Fundraising Principles and Practice, 3rd Edition

CHAPTER SIXFUNDRAISING PLANNING: THE FUNDRAISING AUDIT

Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

1. Outline a process for developing a fundraising plan.
2. Explain the purpose of a fundraising audit as the first part of such a process.
3. Discuss the key information requirements of a fundraising audit.
4. Understand the categories of information gathered in the audit, why this data is important, and how it can be used in planning.
5. Utilize key tools commonly employed in the audit process such as PESTLE, SWOT, and portfolio analyses.

Introduction

In this chapter, it is our intention to outline a process that may be employed by nonprofits in planning the fundraising activities they will undertake. While the format may differ slightly from one organization to another, at its core a fundraising plan has three common dimensions:

1. Where Are We Now? A comprehensive review of the organization's external/internal environment and the past performance of the fundraising function. Only when the development office has a detailed understanding of the organization's current strategic position in each of the donor markets it serves can the organization hope to develop meaningful objectives for the future.
2. Where Do We Want To Be? In this section of the plan the organization will map out what the development office is expected to achieve over the duration of the plan. Typically, there ...