraising plan and optimizing efforts

across the organization.

At the end of your review, you should know the following:


It’s important to shoot for the stars with your fundraising aspirations.

Brainstorm Big! Get Creative! But then it’s essential to take a step back,

gather your best ideas and attach them to realistic, attainable goals.

We know it costs money to fundraise. Large galas, direct mail

campaigns, and golf outings attract donors, but they are also expensive.

When creating your fundraising goals, it is just as critical to know the

costs of each individual appeal as well as it’s revenue.

Setting fundraising goals starts with creating a Fundraising Budget. The

budget will project income (dollars raised) and expenses (dollars spent)

for every fundraising activity.

TIP! This is where ‘Looking Back’ in Step 2 acts as a helpful starting point.


Steps for

List all of your fundraising activities for the year. Some examples are: small and large events, email and letter appeals, online donation page, face to face solicitations, social media posts, grants and more. Determine a fundraising goal for each activity.

Review your current donor database and identify your donor levels and groups. Some examples are: major gift donors, mid-level donors, annual donors, sponsors, event attendees and new donors.

Focus on major donors first. Your major gift donors are the pace setters for your fundraising; they provide security and stability. For example – Determine that you would like a 5% increase in their annual donations.

After considering projected major gift totals, allocate your fundraising goals for the remaining donors and appeals. This would include things like donations from your online pages and ticket sales at events.

GOAL SETTING:

Statistics: Typically, the top 10 percent of your donor base is responsible for 90 percent of giving. If this true for your nonprofit, then these donations need to be secured first.


Goal setting is the fun part! Keeping it realistic can be challenging, but it is

do-able. It’s also fulfilling - setting and meeting attainable goals allows

you and your team to celebrate the successes of your fundraising plan.

Time has a way of sneaking up on us. We finish up our end-of-year

appeal and before we know it, the spring event is upon us. This

seemingly unstoppable merry-go-round can be stressful.

So, what can we do about it?

Mapping out the timeline for your fundraising plan can be particularly

helpful. Work with a detailed calendar, visible to your entire fundraising

team. Within this universal calendar, input all your date-related tasks and

assign them to who is responsible. Task examples include: team

meetings, donor appointments, appeal communications, thank you

mailings, and events.

TIP! Choose a Donor Management System that includes a calendar. It helps keep everything in one place.


Keep in mind, each fundraising appeal will have multiple calendar

items to complete. Scheduling and assigning tasks thoughtfully will

allow each team member to get the job done successfully. To do this,

it can be helpful to look at your calendar from a bird's eye view. Take in

the full year of planning. Once you’ve seen which months are busy or

slow, you have the opportunity to shift your strategy.

The fundraising calendar also impacts your donors and volunteers.

Hold your events when you know the largest number of donors can

attend. It can be helpful to check community and school calendars to

minimize conflicts on dates. And, most importantly, do your best to

schedule appeals strategically! Donors will give more money and

volunteers more of their time, if they are able to spread out their

generosity. This avoids burnout for everyone involved!


The answers to some of these questions lie within the donor profiles in

your donor management system. Your donor’s record should tell you a

number of things, including: communication preferences, when you

last called or emailed them, what they’re interested in and events

they’ve attended. With up-to-date donor records, you have the key to

make donors feel special. Use it!


Donor follow-up is an art.

• When is it time to say “thank you”?• How much follow-up is too much or not enough?• Should you communicate by mail, email or phone?• How do you make the donor feel appreciated?• What does an effective “thank you” letter look like?

Questions to Consider After a Fundraising Appeal:


It’s also important to note - The automated “thank you” notification at

the time of donation is great! It saves you time and resources.

However, it takes more than that. For every donation received or event

attended, you and your team need to send multiple acknowledgments.

Not only does this increase the likelihood that they’ll donate again, but

also that they’ll give more!

Timeline: Send your first thank you immediately. This should be an automated email after an online donation or event registration. Your second thank you should be branded and personalized. It is recommended that you send a hard copy letter 1-2 weeks after the donation or event.

Quick Review:Step 1: All Systems Go - Get your systems in placeStep 2: Look Back before Moving Ahead - Review past fundraising effortsStep 3: Keep It Real - Set realistic, measurable goalsStep 4: Stay on Schedule - Manage your timeline with a shared calendarStep 5: Finish Strong - Learn the Art of Donor Follow-Up

You made it! We hope you enjoyed the journey through our ‘5 Steps to

Creating a Fundraising Plan’. We developed this e-guide with you in

mind. While the notion of creating a fundraising plan seems daunting,

having one at a small nonprofit is possible. After all, a framework that

can guide your fundraising efforts, year after year, is the key to

continuing your mission.

“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.”- Pablo Picasso


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