How can you create a fundraising policy for your nonprofit?

1 Assess your needs

Before you start writing your fundraising policy, you need to assess your nonprofit's current situation and needs. What are your mission, vision, and values? What are your fundraising goals and strategies? What are your sources and methods of fundraising? What are the legal and ethical requirements and standards for fundraising in your jurisdiction? How do you monitor and report on your fundraising performance and impact? These questions will help you identify the gaps, challenges, and opportunities for improvement in your fundraising practice.

2 Consult your stakeholders

Your fundraising policy should reflect the input and feedback of your stakeholders, such as your board, staff, volunteers, donors, beneficiaries, partners, and regulators. You can consult them through surveys, interviews, focus groups, workshops, or other methods that suit your context and resources. By involving your stakeholders, you can ensure that your fundraising policy is relevant, realistic, and responsive to their needs and expectations.

3 Draft your policy

Your fundraising policy should be clear, concise, and comprehensive, covering the purpose and scope of your fundraising policy, the roles and responsibilities of your board, staff, volunteers, and fundraisers, the fundraising principles and values that guide your practice, the fundraising guidelines and procedures that regulate your activities, the fundraising tools and resources that support your implementation, and the fundraising evaluation and review that measure your outcomes and improvement. Templates, examples, or best practices from other nonprofits or fundraising associations can be used to help you draft your policy.

4 Review your policy

Once you have a draft of your fundraising policy, you need to review it for accuracy, completeness, and consistency. You can ask your stakeholders, experts, or consultants to review your policy and provide feedback. You can also check your policy against the legal and ethical standards and codes of conduct for fundraising in your jurisdiction. You should revise your policy based on the feedback and suggestions you receive.

5 Approve your policy

Your fundraising policy should be approved by your board or the highest governing body of your nonprofit. This will ensure that your policy has the authority and legitimacy to guide your fundraising practice. You should also communicate your policy to your staff, volunteers, fundraisers, donors, and other relevant parties. You can use newsletters, websites, social media, or other channels to inform them about your policy and its implications.

6 Implement and update your policy

Your fundraising policy is not a static document, but a dynamic tool that should be implemented and updated regularly. You should train your staff, volunteers, and fundraisers on how to follow your policy and use the tools and resources available. You should also monitor and evaluate your fundraising activities and results against your policy and goals. You should review and update your policy at least once a year or whenever there are significant changes in your context, needs, or strategies.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?