Building Your YWCA’S
Annual Fund Development Plan
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Fund Development Plan: Our Roadmap
• It’s a living, breathing, organic document….
always in process, never “done”.
• It helps us build an environment and
“infrastructure” for success.
• It provides organization, constructive routine,
and logic to our work, and enables us to
efficiently deploy and maximize our staff and
volunteer resources.
• Our Plan creates a foundation on which we continuously build our
fundraising success—expanding, experimenting a bit, and making
improvements over and over again.
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Building Capacity: A Foundation For Success
A COMPELLING
MISSION/”CASE”
The Agency
• Focus: YWCA/
community priorities
• Successful outcomes
• Accountable/transparent
Board & Staff
• Competent
• Connected
• Agency champions
• Culture of philanthropy
Constituents
• Share
mission/values
• Lots of them
• Have resources
Development Resources & Systems
Annual Plan
Fundraising Staff and Volunteers
Information Systems/Data Base
Donor Stewardship
3
Our 6-Point Annual Plan Action Agenda
(Ongoing and Non-Linear)
1. Increase Our Fundraising Capacity
2. Perfect, Fine-Tune, Elevate Our “Case”
3. Develop and Perfect Our Annual Fundraising Plan
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–
–
–
Fundraising goal: basic and “stretch”
Constituent Groups
Components: Direct Mail, Events, Major Gifts, Social Marketing
Schedule and Assignments
5. Steward donors for retention and increased giving
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Your YWCA’s “Case”
What’s a “Case”? It’s A Document That Addresses:
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•
•
•
Community needs—Our relevance
Why Us: Our approach, effectiveness, uniqueness
Why You: Why your gift is critical
Community benefits: Vision, numbers
Why a “Case” Is Important:
•
•
•
•
•
Lays out our “frame” and consistent messages
Builds internal alignment
Empowers Board members, staff
Distinguishes YWCA from others
Excites, inspires
What A “Case” Looks Like:
• Conveys points clearly, simply
• Dot points, charts, quotes
• 1,500 words or less
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4. Develop, Perfect, Schedule, Implement
Your Annual Fund Raising Program
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•
•
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Set Your Fundraising Goal
Establish/Evaluate Your Fundraising Events
Develop/Expand Your Major Gifts Programs
Refine Other Annual Fund Activities e.g.
– Mailings
– Social Media
– Special projects
• Schedule, “staff”, implement all activities
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Set Your Fund Raising Goal
1. It must be compelling i.e.
linked to critical services and outcomes
2. It must be realistic and ambitious:
– Budget an amount that, with the right effort, you have a 90%+ chance
of achieving (avoid “aspirational” goals to balance the budget)
– Set a stretch goal that challenges and excites Board and staff…earmark
funds to special/one time needs
– Have concrete and specific plans to achieve the goal
– Lay out the assumptions you made re. the goal; secure Board
consensus/engagement on expanded/new commitments
If your budget doesn’t balance with a realistic FR goal, seriously
consider program revisions, expense reductions, other income sources.
3.
Regularly monitor progress (e.g. monthly); take timely corrective actions
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Evaluate Enhance Your Special Events
APPROPRIATENESS
•
Aligned with YWCA mission?
•
Good match for your constituencies?
COST-EFFECTIVENESS
•
Event content-rich? Will it develop constituents?
•
Net profits and “Scalability”?
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Risk associated with the event?
•
Attractiveness to prospective underwriters?
•
Secondary benefits generated?
•
Potential results justify the effort i.e.
Net proceeds
Staff + vol. hrs.
FEASIBILITY
•
Volunteers plentiful and enthusiastic?
•
Staff and financial resources to pull it off?
•
Willing to make a long-term commitment to build the event?
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Your Fund Raising Plan
By Donor/Constituent Category
Key
Constituencies/
AF Components
Results
Last Yr.
$’s
# Donors
Budget Goal
This Yr.
$’s
# Donors
Stretch Goal
This Yr.
$’s
# Donors
Board, alumnae
Major donors
Corporations
• (name)
• (name)
Foundations
• (name)
• (name)
Staff, alumnae
Event attendees
•
•
Event 1
Event 2
Annual Donors
TOTAL
$
$
$
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Your Fund Raising Plan
Board/Volunteer and Staff Leads,
by Major Annual Fund Component
Key
Constituencies
Board/
Vol. Lead
Staff Lead
Assists
Board, alumnae
Major donors
Events (spec)
•
•
Event 1
Event 2
Corporations
• (name)
• (name)
Foundations
• (name)
• (name)
Staff, alumnae
Annual Donors
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Overview: Your Fund Raising Schedule
Jan Feb
Board
Campaign
Mar
Apr May
June
July
Aug
Sept
Oct—Dec.
X
Women
X
X
X
Empowered
Luncheons
Holiday
Campaigns
X
X
Soc Media
Annual Rept
X
X
X
X
X
Stewardship
X
…...
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
…… …... …... ……
X
X
X
X
X
Other projects,
etc.
Actions to strengthen the YWCA’s culture of philanthropy
Actions to strengthen capacity: Staff, systems, other costs
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Steward Donors
Retention, Increased Giving
All Donors:
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•
•
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Timely “thank you”
Content-rich communications
Appropriate recognition
Expanded opportunities for engagement
Major Donors: Create customized plan (e.g. “moves management”)
• Personalized “thank you”
• Continuously identify interests
• Content-rich communications
• Report on results of their gift
• Real-time community needs e.g. trends affecting women
• Impact of public policy on women
• Invite to participate in a special volunteer activity
• Invite to special events (create an event for major donors)?
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