Annual Planning and Master Calendar: Your Fundraising Road Map

By Dawn M.S. Miller, CFRE
​Vice President -- Annual Fund

Does anyone else get excited about drafting an Annual Plan and Master Calendar each fiscal year? You should!
 
These two components encompass the “how” of fundraising. How are we going to reach our revenue goals through solicitation initiatives? How are we going to talk with our donors? How are we going to keep our staff engaged with the mission?
 
An Annual Plan and Master Calendar include quantifiable plans, goals, and projections and focuses on the expansion of current annual fund initiatives, as well as the creation of new initiatives to drive donor revenue. Most Annual Plans focus on the movement of willing donors up the giving pyramid, from small or mid-level gifts to larger major gifts, and finally to legacy gifts like trusts or bequests.
 
Your Annual Plan may also include the following components:

• Current and New Development Initiatives/Approaches (donor base numbers, special events, mid-level giving, major donors/planned giving, foundations, grants, and corporate giving, etc.)
• Donor Growth and Attrition (donors that join you or go away)
• Income Goals, Projections, and Cost per Dollar Raised (CDR)
• Master Calendar (which should integrate marketing, communications, social media, etc.)

 
Let’s Build Hope loves Annual Planning and drafting Master Calendars to provide a fundraising road map. Contact us today to get a jump start on your fiscal year!

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