Fundraising Planning Worksheet printable pdf download

Fundraising Planning Worksheet

A Tool for Creating Your Annual Fundraising Plan

BY STEPHANIE ROTH, MIMI HO AND PRISCILLA HUNG

lthough fall isn’t the start of most organization’s fiscal

fundraising activities have participated in developing the

years, perhaps as a remnant of our school-year sched-

plan, their commitment to it will be greater, boosting your

chance of fundraising success.

ules, it is a time when many of us gear up after summer

Before calling together everyone you want to involve

holidays — often with renewed energy — for the busy fall

in creating the details, however, go through the steps here

fundraising season. One task facing those of us with fiscal

and gather whatever preliminary information will be

years beginning on January 1st is the preparation of our

needed to complete the plan. Then schedule a meeting of

annual fundraising plan.

all the people who will be key to carrying it out, sending

This article presents a systematic way of creating an

them a copy of the following worksheet pages with the

annual fundraising plan for your organization. The focus

information you have gathered.

of this process (like the focus of the Grassroots Fundraising

You’ll see that Step 1 assumes you’ve already devel-

Journal) is on strategies for building a base of individual

oped your budget for the coming year, or at least a draft

donors in order to create a reliable and repeatable source

that will be completed once you’ve figured out exactly

of income.

how much money you can realistically raise.

The six-step planning process this worksheet takes

It takes some time to think through a fundraising plan

you through will help you create a plan that is based on

in this amount of detail, but once you’ve done this

the realities of your organization’s funding base, infra-

planning, all your fundraising tasks are clear and ready to

structure, and fundraising team. We recommend you

be implemented.

GFJ

include both board and staff in creating your plans, along

with anyone else who is key to implementing the plan.

PRISCILLA HUNG & STEPHANIE ROTH ARE CO-DIRECTORS OF GIFT. MIMI HO

When the people who are expected to carry out the

IS PROGRAM DIRECTOR OF THE ASIAN PACIFIC ENVIRONMENTAL NETWORK.

S T E P 1 : G AT H E R T H E N U M B E R S

A. What are your projected total expenses for the coming year?

_________________

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

B. How much income, in total, is already committed toward your expenses? (Include only

support that is already promised — individual donor pledges that have been made as well

as government, corporate, or foundation grants that you are assured of)

_________________

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

C. Subtract “B” from “A” for total amount to be raised:

_________________

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

D. Fill out the following chart with your results from last year’s fundraising activities, your

current year-to-date figures, and projections for the coming year. There will likely be some parts

of the chart that you’ll leave blank at this stage in your planning process until you’ve completed

more of this worksheet and can come back to them. The “sources” listed are examples only.

Add ones that are relevant to your organization, such as house parties, online appeals, and so on.

In the “expense” column for each activity, include in the cost of raising the money not only

materials and other expenses but also staff time if possible.

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2007

Fundraising Planning Worksheet

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