How to set goals for development. Who sets them? What if we don't have a history to base our goals on? Learn more here (link)
Are there too many "hands in the pie" How do you coordinate all your fundraising efforts so the right-hand knows what the left hand is doing? Learn more here (link)
How do you get your CEO and/or your board to realize the importance of investing in development? Learn more here (link)
Every development plan is as unique as the organization that is creating it. What works for some organizations, might not necessarily work for yours. So be careful when asking colleagues to share their plans. You can’t just cut and paste to create your plan. There is no quick fix. First,...
One of the biggest problems with many development plans (as well as strategic and other plans) is that they sit on a shelf gathering dust. If the plan has all the components discussed in my previous blogs on this topic, it should be easy to implement and easily measured. Most plans fail because...
How many times has a well-meaning board member or volunteer come to one of your board meetings and offered this sage advice—“We should do a (golf tournament, gala dinner dance, art auction, walkathon, etc., etc.) because (the scouts, the hospital, a local church, etc., etc.) did one...
Scenario 1:
How many times has a well-meaning board member or volunteer come to one of your board meetings and offered this sage advice—“We should do a (golf tournament, gala dinner dance, art auction, walkathon, etc., etc.) because (Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, the Hospital, etc., etc.)...
One thing to remember about your plan: it is more than a document! Both the process and the product are important – even more important is implementing the plan.
The plan should contain a narrative of your fundraising philosophy and the overall mission of the development department. The...
Sometimes getting all the information you need to plan is the hardest part of the process. People who have never been involved in development might not understand why this information is important. Or, they might be protecting their turf. Or they are too busy to worry about “that...
The chief development officer (CDO), in most cases, has the major responsibility for the development plan. The CDO establishes goals for the department including creating the development office budget. This person also develops the objectives and strategies to reach these goals, and usually...
Where have you been? To go forward, we usually look back first. We call this a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis. And, although many of us use this method when doing a strategic plan, it’s equally important in the development planning process.
Your...