How can you develop a fundraising plan to support your community outreach efforts?

2 Identify your donors

Not all donors are the same. Some may be more interested in your cause, some may have more capacity to give, and some may have different preferences for communication and recognition. You need to segment your donor pool into different categories based on their characteristics, such as demographics, motivations, giving history, and relationship with your organization. This will help you tailor your fundraising messages, channels, and methods to each group and increase your chances of getting a positive response.

3 Set your goals

Once you know how much money you need and who you can ask, you need to set your fundraising goals. Your goals should be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. For example, you could set a goal to raise $10,000 from 100 individual donors by the end of the year to support your community outreach program. Your goals should also be aligned with your organizational vision, mission, and values, and reflect your community outreach impact.

4 Choose your tactics

There are many ways to raise funds for your community outreach program, such as events, campaigns, grants, sponsorships, online platforms, and direct appeals. You need to choose the tactics that best suit your needs, donors, and resources. For each tactic, you need to plan the details, such as the theme, message, audience, timeline, budget, and evaluation. You also need to consider the legal and ethical implications of your fundraising activities and follow the best practices and standards of your sector.

5 Implement your plan

After you have planned your fundraising tactics, you need to execute them effectively and efficiently. You need to assign roles and responsibilities to your staff and volunteers, and provide them with the necessary training and support. You also need to monitor your progress and track your results, such as the number of donors, the amount of money raised, and the feedback received. You should use tools and systems to manage your donor data, communications, and receipts.

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?