Defining your fundraising strategy
Defining an overall fundraising strategy and agreeing
specific goals for the coming year will help determine the type and
scale of fundraising initiatives you run.
Goal
Your team should be clear about the purpose of your charity and
your goals and priorities for the coming year. If this is to fund a
specific item, what is the cost? Or your objectives might be to
raise awareness of your group or cause, or increase your annual
income by 5%. With a goal in mind, start planning how to achieve
it.
Supporters
Any fundraising strategy should aim to engage existing
supporters, while also seeking ways to reach new ones. Not only
will this secure the long-term health of your organisation, it also
widens the pool of people you can call on for support.
Activity
With your goal and audience in mind, you can begin the fun bit -
deciding what fundraising activities you're going to run! Use this
website, and The
Essential Guide To Fundraising for inspiration.
Examine which initiatives have worked well for you in the past and
why - if your quiz night raised £1,000, but £800 of this was profit
from the bar, you won't want to run it again on a BYO basis!
Explore the skills and expertise you have at your disposal, i.e. if
a member of your committee is in a band, a music festival might be
feasible. Aim for a mix of fundraisers, from quick wins, to
higher-profile events that appeal to a range of people. Take a look
at our Planning Schedule feature.
What/who
Once you have a list of potential events, you can whittle this
down by determining what equipment you need and how many volunteers
you have.
Marketing
Communicate your calendar of events (and likely ticket prices
and costs) as far ahead as possible so that supporters can plan
their personal schedules and budgets accordingly. Make supporters
aware of your goal(s) and the effect their contribution will
have.
And once your strategy has been defined, let the fundraising
begin... Good luck!
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