by Haley Limo

Having been a fundraising consultant for many years now, the very first thing I evaluate when working with a new nonprofit is the state of their internal organization regarding their fundraising efforts.

Many times, eager teams want to jump right into asking for major gifts, but they haven’t first taken the time to create a comprehensive development plan or a clear plan of action for processing and stewarding those gifts. The hard truth is this: if you want to raise more money, you often don’t need more donors in your database; you simply need a better, more deliberate system for connecting with the ones you already have!

To get a baseline of your current operations, ask yourself these foundational questions:

• Who are your major donors, and what exactly constitutes a "major gift" for your specific organization?
• What is the exact workflow when a check comes through the door?
• Who is responsible for sending the thank you, at what giving level, and within what specific timeframe?
• How often do you aim to see your key stakeholders each year, and are you actively tracking those interactions when they happen?

I always find that the nonprofits that put the most effort into their backend organization and overall strategy are the ones that raise the most money. It’s not that they are necessarily asking for more; it’s that their donors feel deeply valued because of the intentional systems put into place to steward their gifts efficiently.

Take a look at these key tips to make sure your development shop is in tip-top shape as you head toward the end of the year:

• Gift Acknowledgement Plan: This is where you map out exactly what kind of thank you goes to which level of supporter, by whom, and in what amount of time. Example: All gifts of $1,000 and up are thanked with a personal phone call and a handwritten note by the Executive Director within 48 hours. All gifts below $1,000 are handled by a development coordinator via a personalized email. Your specific plan will be based on your team size and donation flow, but always remember: the more handwritten notes, the better!
• Fundraising Plan: Do you know exactly how much you need to raise, in what specific categories, and by what deadlines? Example: Do you know how much revenue you bring in with recurring monthly gifts every year, and what your specific goal is for each month? Ideally, this comprehensive planning should be done at the beginning of the year, but Q3 is a fantastic milestone to check in, review your metrics, and pivot if necessary.
• Major Donor Communication Strategy: Who are your major donors, and how frequently are you intentionally communicating with them? I always aim to communicate with my top donors once a month, meet with them face-to-face twice a year, and ask once a year. If you can remember the 12-2-1 rule, you are golden!

How do you currently track these various donor touchpoints, and is there a specific CRM you use to manage these workflows?

If you want some tips and tricks on how to manage these workflows, feel free to reach out to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and I would be happy to share some software and templates!

HEARTBEAT HELPS
Heartbeat International has a resource that may help organizations looking to create or strengthen their strategic marketing plan: The Pregnancy Help Playbook.