We know setting & reaching achievable goals sometimes can feel like this...

We're here to help! 💪

"A goal without a plan is just a wish." - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

As non-profits we all share some common, high-level goals: 📈

Acquire new donors (preferably younger ones)
Increase donations from current donors ($100/yr > $200/yr)
Convert current one-time donors to recurring (1x $100 annual > $20/monthly)
Diversify revenue streams (ex: don't rely solely on grant funding)
Streamline donation process for donors (ex: upgrade technology, reduce "clicks to give", etc)
Raise more money with the same/less resources as last year's budget
& more!

While these are great goal guidelines, they aren't true "goals" until you get specific & have a plan to reach them. Before you consider launching your next fundraiser, we recommend considering these tips. You'll need to.... 👇

Be Specific

"I want to get more donors this year." 🚫
- How many donors is "more"/enough?
- Do we care how much they give or does even a $1 donation from a new donor "count"?
- How will this move the needle on reaching our annual fundraising plan's goals?
- Is this a fiscal or calendar year goal?
- Who will we target (ex: e-newsletter subscribers)?
- How will we reach them (ex: email/social media)?
- What will our call-to-action be (ex: "$10 helps feed a family of 4 this summer")?
- How will they give (ex: online, text-to-give, etc)?
"I want to acquire 10 new (1st time) donors giving at least $10 by July 31st through a targeted email & social media campaign coinciding with our Summer Love fundraiser." ✅

Be Time-Sensitive

Take large goals & break them down into smaller goals, often by:
- Time (quarter, month, etc)
- Type of gift (ex: one-time vs monthly)
- Campaign
Example: "I want to acquire 100 new monthly donors this calendar year."
- Acquire 25 new monthly donors each quarter
- Acquire 10 new monthly donors in Q1 during busy fundraising event season, then 50 during Q2 & Q3 during our slower fundraising months, then the last 40 during Q4 as part of our end-of-year annual appeal

Make it Measurable

How do you define/measure success?
- By number of gifts acquired? (ex: We received 50 more donations than last year)
- By dollar value of gifts? (ex: 20% of our donor base increased their giving by 10% this year)
- By longevity of gift? (ex: 10% of one-time donors converted to monthly subscriptions increasing our donor's LTV by 10%)

Be Realistic

We're huge fans of dreaming big & setting ambitious goals! Sometimes, the best strategy is to set realistic short-term goals considering potential limitations:
- Annual budget
- Staff capacity/ownership
- Time constraints
- Donor/contact list size
- Online presence
- Marketing design
- etc

Make it Relevant

Is my fundraising initiative/goal worth it?
Do these efforts improve the long-term health of my organization's mission?
Will this help me achieve a good ROI?

Own It

Who on my team will have their hand(s) in this (Ex: marketing, development, Board, volunteers, etc.)?
Who on my team owns the overall outcome/success of this & ensures accountability & follow-ups within the team?

Evaluate

What you do AFTER your goal's timeline has passed is just as important as the goal-setting process! Take some time to review these things: 👇
- Did we reach our goal? Why/why not?
- What worked well?
- What did donors react/respond to the most?
- What can we do differently next attempt?
- Should we increase/decrease our goal?
- Are there other fundraising asks/priorities that competed with this goal?
- Who should be involved in this at all/more?