5 Tricks for Annual Development Plans

A plan for your development helps manage your time and resources.

Development requires a village of people to implement, an event coordinator, a grant writer, a marketing director, a cultivator, and a slew of connectors and volunteers.

Building a plan requires knowing how you will raise those funds, who will support that effort, and when each activity will take place.

Tip #1 Copy and Paste – Start with your previous plan, keep what works, remove what didn’t work and look for opportunities to be innovative with development.

Tip #2 Minor Donors grow to Major Donors – Where can you find a pool of donors just waiting to be cultivated? They are already supporting your organization in a variety of ways. They are engaging with your social media or hosting in a Facebook Fundraiser. They are attending an annual event or sponsoring that event at a lower level.

Tip #3 Grants Fill the Gaps – Where are the gaps in your budget? Do you need an operational grant to hire another staff? Can you expand a great program with a capacity building grant? In addition to knowing what grants you need, it is essential to know when to apply to those grants.

Tip #4 Pennies for Publicity – What are some local ways to raise funds for your organization? A round-up fundraiser at a local supermarket or a neighborhood restaurant could not only bring in a few extra dollars but also act as a marketing tool for spreading awareness about your organization.

Tip #5 You Can Never Thank Your Donors Enough – Not only is it important to show your donors appreciation, your communications team will appreciate a plan of knowing when to provide Thank You cards, emails, text messages, and more.

Every gift request matters because every gift and every donor matter to your work.

Let Strawhecker Nonprofit Services help you be more strategic about your development plan and communications plan.