5 Ways to Keep Your Fundraising Plan on Track

Start Your Fundraising Plan at the Beginning

Your school or team needs to raise funds to keep doing fun and amazing things this year. But, where do you start? The key to a good Fundraising Plan starts with great communication and a great team.

Be sure you have a fearless leader and at least a few volunteers to ensure your fundraising campaign runs smoothly.

Here are Five Tools to use to keep your Fundraising Plan on Track

1. Team Work means less Work

First, assemble your team and meet to discuss the group’s needs.

What to consider when you are assigning roles and tasks:

Decide who is going to be researching potential fundraising platforms, products and returns
Put someone in charge of collecting funds, lining up vendors, dropping off product, marketing and analyzing data
Make deadlines for all these things
Decide who will make the spreadsheets to track all of that information

Above all, it is vitally important that you keep the lines of communication open. Because, nothing sabotages a plan as quickly as not having everyone on the same page.

>> Tips on Motivating Your Team While Fundraising

2. Set a S.M.A.R.T Goal

Next, ensure that you include your overall fundraising goal in your Fundraising Plan.

Be aware that this number should not be a guess. It should be based on the needs of the organization.

How much money will your group need to raise to participate in the activities proposed?

Taking the time to write out your goals is also important.

Ensure that your team will have a document to return to for clarification, revision or inspiration.

When creating your goal document, consider making it S.M.A.R.T: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely.

>> Learn How To Create a S.M.A.R.T. Fundraising Goal HERE

3. Your Fundraising Timeline

Further, as mentioned above, having a timeline for your Fundraising Plan is important.

Get out a calendar and assign dates/times to specific actions.

When does the ask letter need to go out?
Know when products have to be ordered to have funds raised on time
Will pick-up and delivery times need to be planned?

Remember, the more specific the better and make sure team members know what tasks are their responsibility and when they are responsible for accomplishing those tasks.

>> Read the Best Times of Year to Fundraise HERE

>> Wondering how long your fundraiser should be? Read THIS blog!

4. Tactics and Implementation

Here’s where you get into the nitty-gritty of the Fundraising Plan.

Prep-It: Research and decide on a platform or product to sell. Make sure it’s not more work than benefit. Don’t try to sell products that aren’t useful or of high quality.

>> Food Fundraising is the Future

>> Old School vs. TeamFund Fundraising

Share-It: Craft and organize your communication and marketing strategy. Let your sellers know all of the ways that your fundraising campaign can be sent out to your potential supporters. Write up and send out your Donation Request Letter. Crafting a personal, clear and concise message is key. Likewise, you want to send the information out more than once on several different platforms and link them if you can: Email, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

>> Promoting Your Fundraiser for Success

>> Using Social Media to Promote Your Fundraiser

Track-It: Lastly, you won’t want to start each fundraiser from scratch. Take stock and determine what made this campaign successful and what aspects you’d like to improve next time. Make sure to write it all down. As a result the next person taking over the organizer role can look back know where to start!

>> Exceed Your Fundraising Goals with These Tips

5. Saying Thank you

Finally, a successful Fundraising Plan acknowledges the teams effort. Therefore, make sure to plan to thank everyone that worked hard to get you to your goal. Use social media sites to spread your gratitude. Send out special recognition to your biggest donors and most dedicated volunteers. Ideally, you want donors to feel appreciated and likely to contribute again in the future.

>> Team Building and Fundraising (+ How To Thank Your Supporters)

Keep these tools in your pocket the next time your organization needs to make a Fundraising Plan!