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Grant
Station
The Development Plan:
Foundation for Success
Part
III – What
Does the Plan Look Like?
by Linda Lysakowski, ACFRE
President/CEO
CAPITAL
VENTURE
SM
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One thing to remember about your
development plan is that it’s more than a
document. Both the process and the product are important.
In past articles we’ve talked about the importance
of having a development plan as well as who should
be involved in its creation and implementation.
It is equally important to have a written document
to follow. This document will be critical to the
evaluation process, which we will discuss in the
next article.
The document should begin with an analysis of your
organization’s prior development efforts (provided
the organization has made such efforts in the past)
and also state your organization’s mission
and vision, which should drive all development efforts.
Next, list the broad-based goals of the development
plan as well as the objectives of each goal.
Goals and Objectives
Many times, people confuse goals and objectives.
Goals are broad-based items, for example:
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- Raise public awareness of our organization;
- Develop a more effective board of
directors; or approach – in other words, you
avoid putting all your eggs in one basket;
- Increase alumni participation.
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on the other hand, are more specific and should be SMART: |
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- Specific;
- Measurable;
- Action-oriented;
- Realistic (yet visionary); and
- Time-defined.
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for the goals stated above might be: |
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- Develop a website that is frequented
by 100 potential donors each month, by December 2008;
- Increase the size of our board from
nine to eighteen people, by 2010, adding three people
each year over the next three years; or
- Increase the percentage of alumni
who contribute through the annual phone-a-thon from
14% to 25% over the next two years.
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The
Specific Steps
Specific strategies or action steps to accomplish
the stated objectives should also be included. It is critical
to address three questions for each objective in the development
plan: |
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- Who is going to take action?
- When will the activity be completed?
- How much will this strategy cost?
What are the benefits (financial or otherwise)?
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Timelines,
responsible personnel, and budgetary needs, which will
be critical in the evaluation process, should also be
included.
Each strategy must be specific enough to be able to identify
exactly what the organization is going to do in order
to achieve each goal and the accompanying objectives.
Strategies must be measurable, meaning you can determine
if you have accomplished specific steps. (For example,
did you identify 20 potential development committee members
by August 31?) Strategies should be realistic, yet visionary.
(Can you list 20 people who are logical prospective members
of this committee and who you believe would likely agree
to serve on the committee?) And, as shown below, each
step should have a timeline to measure the organization's
progress.
A typical segment of the plan might look like this:
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Goal |
Objective |
Strategy/Action Step |
Responsible Personnel |
Budget |
Timeline |
| 1. Increase the board’s involvement in fundraising |
A. Establish the Development Committee |
Appoint a Development Committee Chair from the board |
Director of Development/
Board Chair
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N/A |
6/30/08 |
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Develop a position description for the Development Committee |
Director of Development/ Consultant/
Development Committee Chair
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$500 |
7/31/08 |
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Develop a list of twenty potential Development Committee members
from the board and outside sources |
Director of Development/ Consultant/
Board of Directors
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$500 |
8/31/08 |
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Develop volunteer recruitment packet |
Director of Development |
$100 |
8/31/08 |
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Recruit at least ten Development Committee members |
Director of Development/ Board Members/ Development Committee
Chair |
N/A |
10/31/08 |
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Conduct orientation meeting for Development Committee |
Director of Development/ Consultant/
Development Committee Chair
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$500 |
11/31/08 |
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All areas of development should be covered in the development
plan, including various fundraising approaches, such as direct
mail, grants, special events, telephone fundraising, and personal
solicitation. The plan should also address the various constituencies
that will be approached for support, such as foundations, corporations,
individuals – which may include alumni, parents, members,
community members – and organizations, such as churches,
service clubs, etc.
The development plan should also focus on the infrastructure
that is needed to manage a development program – technology;
communications; research and cultivation; stewardship; human
resources, including board, staff, and volunteers; and policies
and procedures.
The development planning document should be easy to follow,
be referred to often, and be evaluated regularly. In the final
article in this series, we will look at how to measure success
and adjust the plan when necessary. |
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Part
IV |
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