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We have a simple mapping of funders we think are aligned to our work.
We have a written fundraising strategy for the year that includes an aligned communications plan.
We have a clear fundraising strategy that we look at in tandem with our budget, making adjustments as necessary.
We have a clear, diverse fundraising strategy that we refer to regularly and is informed by analysis of past fundraising successes.
Our fundraising strategy covers more than 1 year and it links to our plans for scale. It is a living document that we update reguarly.
We get to know funders before we submit a grant to them. We track communications on a simple spreadsheet.
We are in touch with funders / prospective funders throughout the year and have a communications plan to keep track.
We track communications, funding amounts and reporting in a customer relationship management tool. Each funder has a clear relationship holder.
Succession Planning for Nonprofits - Managing Leadership Transitions
The Bus Factor - Talent and Succession Planning to Build Your Leadership Pipeline
The executive team and board work together to manage funder relationships. Everything is tracked diligently through our customer relationship management tool and we refer to it regularly.
For each key relationship, we have a succession plan and/or a 'bus factor' plan that shows who takes over the relationship and how in the event of an emergency or staff turnover.
We have a list of funding sources we refer to regularly when looking for opportunities.
We track applications in a simple tracker.
We have a process and criteria to determine if we will submit an application.
When we have found an appropriate match, we follow a flow chart that shows responsibilities of key staff and timeline, and we use it to guide development of the application.
We have a tracker that shows the progress of each application, staff assigned, and any roadblocks. We refer to it regularly.
We're just getting started.
We have a general idea of what we need for the current year and can build basic budgets when funders need need them
We have an annual budget we pull from to build program budgets for funders.
Program-Based Budget Builder: Instructions
5 Step Guide to Budget Development - Resources for Nonprofit Financial Management
We understand our budget and have a clear understanding of cashflow including any surplus or deficit for this year.
We know how much we need to raise for this and the next financial year, and have an understanding of our cashflow and expected revenues.
We understand our budget requirements for the next three years, and it clearly links to our plan for scale.
We have some text on programs, mission and vision etc, but for the most part we put applications together from scratch.
Sample Winning Grant Proposals, Letters of Enquiry & More
Building an Effective Grantseeking Program
We pull text from past applications and can talk about the need and our intended impact with statistics from the general context.
Grants: Evaluation Amplifies Impact
Measuring Social Impact of Nonprofit Mission & Vision
5 tips for Marrying Your Budgets and Narrative in Your Proposals
We compile successful text into one document of questions that funders commonly ask. We have some case studies and a few statistics on need from our own research.
We tailor existing successful text for each grant application. We can talk about our impact goals in specific, measured terms.
Our evidence of impact is underpinned by a strong monitoring and evaluation system that we can tie to the wider context and strategy (e.g. SDGs, government)
We're just getting started.
How to Grow Your Nonprofit Fundraising Team
How Executive Directors Can Most Help Their Development Directors
Our fundraising team is made up of volunteers or we have a staff member doing fundraising in addition to their main role. We have a board that is quite new to fundraising.
The Fundraising Manager works with the Executive Director regularly. The board is regularly updated on progress.
The Fundraising Manager works closely with the Executive Director and has the support of the wider team on an ad hoc basis. The board is aware of their role in supporting fundraising.
The Fundraising Manager works with the Executive Director and other staff regularly. Board members play an active role in fundraising.
We have a dedicated Fundraising Team that cuts across departments, inclusive of Program Staff, Monitoring and Evaluation, Finance. The Board has a dedicated Development Committee.
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