Write an annual fundraising plan in 9 steps + free template!

Fundraising without a clear-cut strategy is like setting off on an exciting road trip without a map. You might make it to your destination, but not without many wrong turns, distractions, and missed opportunities along the way. 

In this article, we’ll walk through nine steps for creating a fundraising plan and get you started with a free fundraising plan template to help bring your ideas to life.

What is an annual fundraising plan? 

A nonprofit fundraising plan is a living document—part to-do list and part fundraising calendar—that helps your team create the right strategies, prioritize tasks, and remain laser-focused on your ultimate goals and mission.

Each plan is different, but many include one major organizational goal for the year (e.g., increasing donations, expanding programs, etc.), a fundraising budget, a timeline, and specific activities and resources you’ll use to achieve your objectives.

Why is an annual fundraising plan important? 

When it comes right down to it, an annual fundraising plan allows nonprofits to operate more sustainably—taking a proactive, stress-free approach to fundraising instead of a reactive one.

An annual fundraising plan helps nonprofits to:

• Raise more annual funds 💸 A comprehensive annual fundraising plan creates predictable revenue streams that keep your programs running smoothly and your mission moving forward. It also acts as your nonprofit's early warning system, helping you identify and address potential funding gaps.
• Optimize resources 💪 An annual fundraising plan strategically distributes your organization's time, money, and efforts throughout the year to prevent burnout and maximize return on investment.
• Build better donor relationships 🤝 An annual plan ensures you're nurturing donor connections year-round instead of only reaching out when you need money.
• Set strategic goals 🎯 It also serves as a growth blueprint, identifying opportunities for expansion and improvement while setting realistic, achievable goals.
• Create alignment 💛 And, last but not least, your fundraising plan keeps your entire organization—staff, board, and volunteers—working together toward common goals.

Key elements to include in your annual fundraising plan

Every nonprofit’s annual fundraising plan is going to look a bit different—and that’s exactly as it should be. Your plan is shaped by your unique mission, goals, and audience. Still, there are a few essential elements that nearly every annual plan should have:

• Fundraising goals 🥅 Specific, measurable targets that align with your organization's mission and financial needs.
• Revenue projections 📈 Detailed estimates of expected income from each fundraising stream, helping forecast and track financial health.
• Expense budget ⚒️ Comprehensive breakdown of costs associated with fundraising activities, events, and campaigns.
• Funding sources 💰 Map of diverse revenue streams including grants, individual giving, fundraising events, and corporate partnerships.
• Timeline 📅 Month-by-month calendar of fundraising activities, campaigns, and important deadlines.
• Team responsibilities ✅ Clear outline of who handles what, from board members to staff and volunteers.
• Communication strategy 💌 Scheduled touchpoints for donor engagement, appeals, and stewardship activities.
• Success metrics 📏 Key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure progress and effectiveness.

How to write a fundraising plan in nine steps

Annual fundraising plan formats and outlines vary depending on the organization, but most will cover the following steps: 

Step 1: Recap your organization’s mission 💛

Anytime that you are planning or strategizing within your nonprofit, stay rooted in your mission, particularly considering:

• Who you are trying to help and the issue at hand
• What your nonprofit will do to address the matter 
• How your work will have broader implications in your community 

Articulating these ideas with your team will ensure that everyone is in line with your mission through each step of your fundraising plan outline.

Remember, potential supporters want to understand what drives the organization before they give. They need to know their money is going to a worthy cause with a strong leadership team. 

Step 2: Evaluate past efforts 📊

Before starting on this year’s plan, you must review past years to see where you’ve found success and where you can improve. This is your opportunity to get your team in one room, draw out insights, and ultimately create a data-driven plan. Ask yourselves:

• What strategies worked in the past, and what didn’t?
• How did events from the previous year affect your nonprofit’s fundraising efforts?
• Did you meet your financial goals?
• What insights did past fundraisers and campaigns provide about your donors?
• Do you have strategies and moves management plans for each donor segment?

Step 3: Consider strengths and weaknesses 💪

Your nonprofit’s strengths and weaknesses affect every part of your fundraising strategy. Use the following questions to examine donor experiences, your communications, and organizational capacity:

• What advantages do you have, like strong donor relationships or skilled staff?
• What challenges are you facing, such as funding gaps?
• Do you have a large enough donor base and a diverse fundraising strategy?
• What do your new and existing donors want and are your communication efforts targeting those interests?  
• Are you using a recurring donor or membership program?

Step 4: Identify opportunities and threats 🔮

Internal strengths and weaknesses impact your fundraising efforts, but so do external factors. Consider your nonprofit’s possible growth areas and challenges to address:

• What potential opportunities exist, like new grant possibilities or partnerships?
• What threats do you face, such as changing regulations or shifting foundation priorities?
• Do you offer donors multiple payment options and a mobile-friendly website and donation tools?
• How do you promote your online donation pages?
• What fundraising trends can you leverage to reach a larger audience?

Step 5: Set your goals ✍️

Now you’re ready to set your fundraising goals. Remember to keep your mission (and strategic plan, if you have one) at the top of your mind while developing these to ensure they move your organization in the right direction.

Your annual fundraising plan should include approximately three overall objectives for the year. These could include:

• Increasing the number of new donors
• Increasing the number of returning donors
• Increasing the gift size of current donors

Once you've determined your objectives, make sure they pass the SMART test:

• Specific 🧐 Your goal has a clear purpose and outcome, and you’ve identified steps to achieve it.
• Measurable 📐Your progress toward your goal is measurable using quantitative metrics, like dollars or percentages.
• Achievable 💪 Your goal is realistic for your nonprofit’s size, budget, available resources, and timeline.
• Relevant 💡 Your goal is relevant to your nonprofit’s mission, vision, values, and beneficiaries.
• Time-bound ⌛ Your goal has a concrete deadline or timeframe that will help you prioritize and stay motivated.

To help create these SMART goals, ask yourself questions like:

• How many donors do you need?
• How will you reach them?
• How much can you raise from each donor type?

Step 6: Determine your fundraising methods 🎨

Once you’ve defined your goals, you can decide on the fundraising strategies that will get you there. These methods can cover a range of different activities, like major donor outreach, foundation grants, corporate sponsorships, fundraising events, peer-to-peer campaigns, and recurring donation drives. Here’s a fundraising plan example in action:

Goal: Raise $200,000 this year in individual contributions 

• Strategy 1: Launch two major peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns.
• Strategy 2: Target longtime donors with a monthly giving campaign.
• Strategy 3: Support all major campaigns with Facebook ads.
• Strategy 4: Turn on the “add-a-donation” option for all online ticket purchases.

Step 7: Assign roles and tasks 👤

Now it’s time to draw up your game plan and assemble team members from your nonprofit organization—whether paid staff, board members, or volunteers—to bring that plan to life. 

Some roles might include:

• Event coordinator 🎊 In order to ensure everything goes smoothly, choose one person to spearhead all of your fundraising event initiatives (coordinating vendors, setting up, etc.). 
• Marketing and promotion coordinator 🤳 This team member will handle marketing efforts, including email communications, social media ads, and more.
• Stewardship coordinator 👋 Designate one employee or supporter as the person responsible for connecting with major donors and other important target audience members to build relationships.
• Volunteer coordinator 💛 This staff member will manage your volunteers, whether they’re helping at events or in the office. 

Step 8: Build your budget 🧮

Take a look at your previous nonprofit budget to help you determine financial goals for each fundraising activity in the coming year. Consider items like:

• Your total expenses last year 📉 Pay attention to administrative costs (rent, payroll, insurance), programming costs (education, services, supplies), marketing and fundraising costs (fundraising software, campaign materials, payment processing), and any additional expenses.
• Your total revenue last year 📈 This could include individual donations, ticket sales, merchandise sales, corporate matches, government grants, private grants, and so on.

Step 9: Create your fundraising calendar 🗓️

A fundraising calendar will put your plan into action with dates, team roles and responsibilities, and deadlines, as well as any upcoming events to be aware of. 

Keep in mind specific holidays and popular times of year for giving:

• Giving Tuesday: The Tuesday directly after Thanksgiving, #GivingTuesday is one of the most popular days for nonprofit fundraising, with millions of donors contributing each year.
• Year-end: The final quarter of the year, particularly December, often brings in major gifts. In fact, the end of the year accounts for 30% of all annual giving. 

Be sure to build in margins of time and funding for unexpected events or needs related to your organization and mission. 

To stay on track, make sure your schedule includes regular check-in meetings with your team. Together you can review the plan and answer the following questions:

• What’s working and what isn’t?
• What’s our revenue progress?
• What's the next thing we need to prepare for?

Download your annual fundraising plan template

Need a sample fundraising plan to get started? Bring all your ideas to life with this easy template.‍

Freebie alert!

Download your free nonprofit fundraising plan template →

Seven unique annual giving campaign ideas for your nonprofit 

Unlike fundraising for a specific project, like raising cash for new soccer team uniforms or a capital campaign to add a wing to a hospital, annual gifts go toward your nonprofit's ongoing budget items—from program expenses to your electric bill. 

These seven annual campaign ideas will shake up your giving strategy, ensuring that you meet your financial goals and keep your gears turning for years to come.

1. Offer branded giving levels 🏆

Create different tiers for each recurring giving level, offering special benefits for each. For instance, if you're a nonprofit dedicated to purchasing school supplies for elementary students, your various tiers could be labeled Fund-A-Child, Fund-A-Class, or Fund-A-Grade. 

If a supporter donates at a certain level, reward their loyalty with a special year-end gift or an invitation to your annual gala. Or, you could tailor thank-you messages to the supporter's giving level, sending custom thank-you video messages or handwritten cards to major gift tiers.

2. Host a BAF (bring a friend) event 👯

A recent study showed that 88% of people trust recommendations from people they know over all other forms of advertising. Translation: Social proof is no joke!

A word-of-mouth recommendation from a current supporter to their personal network will mean far more than a marketing campaign alone ever could. See for yourself and organize a fun BAF event where you ask each donor to bring a plus one who has never given before but might support your cause.

3. Start planning early for your year-end ask 📆

While your annual fundraising campaign helps cover expenses year-round, you'll receive the bulk of funds at the end of the year. In fact, nearly one-third of all annual giving happens in December, with 10% of donations coming in during the last three days of the year. This means you need to get a jumpstart on your year-end giving, beginning your strategy session in late summer.

4. Throw a volunteer appreciation event 🥳

Volunteers are two-thirds more likely to donate to a charity compared to those who do not give their time. In other words, a significant portion of your recurring gifts could come from your volunteer base—so be sure to show your appreciation! 

Create a volunteer database to store contact information and activity history. When a volunteer makes a contribution, have someone from your internal team send them a handwritten note. Lastly, consider throwing an annual volunteer appreciation party to express your gratitude. 

5. Reach your donors on mobile 📲

More than half of people who visit a nonprofit’s website do so on a mobile device.

Make sure your fundraising site and donation forms are mobile-friendly—and while you're at it, embrace other mobile features like SMS (text messaging), text-to-donate, and even mobile payment options like Venmo and Apple Pay so supporters can give on the go.

6. Never stop expressing your gratitude 🤟

Recognize your donors with creative gestures: Host a donor appreciation event during the spring or launch a donor stewardship initiative with social media posts offering shoutouts or heartfelt spotlights on major gift donors. You could also switch up your email marketing and share news articles about your organization or reports demonstrating how their funds made an impact. 

7. Engage corporations, not just individuals 🏢

Consider launching a matching gift program in which employers can double the contributions of their employees. If you're planning your largest fundraising event for the year, invite a local business to be a headline sponsor as part of your annual giving program.

Another engagement opportunity is to host a webinar or in-person gathering with local CEOs, business owners, or HR professionals, outlining how a CSR (corporate social responsibility) program could help them capture and retain top talent.

Match your plan with the right fundraising platform

Every nonprofit organization has ongoing costs, from rent and utilities to program supplies and volunteer expenses. 

To really nail your annual fundraising strategy, you need a robust fundraising platform equipped with all the tools you need to reach your goals. Givebutter is an all-in-one solution with a built-in CRM, robust campaign features, and marketing automation to help you reach supporters year-round and raise what you need to fulfill your mission.

Sign up for free and see how Givebutter makes fundraising easy, fun, and as smooth as butter—for everyone.