APPENDIX V: DEFINING OUR FUND DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

Even the most sophisticated organizations sometimes lose sight of the fundamental concepts that shape good fundraising. We can all benefit from periodically refreshing our understanding of the field’s best practices, which are grounded in research.

Here are six overarching concepts that we use to shape our fund development strategy:

• Spend more time on seeking individual contributions than sponsorships or grants. Individual donors are more likely to give on an unrestricted, sustained basis.

• Pay the most attention to the people closest to the organization, not those outside. It is more effective to focus on those who already believe in our cause and are already contributing toward it.

• Prioritize retaining-upgrading current donors and re-activating lapsed donors over acquiring new donors. See above.

• Focus attention on donors who have given the most money. Treat every donor with respect and honor—while concentrating our time and resources on those whose giving level sustains and furthers our mission.

• Invest more energy deepening donors’ relationships with our work than asking. Ask only when we know people are ready to say yes. This is why it is called fund development. While small, one-time gifts result from letter appeals and special events, sustained giving comes from our nurturing of advocate/investors.

• Emphasize lower-cost-per-dollar-raised methods over high-cost methods. The highest-cost method of all is the special event, while the lowest-cost is the direct major gift appeal.

Adapted from Boards on Fire! Inspiring Leaders to Raise Money Joyfully

By Susan Howlett