The Fundraising Planner: A Working Model for Raising the Dollars You Need

A good fundraising plan can make a vital difference in the quality of a nonprofit organization's programs and services. It can be the map by which the organization charts and secures its future. This step-by-step guide is designed to help you and your organization construct an operational fundraising plan that is appropriate to your specific funding needs. From meeting deadlines and scheduling special events to creating an overall plan for fundraising activities, The Fundraising Planner ensures that all activities fit together as a whole and support each and every program.

The model presented in this workbook is flexible and suited to multiple purposes. Use The Fundraising Planner and learn how to:
* Create an effective overview plan
* Formulate a calAndar of events, mailings, and strategies to attract contributions
* Draw fundraising ideas from financial data
* Strengthen your donor and prospect lists
* - Survey your board to refine its mission
* Produce a basic funding proposal and press kit
* Prepare clear status reports for the board, development staff, and key fundraising participants
* Track progress towards your funding goal
The authors have organized the workbook into four sections corresponding to the main stages of designing a fundraising plan:
* Understanding the Big Picture
* Deciding Plan Inputs
* Putting the Plan Together
* Monitoring the Plan
Within each section, chapters detail how to master an essential fundraising skill and offer "To Do" exercises to reinforce learning. The exercises allow you to build a cogent, practical fundraising plan. Additionally, there are real-life examples reflecting current fundraising issues across the country. The Fundraising Planner provides easy-to-follow advice to fundraisers from organizations of all sizes. With this valuable guide, you and your team can achieve greater efficiency in the day-to-day challenges of fundraising.

TERRY SCHAFF is a professional fundraiser and consultant. She has served organizations ranging from Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and Bard College to pregnancy prevention centers and grass-roots organizations that feed the hungry, such as City Harvest. She is the director of institutional advancement for the Poughkeepsie Day School in Poughkeepsie, New York. DOUG SCHAFF has written grant proposals and fundraising literature for projects ranging from local youth and violence prevention programs to an international orchestra's world tour. He is also the author of How to Make Money Investing Abroad.