My policy is to plan for good strategy
“In fundraising, as in life, the highest payoff activities are planning, setting goals, doing what needs to be done, evaluating and refining our strategies and methods, employing preventative measures, eliminating bad habits and low pay-off activities, and building positive relationships.”
While I’ve grouped Policy, Planning, and Strategies together as a root system, I see these components of your fundraising program as more of a matrix that holds everything together. These are the guiding principles and pathways that staff and volunteers will turn to set the course and check progress along the way.
These are a system in that they work together to get the results we’re looking for in fundraising. They are also components that can be systematized in terms of establishing and updating their frameworks on a regular basis.
Policy
Policy-making is typically a responsibility of the Board of Directors, however senior staff definitely can and should indicate when it is time to either develop a new policy or review/revise an existing one.
There can be many policy types applied to fundraising, and whether you have them will often depend on the activities in which your organization engages. Their purpose is to eliminate fundraiser ambiguity and increase donors' transparency.
The “must have” for fundraising organizations of any size is a Gift Acceptance Policy. It broadly answers the question:
Does Organization ABC accept this kind of gift?
This might seem silly at first. Why wouldn’t a charity want a gift, given with the very best of intentions (if we’re practicing the art of assuming this at all times)?
The reality is, that not all gifts are a good fit for an organization.
They could conflict with the mission or values of an organization (many environmental nonprofits will not accept donations from resource-extracting corporations).
Accepting the gift could be risky; there may be legal implications, or it will end up costing more to manage than the revenue the gift eventually brings in (some types of property or objects provided in-kind)
The gift may come with too many conditions, again, causing more trouble than it may be worth.
A charity is not obligated to accept something because it is given to them! Having a Gift Acceptance Policy in place provides staff and volunteers with the clarity and support to say: “Thanks, but no thanks.”
Being open about your Gift Acceptance Policy with donors is also good practice, as it helps the community know what is an acceptable gift and be proactive about their generosity. Most people genuinely do want to help and would be distraught to find out that the donation of their beloved grandfather’s “priceless” antique bottle cap collection is now the bane of your existence.
Planning
Small charities often pride themselves on being able to make decisions and act quickly, without all the paralyzing bureaucracy inherent in larger organizations. I love that about them too.
Unfortunately, there are times when this organizational characteristic is also paired with:
Vague planning
No planning
Unrealistic planning
And then, inevitably… abandoned/unrealized plans
A never-ending cycle of ambitious goals and no follow-through is exhausting and will result in high staff turnover, disenchanted donors, and stressed-out leaders.
So, planning = good, BUT the thing about planning is: it is a tough road to take a solo. Planning - AKA setting goals and figuring out a way to achieve them- is a multi-person endeavor (this is why personal and business coaches EXIST). If it’s just one person, there is no one to:
👏 Challenge assumptions
👏 See things from a fresh perspective
👏 Hold anyone accountable
Here is your guide to planning in its most basic form:
Gather your people: staff and volunteers.
Assess your current situation and past performance.
Set some goals
Assemble strategies to build a plan that is SMART
Strategies
Strategies are a critical part of the planning process, and leaders should carefully consider the options before choosing a path. There are new strategies or fresh versions of classic fundraising tactics that pop up every year, but just because they worked for the mega-hospital foundation down the road certainly does not mean they will be as effective for your grassroots animal welfare charity.
Policy and planning are high-level. Strategies are the action plans that will get you to your goals.
For fundraising, strategies should not be limited to the solicitation (direct mail, e-appeals, monthly giving, grant writing), but should encompass the entire Donor Journey:
🌈 Strategies to Inspire new followers and generate Awareness in the community+
🌈 Strategies to Connect with new followers or people interested in your cause +
🌈 Strategies to Build trust and strong relationships +
🌈 Strategies to Ask for financial support +
🌈 Strategies to Nurture the relationships you have with your donors so they will give again and become your biggest advocates
(Spoiler: this is a sneak peek of my Donor Journey framework… the subject of the next and final Systems Series post!)
Other Root Systems Series posts:
#1 - Introduction
#2 - Case Development
#3 - Financial Systems
#4 - Data management
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📋 Also, if you haven’t yet, click here to download the Fundraising Operations Checklist for your own systems assessment
