What are the most important factors to consider when developing a resource development plan for a nonprofit?

1 Assess your current situation

Before you start planning, you need to have a clear understanding of your nonprofit's current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT). A SWOT analysis can help you identify your existing and potential resources, as well as the gaps and challenges you face. You should also review your mission, vision, and goals, and evaluate how well they align with your stakeholders' needs and expectations. This will help you define your value proposition and differentiate yourself from other nonprofits in your field.

2 Define your resource development goals

Based on your SWOT analysis and value proposition, you should set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals for your resource development. These goals should reflect your nonprofit's desired outcomes and impact, as well as the resources you need to achieve them. For example, you might have goals related to increasing your donor base, diversifying your income streams, improving your donor retention, or enhancing your brand awareness. You should also prioritize your goals according to their urgency and importance.

4 Develop your resource development strategies

Once you have identified your target audiences, you need to develop your resource development strategies that outline how you will reach out to them and persuade them to support your nonprofit. Your strategies may include various methods and channels, such as direct mail, email, social media, events, webinars, newsletters, or grants. You should also consider the best practices and trends in your field and learn from the successes and failures of other nonprofits. You should also define your key performance indicators (KPIs) that will help you measure and evaluate your strategies.

5 Create your resource development budget

Your resource development budget is a crucial part of your plan, as it determines how much money you need to invest in your resource development activities and how much money you expect to raise from them. Your budget should include both your expenses and your income, as well as the assumptions and projections behind them. You should also include a contingency plan that accounts for any potential risks or uncertainties that might affect your budget. Your budget should be realistic, flexible, and aligned with your goals and strategies.

6 Implement and monitor your resource development plan

The final step in developing a resource development plan is to implement and monitor it. This means that you need to assign roles and responsibilities to your staff, volunteers, board members, and partners, and ensure that they have the skills, tools, and resources they need to execute your plan. You should also communicate your plan to your internal and external stakeholders and keep them updated on your progress and achievements. You should also track and analyze your KPIs and use the data to adjust and improve your plan as needed.

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?