Having a fundraising plan is so important, but auditing your fundraising is even more important.
That’s because when it comes to fundraising, there are just as many opportunities for failure as there are for success. And the way you approach fundraising can make or break your organization’s ability to meet its goals.
Here are five things you should consider when auditing your fundraising:
1. Do you have a clear mission, vision, and key messaging?
It is crucial for everyone in your organization to be clear on your key messaging to keep everyone on the same page, and avoid potential confusion publicly. Additionally, ALL of your communications should be directly related to your key messaging. This helps streamline your communications and makes it clear to the public exactly what you do and why.
2. Do you have monthly donors? Are they engaged?
A strong monthly donor base is crucial for long-term sustainability for your organization. Many focus on acquiring new donors- which is very important- but often we invest little effort into maintaining donor bases. Do not assume because someone supports your cause that they will support you indefinitely. Donors need to be kept up to to date on their impact and continually engaged. Do you struggle to keep donors long-term? Then your donor engagement strategy needs an overhaul.
3. Are you using calls to action? If not, do you know what kind of call-to-action will work best for them?
If you don’t ask, how are your supporters supposed to know what you need them to do? Sometimes it feels ‘icky’ to ask for money- but that is what your supporters need to be able to move into action into supporting you. Calls to action should be a part of all of your newsletters, emails, social media posts and throughout your website. Calls to action are simply answering ‘what now?’- do you want someone to donate? Attend an event? Share information with friends? It is so important to make sure you have calls to action to keep your supporters well informed on your needs while inviting them to support.
4. Do people understand what you do? Is it clear in your communications? (Hint: If someone doesn’t understand what your organization does after reading one sentence on your website… that’s probably not good.)
Can you explain to someone what your organization does, and why, in 1 minute? If not, your key messaging needs some work. People need to know, in plain language, exactly what you do and why. No jargon, keep it simple. Do you house people? Why? Why should the general public care? If people are confused what you do and why, then they are not going to support you. Trust and transparency are the most important aspects to consider throughout your fundraising strategies.
5. Are you sharing impact stories with donors and prospects? If not—why not?!
Share the good news! How many people have you helped with your program? If your volunteer is helping mind children so their parents can attend skill programming then let them know the wider impact their childminding is making. Don’t be shy in sharing impact, people want to feel connected to the solution and you can do that by sharing what impacts your organization makes in the community. Don’t just save stats for your AGM report, include them throughout your communication as well.
Want to learn more? Book a free consultation with our team to discuss more on fundraising training programs and services.