Why plan for development? Well, the answer is pretty simple. When you don't plan, you don't achieve and "fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants" development work is seldom successful and always frustrating. There are a number of reasons why a "Development Plan" is a good thing:
A Development Plan helps you plan to meet your revenue goals (your physical needs in your organization and your planned costs)
A Development plan helps you to avoid "mission creep" which is what happens when a great opportunity comes along unexpectedly. When you don't have a plan and that great opportunity comes along you may say yes to something you don't have time, money, or volunteers to carry out. If you have a development plan and the great opportunity comes along, you can see that you do have the time, money and volunteers and say yes or that you do not and you can comfortably say no knowing that you are making the best decision for your organization.
A Development Plan helps your organization to raise your level of professionalism among your volunteers, your donors, and your major funders as well.
A Development Plan lets you know, clearly, which funders you can approach for renewals and at what intervals.
A Development Plan allows you to carefully schedule events and such around those that are already in place in your community which will help you work with competitive events rather than suffer because of them.
A Development Plan can feed all other planning such as your Marketing and Communications Plan, all of which, helps your organization work at a pleasing and comfortable place.
Ever a proponate of planning in general, in a nonprofit organization which relies on fundraising, a Development Plan is crucial to your long-term success.
Showing posts with label volunteers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label volunteers. Show all posts
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Saturday, February 2, 2013
How Did We Do? Evaluating a Fundraising Event
The questions have been asked and answered. The prizes have been awarded and auctions won. The clean up is over and now it is time to reflect...
There are some key questions to think about when reflecting on your event to determine how successful you were and what things you might do differently next time. One of my friends refers to this reflection as, "even better if," as in the event will be even better next time if...
1. the obvious first question is did you make your monetary goal? Any reasons for the fact that you did or did not that are important to note such as weather on the day of the event, unsuccessful marketing of the event, etc.
2. did you sell out, were all your tables sold and filled? Did you actually have to turn anyone away? Was the price appropriate or did anyone balk at the cost?
3. Did you have a successful auction? Were there ample items of varying values and were they all sold? Was check out smooth and were they any problems with check out?
4. Did everyone have a good time? You might have (hopefully you did) provide your attendees with an evaluation form to complete before leaving. What were those results? Did everyone love a certain round? Was everyone able to hear/see the questions, etc?
5. Did staff and volunteers complete their work before and during the event as expected? Did anyone go above and beyond or did anyone stand around and not work?
6. Were sponsors happy with the benefits/recognition that they received for their sponsorship dollars? This is absolutely essential to their willingness to sponsor again in the future.
7. Did your volunteers "show up" in support of the event, table sales, etc? Did your staff and/or families also show their support in table sales, spreading the word, etc.
8. Were your expenses realistic? Did you seek to have donations for goods/services to lesson your out-of-pocket expenses? Did you purchase something to make money? Please don't do that. Purchasing an item for the auction makes little sense when you will not likely get your cost back much less make a huge profit. It is an unnecessary expense.
9. Was there a community response to the event? Were there table sales representing the community that would be evidence of a good marketing plan carried out well?
10. Did you and your team feel that the time and effort you put into the event was worth the outcome? Using 400 man hours at $25 per hour, or $10,000, to make $10,000 does not really make sense, either. Keep your time cost in line with your outcomes.
If you are interested in more information or consulting help for your next event, please contact me at llmdevelopmentservices@gmail.com
There are some key questions to think about when reflecting on your event to determine how successful you were and what things you might do differently next time. One of my friends refers to this reflection as, "even better if," as in the event will be even better next time if...
1. the obvious first question is did you make your monetary goal? Any reasons for the fact that you did or did not that are important to note such as weather on the day of the event, unsuccessful marketing of the event, etc.
2. did you sell out, were all your tables sold and filled? Did you actually have to turn anyone away? Was the price appropriate or did anyone balk at the cost?
3. Did you have a successful auction? Were there ample items of varying values and were they all sold? Was check out smooth and were they any problems with check out?
4. Did everyone have a good time? You might have (hopefully you did) provide your attendees with an evaluation form to complete before leaving. What were those results? Did everyone love a certain round? Was everyone able to hear/see the questions, etc?
5. Did staff and volunteers complete their work before and during the event as expected? Did anyone go above and beyond or did anyone stand around and not work?
6. Were sponsors happy with the benefits/recognition that they received for their sponsorship dollars? This is absolutely essential to their willingness to sponsor again in the future.
7. Did your volunteers "show up" in support of the event, table sales, etc? Did your staff and/or families also show their support in table sales, spreading the word, etc.
8. Were your expenses realistic? Did you seek to have donations for goods/services to lesson your out-of-pocket expenses? Did you purchase something to make money? Please don't do that. Purchasing an item for the auction makes little sense when you will not likely get your cost back much less make a huge profit. It is an unnecessary expense.
9. Was there a community response to the event? Were there table sales representing the community that would be evidence of a good marketing plan carried out well?
10. Did you and your team feel that the time and effort you put into the event was worth the outcome? Using 400 man hours at $25 per hour, or $10,000, to make $10,000 does not really make sense, either. Keep your time cost in line with your outcomes.
If you are interested in more information or consulting help for your next event, please contact me at llmdevelopmentservices@gmail.com
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Do I Really HAVE to Follow Up on Event Fundraising?
In a word, "yes," you really do have to follow up and when you do, you'll reap some great rewards!
Your letters have been sent complete with a great sponsorship opportunities page and you've got your script in hand to do those follow up calls. Here are some thoughts on how to proceed.
1. Think strategically about specific businesses to ask for your larger sponsorships and do that by phone. You might consider doing that BEFORE the letters go out and then, as a part of your telephone conversation, let them know to expect the letter.
2. Call EVERYONE on your list, EVERYONE and follow up. Divide your list into manageable volunteer lists, provide them with a script, and ask your board of directors, parents, and/or other volunteers to make five to ten phone calls for you.
3. Keep a really good list (I personally prefer excel for project-based follow up) so that I know who said yes, who said no, who I need to call again, and when follow up such as picking up an auction item is needed.
4. Delegate more than just the phone calls, delegate the follow up items, too, such as picking up those auction items.
I would add a note here to say that I truly believe that people are hesitant to ask someone for something and even more so when they have to do it by phone or in person. The internet via Facebook and email are so much more "incognito," so to speak. If you are making the calls or if you are managing volunteers making the calls, the strategy is the same. Be the cheerleader and encourage your folks. Five phone calls in a day. You can do this! I once heard an author say that she struggled to do her five required pages each day for a particular book so she put five candies across the top of her computer and as she finished a page, she enjoyed a candy. Provide for yourself or your volunteers a nice, small, gesture to say that you appreciate the work.
Your letters have been sent complete with a great sponsorship opportunities page and you've got your script in hand to do those follow up calls. Here are some thoughts on how to proceed.
1. Think strategically about specific businesses to ask for your larger sponsorships and do that by phone. You might consider doing that BEFORE the letters go out and then, as a part of your telephone conversation, let them know to expect the letter.
2. Call EVERYONE on your list, EVERYONE and follow up. Divide your list into manageable volunteer lists, provide them with a script, and ask your board of directors, parents, and/or other volunteers to make five to ten phone calls for you.
3. Keep a really good list (I personally prefer excel for project-based follow up) so that I know who said yes, who said no, who I need to call again, and when follow up such as picking up an auction item is needed.
4. Delegate more than just the phone calls, delegate the follow up items, too, such as picking up those auction items.
I would add a note here to say that I truly believe that people are hesitant to ask someone for something and even more so when they have to do it by phone or in person. The internet via Facebook and email are so much more "incognito," so to speak. If you are making the calls or if you are managing volunteers making the calls, the strategy is the same. Be the cheerleader and encourage your folks. Five phone calls in a day. You can do this! I once heard an author say that she struggled to do her five required pages each day for a particular book so she put five candies across the top of her computer and as she finished a page, she enjoyed a candy. Provide for yourself or your volunteers a nice, small, gesture to say that you appreciate the work.
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