The document provides guidance on creating an actionable fundraising plan. It emphasizes the importance of planning and having the full team involved. The speaker outlines steps to take in planning, including defining goals, strategies, and tactics; sorting the pieces into buckets; and connecting everything together into a cohesive plan. Turning the vision into action requires determining why specific tactics are used, when they will occur, who is responsible, and how each piece will be executed. An effective plan finds the right balance of detail to inform the team and allow for flexibility. A customer relationship management system can help implement the plan through tasks, tools for various functions, and metrics to track success.

1. Creating an
Actionable
Fundraising Plan
February 21, 2024
Bloomerang Nonprofit Success Webinars

2. Amanda Mulder [she/her]
Over the past 20+ years, I have served nonprofits as:
○ a volunteer Master Declutterer
○ a volunteer planning murder mystery dinner
theater fundraisers
○ an AmeriCorps member
○ a staff member responsible for an annual gala
○ a staff member coordinating a team of 16+
people across the state of Michigan to submit
300+ grant and other written proposals to
individual funders annually
○ a Development Director in an organization with
only 2 staff members in the USA
○ a solo staff member for a small nonprofit during
transition
○ a consultant with a passion for bringing order to
the chaos that can be a fundraising department

3. Poll:
How often do you or your
team members look at your
annual fundraising plan?

4. Agenda
1. Investing in Actionable Planning
2. Get the Big Picture
3. From Picture to Plan
4. Q&A
Bloomerang Nonprofit Success Webinars

5. It takes as much energy to wish
as it does to plan.
Eleanor Roosevelt

6. Planning is a worthwhile investment.
If Eleanor doesn’t convince you, let’s look at the science.
Planning makes your team work together more effectively.
Planning can create the structure and constraints that unleash creativity.
Planning is an effective strategy to reduce stress and increase happiness.

7. Get the Big Picture
I hope you like puzzles.

8. Your Team
Do NOT go this alone.
Your Thoughts
Yes, And…
Step 1: Assemble the Pieces
Starting with:

9. GOALS
What are we trying to
accomplish in the
broadest, but
measurable terms?
STRATEGIES
How are we breaking
our goals into more
manageable pieces to
benchmark progress?
TACTICS
What are the activities
that we are working
on? Be specific.
Step 2: Sort the Pieces
You’re allowed three buckets

10. GOALS
Raise $500,000.
STRATEGIES
Achieve 37% donor
retention.
Reactive 25 lapsed
donors.
Acquire 200 new
donors.
TACTICS
Develop Managed Donor
Strategy
Send Year-End Appeal
Hold Annual Gala
Send Annual Report
Appeal
Adopt an office pet
Step 3: Assemble the Puzzle
Everything has to connect.

11. From Picture to Plan
Turning a vision into action.

12. But what should it look like?
Function Over Form

13. WHY?
WHEN?
One Tactic At A Time
Answering the questions that take you deeper.
WHO?
HOW?

14. Why are you sending a Direct
Mail Year End Appeal?
A. To Renew/Retain Annual Donors
B. To Acquire New Donors
C. To Reactivate Lapsed Donors
D. Both A & C
E. All of the Above
The Reasons
first, there should always be a
discernible why
[hint: It’s a strategy.]

15. Some helpful tips:
○ Write it all down in one place.
○ Don’t think in terms of days.
Think in terms of weeks.
○ Include Outside Factors
■ Office Closures
■ Staff Leave
■ Board Meetings
■ Communications Schedules
■ Programming Events
○ Give your team more time than
you think you’ll need.
an actionable plan should
designate when
[hint: you’ll need a calendar]
The Timeline

16. The Team
an actionable plan should tell
you who
[hint: use the whole team]
Most tactics will involve more than one
person on your team. Identify each role:
○ Director*
■ Will build the plan
■ Will coordinate the team
■ Responsible for results
○ Supporter
■ Will influence the plan
■ Will be assigned tasks
*The Director isn’t always at the top of the org
chart. That’s a good thing. Embrace it.

17. an actionable plan should tell
you how
[hint: you’re going to need to
write this down]
The Substance Find the right balance of detail:
Here’s A Plan
○ March 2024: Review All Managed Donors to add planned
donor touches for March & April
○ May 2024: Review All Managed Donors to add planned
donor touches for May & June
○ June 2024: Call All Managed Donors to personally invite
them to the Summer Community Kick-Off
Here’s a Task List
○ March 5, 2024: Call Susan Smith – Program Update
○ March 5, 2024: Call Mary Pitt – Program Update
○ March 5, 2024: Call Lily Hunter – Program Update
○ March 5, 2024: Call Matt Corn – Program Update
○ March 5, 2024: Call Brad Roosevelt – Program Update
○ March 5, 2024: Call Ian Roy – Program Update
○ March 5, 2024: Call Jared Kline – Program Update
○ March 5, 2024: Call Martha Mews – Program Update
○ March 5, 2024: Call David Jones – Program Update
○ March 5, 2024: Call Jeremy Jones – Program Update
○ March 5, 2024: Call Veronica Lake – Program Update
○ March 5, 2024: Call Meryl Streep – Program Update
○ March 5, 2024: Call Patrick O’Leaf – Program Update

18. A Plan is not a task list.
Find the right balance of detail
Does your plan contain enough information that:
● Your team understands what is coming up and who to go to with questions?
● Team members with roles to play understand what is needed from them and when,
so they can adequately manage their time?
● Leadership can offer insights, supports, and ask questions with enough time to make
requested adjustments?
● That if the responsible staff member is unavailable to fulfill their role, someone else
could step in?

19. If you answer yes to all of these
questions:
● Does the required action take more
than one step to complete?
● Does your action require more than
one person to contribute?
● Is your action an activity that happens
fairly frequently?
You need to write down a
process.
If you answer yes to both of these
questions:
● Is your action unique to a time,
person, or circumstance that is
unlikely to happen again?
● Does your action require only one
person to offer input and complete?
You can skip the
documentation.
You may hate them, but you need them.
Process, Procedure, and Scripts, Oh My!

20. We have a plan! Now what?
Use it.

21. How can a CRM help us use our plan
effectively?

22. Let’s look at three main areas
Tasks Tools
● Email
● Donor
research
● Volunteer
Mgmt.
● Fundraising
tools
Metrics

23. Has this happened to you?
HOORAY! Your team is ready…the plan is
in place. Everyone goes their separate
ways to begin work.
Somewhere during the meeting,
miscommunication occurred, and team
members are not sure from the notes
they took what their role is precisely.
They don’t want to look bad, so they do
what they think is their work, but actually
this work was given to another member
and now you are duplicating effort,
wasting time and money.

24. Set up Tasks and Reminders
TASK REMINDERS
Let your CRM manage your tasks for you with top-level visual data on all
tasks, automated prioritization, and email reminders as well as email alerts
for any updates to tasks.
.
How we do it
Lots to do and lots of details?
Let your Bloomerang CRM
help! Set up tasks for you and
for your staff and get email
reminders as well as
dashboard tracking of which
tasks need to be completed
soon.
Automated reminders for your
tasks
Emails are automatically sent
to the owner of the task when
a task is set and as it is
updated or becomes overdue.
You will see tasks on your
dashboard AND in your email
list!

25. Your tactics: Do they require tools?
From email to donor research, volunteer management to robust fundraising
tools, we’ve got you covered!

26. Metrics made easy
Measure your success for each strategy and see what got you to your goal.
STRATEGIES
Achieve 37% donor
retention.
Reactive 25 lapsed
donors.
Acquire 200 new donors.

27. All integrated into your database…

28. Questions & Poll

29. Resources
Taking Action: Fundraising Trends
And Best Practices From
Bloomerang's 'Fundraising Planning
and Climate Report'
The Essential Guide to Writing a
Fundraising Plan
13 Common Mistakes Small
Nonprofits Make In Their
Fundraising Plan
How To Develop A Successful
Nonprofit Fundraising Strategy
Want to find
out more?
Request a demo
or
Speak to a live
person:
1-866-667-4485

30. Thank you so much!
amanda@cirsiumconsulting.com