I *love* a well-built itinerary.
Going on vacation? Great! I’ve got a color-coded Excel document with all of the food options in the area, along with their Yelp rating and category, and distance from my hotel.
Planning a gathering with my friends? I’ve got you covered! I’ve thought of the dietary restrictions of every person, planned a menu accordingly, and cleaned out the dishwasher so clean-up is easy afterwards.
Want a cozy night in by the fire? Deal! I've made sure that there’s enough firewood, bought ingredients for a cozy hot beverage, and made sure my favorite movie is available to rent or stream online.
This need to plan has served me well as a fundraiser. These skills of forecasting and thinking ahead are put to good use in my daily work, which is why we emphasize the importance of your annual fundraising plan. There are busy stretches of fundraising each year, and an annual plan will allow you to stay focused, know each campaign’s part in an overall year, and offer initial ideas for what to do if you encounter roadblocks along the way. A good plan also inspires confidence and resolve as fundraising FOMO sometimes starts to creep in throughout the year.
And although I love Excel (and excel at planning,) an annual fundraising plan doesn’t have to be an exhibit in a museum! If you’ve never created an annual plan, jotting down even a sketch of a year’s worth of your fundraising activities will put you on a path to better organization, time management, and communication with your team. If you’ve created a sketch before, think about diving into a bit more detail—like anticipated results, a timeline for the communications and prep work you’ll need, etc. Perfection isn’t the goal here—it’s just about a little time for ideation and planning set aside from your day-to-day tasklist.
Now is the perfect time to start. Try to find a couple of hours away from the daily grind and set it aside just for big-picture, forward-looking thinking. Compile your organization’s 2023 fundraising results and use that as you build your goals, visions and campaigns for 2024. And embrace a bit of time to think strategically and holistically about your overall fundraising for the year! Getting something on paper, whether that’s a sketch or a more involved plan, will allow you to focus on the things that matter for your organization and have peace of mind in knowing what lies ahead in the coming year.
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If you’re having trouble getting started, our team would love to help!
Whether you need to bounce ideas off a fellow fundraiser, want help translating ideas into forecasting and results, or simply have always wanted a color-coded Excel document of your own, our coaches are in your corner year-round. Learn more and schedule a meeting.
Clara Lind is GiveMN's director of coaching. Want to receive individualized fundraising coaching for your organization or to further your professional development? Learn about our RaiseMN offerings and schedule your coaching session! Learn more.