How do you prioritize fundraising for advocacy and policy?

1 Define your goals and theory of change

Before you start fundraising, you need to have a clear vision of what you want to achieve and how you plan to get there. What are your short-term and long-term goals? What are the problems you are trying to solve and the solutions you are proposing? What are the assumptions and evidence behind your theory of change? How do you measure your progress and impact? Having a well-defined and coherent framework for your advocacy and policy work will help you identify your priorities, align your activities, and communicate your value proposition to potential donors.

2 Research your donor landscape and preferences

Once you have defined your goals and theory of change, you need to understand who are the donors that are interested in and supportive of your cause. Who are the foundations, corporations, individuals, or other entities that fund advocacy and policy work in your sector or region? What are their missions, values, and priorities? What are their funding criteria, cycles, and processes? What are their expectations and requirements for reporting and evaluation? How do they prefer to communicate and engage with grantees? Researching your donor landscape and preferences will help you target your fundraising efforts, tailor your proposals, and build trust and rapport with your donors.

3 Develop a diversified and realistic fundraising plan

After you have researched your donor landscape and preferences, you need to develop a fundraising plan that reflects your goals, priorities, and capacities. How much money do you need to raise and for what purposes? How will you allocate your resources among different issues, campaigns, and strategies? How will you diversify your funding sources and reduce your dependency on a few donors? How will you balance short-term and long-term funding needs and opportunities? How will you manage your fundraising staff, systems, and tools? Developing a diversified and realistic fundraising plan will help you set clear objectives, track your performance, and adjust your tactics as needed.

4 Craft compelling and consistent narratives

To attract and retain donors, you need to craft compelling and consistent narratives that showcase your vision, mission, and impact. How do you tell your story and explain your theory of change? How do you demonstrate your credibility, legitimacy, and effectiveness? How do you highlight your unique value proposition and differentiation? How do you convey your urgency, relevance, and potential? How do you adapt your narratives to different audiences, channels, and formats? Crafting compelling and consistent narratives will help you persuade and inspire donors, as well as increase your visibility and recognition.

5 Cultivate and steward donor relationships

Fundraising for advocacy and policy is not a one-time transaction, but a long-term relationship. How do you cultivate and steward donor relationships throughout the fundraising cycle? How do you identify and reach out to prospective donors? How do you solicit and follow up on proposals? How do you acknowledge and thank donors for their support? How do you report and communicate your results and impact? How do you solicit and incorporate feedback and learning? How do you renew and upgrade donor commitments? Cultivating and stewarding donor relationships will help you build trust, loyalty, and satisfaction, as well as create opportunities for collaboration and innovation.

6 Evaluate and improve your fundraising practices

Fundraising for advocacy and policy is a dynamic and complex process that requires constant evaluation and improvement. How do you monitor and evaluate your fundraising activities, outcomes, and impact? How do you collect and analyze data and evidence to inform your decision making and learning? How do you identify and address your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats? How do you celebrate your successes and learn from your failures? How do you share your insights and best practices with your team, donors, and peers? Evaluating and improving your fundraising practices will help you enhance your efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability.

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?