PART TWO

STRUCTURING YOUR FUNDRAISING

Part Two outlines the total development plan and its elements. Chapter Five provides an overview of the total development plan—that is, the set of fundraising programs or activities to meet a variety of organization and donor needs through lifetime donor development. Not every organization can implement all aspects of a total development plan, but every organization can implement a plan that incorporates the concept of lifetime donor development. The total development plan reminds us of the ongoing nature of fundraising work.

The remaining chapters in this part take a look at the key elements of the total development plan. The annual fund—the topic of Chapter Six—forms the base of a successful fundraising program. Not only does it provide support for the annual operating budget, but it also uses special strategies to recruit new donors, solicit repeat or renewed gifts from earlier donors, and upgrade or increase gifts from year to year. In most cases, larger gifts solicited through the programs outlined in the other chapters in Part Two are received from donors to the annual fund.

Many organizations now operate ongoing major gifts programs as described in Chapter Seven. These might be special one-time gifts, large annual gifts, or gifts made in a capital or endowment campaign. Chapters Eight and Nine focus on the capital campaign and planned giving, respectively, and provide the structures and technical infrastructures needed to organize these two effective programs that help meet long-term major capital and endowment needs.

The total development program is based on the premise that a donor at one level is a prospect for a gift at a higher level. The fundraising vehicles outlined in Part Two must be integrated to make it possible for the organization to embrace the concept of lifetime donor development from the first annual gift to a planned gift.

Not every organization will be able to implement all levels of each program discussed here. But every organization should organize an annual fund that fits its size and scope. Other fundraising programs can be added over time as the donors to the annual fund increase and continue their gifts. Every organization can develop a program to inform donors about making bequests, and it should be the goal of every organization to develop gifts of significance and planned gifts. These not only increase total gifts and contribute to capital and endowment needs but also help reduce fundraising costs or increase returns on fundraising investment.