fundraising for small shops - mealsonwheelsamerica.org · your fundraising plan evaluation...

FUNDRAISING FOR SMALL SHOPS

September 20, 2016

VANESSA CHASE LOCKSHIN

THE SMALL SHOP

SMALL SHOPS

• Philanthropic intent

• Aspects of the development cycle

• Accountability

• Need

WHAT’S SIMILAR

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SMALL SHOPS

• Resources

• Reliance on philanthropic giving

• “Insulation” from the rest of the

operations

• Generalist versus specialist

WHAT’S DIFFERENT

SMALL SHOPS

• Generate revenue

• Ensure the sustainability of the

fundraising program

• Fulfill reporting and legal

requirements

MUST DO ACTIVITIES

THE VALUE OF A PLAN

THE VALUE OF A PLAN

• Time management

• Scarcity mentality

• Prioritizing leverage

• The bigger picture

THE VALUE OF A PLAN

Fundraising is hard work.

Why make it harder?

YOUR FUNDRAISING PLAN

YOUR FUNDRAISING PLAN

• Evaluating current efforts

• Goal setting

• Key messages

• Action plans and timelines

YOUR FUNDRAISING PLAN

EVALUATION

Strengths

- Reached fundraising goal in

2013

- Retained fundraising staff

members for 3+ years

- Donor retention rate is 68%

Weaknesses

- Staff don’t have a good grasp

on the database

- Takes longer than 72 hours to

issue a thank you letter

Opportunities

- Media is covering the cause;

broader awareness

- Seeking new board members

who have good connections

Threats

- Competition for donor dollars

- Decreasing federal funding

YOUR FUNDRAISING PLAN

• Total amount fundraised

• Total gifts

• Average gift

• Mode gift

• Donor retention

EVALUATION

YOUR FUNDRAISING PLAN

• Rear view: how much did you raise

last year?

• Long range view: how much do you

want to be raising in 5 years?

GOALS

YOUR FUNDRAISING PLAN

GOALS

YOUR FUNDRAISING PLAN

GOALS

YOUR FUNDRAISING PLAN

• How much money do you want to raise?

• Why do you need that money? What will it be used for?

MESSAGE

YOUR FUNDRAISING PLAN

Example:

We are raising $25,000 to increase child literacy in

Oklahoma because literacy skills are vital to children’s

future success.

MESSAGE

YOUR FUNDRAISING PLAN

Direct mail

Events

Online giving

Grants

Corporate Giving

Major gifts

ACTION PLAN

YOUR FUNDRAISING PLAN

• What tactics did you use to raise money last year?

• Which ones worked well?

• Which ones should you no longer use?

ACTION PLAN

YOUR FUNDRAISING PLAN

Create an action plan for each of your tactics. What will

you be doing when?

ACTION PLAN

YOUR FUNDRAISING PLAN

Who is responsible for what?

Board members

Staff

Volunteers

Other?

ACTION PLAN

YOUR FUNDRAISING PLAN

• How much money are you raising? By when?

• Why do you need this money?

• What tactics will you use to raise the money?

• What are the timelines for your tactics

• What is your fundraising budget?

• Who is participating in fundraising?

ONE PAGE PLAN

YOUR FUNDRAISING PLAN

YOUR FUNDRAISING PLAN

Quarter Month Month Month

Q1 January February March

Q2 April- Springfundraising appeal

May June

Q3 July August September

Q4 October November December- Send out year end appeal

YOUR FUNDRAISING PLAN

Task Who Deadline Notes

Decided on message + CTA for letter

Sarah Oct 15

Draft letter Sarah Nov 1

Edit letter Whole team Nov 9

Put together mailing list

Sarah Nov 9

Finalize letter Sarah Nov 15

Print + stuff Whole team Dec 1

Mail letter Sarah Dec 2

YEAR END APPEAL

SUSTAINABILITY

SUSTAINABILITY

• Outlook or Google Calendar

• Trello, Asana, or Wunderlist

• Spreadsheet

• Your plan

USEFUL TOOLS

SUSTAINABILITY

• To the best of your ability,

make data driven decisions

• Look at what is working and do

more of that

• Prioritize what works

MEASURE YOUR SUCCESS

SUSTAINABILITY

• Amount raised each month

• Number of thank you calls

made

• Number of thank notes written

MEASURE YOUR SUCCESS

SUSTAINABILITY

• Evaluate monthly, quarterly, and annually

• Assess where you are at in relation to your

goal

MEASURE YOUR SUCCESS

SUSTAINABILITY

• Systematize as much as possible

• Weekly

- Acknowledgements

- Solicitation

• Monthly

- Planning

- Research

TIME MANAGEMENT

SUSTAINABILITY

• Quarterly

- Cultivation updates

- Pro D

• Annual

- Legal requirements

TIME MANAGEMENT

SUSTAINABILITY

• Solicitation – pick 2 methods

• Research – once per month

• Cultivation – touch base w/ donors once per month

• Acknowledgement – send receipt w/in 48 hours

• Planning – know your timelines and deadlines

• Reporting and legal – know your requirements and fulfill

them

MISSION CRITICAL

LET’S KEEP IN

TOUCH!

vanessa@thestorytellingnonprofit.com

@vanessaechase

storytellingnp/

www.TheStorytellingNonprofit.com

VANESSA CHASE LOCKSHIN

September 20, 2016