Creating a Fundraising Plan: Steps, Template, and Best Practices
A well-built house starts with a thoughtfully drawn blueprint. Crowdfunding is just the same. Being thoroughly prepared will result in a more powerful fundraiser. Developing a road map for your fundraiser will help you navigate around any unforeseen obstacles. We have outlined some key components to consider when creating your fundraising plan.
What is a fundraising plan?
Are you prepared to make a positive difference? A fundraising plan is the key to raising funds for yourself, your cause, or your nonprofit organization. A fundraising plan is a thoughtfully crafted strategy that maps out your objectives, target audience, messaging, and steps to achieve your fundraising goals.
Whether you aim to cover medical expenses, start a community project, or support a cause that resonates with you, your objectives serve as your North Star. It’s important to remember that fundraising is all about reaching out to individuals who share your passion and are eager to make a positive impact.
Why create a fundraising plan?
Creating a fundraising plan is essential as it identifies your goals and strategy to achieve them. Understanding your target audience and pinpointing the people who are most likely to support your cause is crucial. Your plan allows you to create a compelling story that touches people’s hearts and inspires them to join your mission.
It also helps you share your passion effectively. With a well-thought-out plan, you can determine the best place to launch your fundraiser and increase your chances of success. Read on to learn how to create a fundraising plan and get a sample fundraising plan to use for your own efforts.
Step-by-step fundraising plan to reach your goals
1. Observe other fundraisers for inspiration
Before jumping headfirst into your fundraiser plan consider doing the following:
- Take a step back and observe what other fundraisers like yours are doing to be successful.
- Browse through those fundraiser examples and make note of the things that are working for them and those that aren’t.
- Look for strategies you can use, such as what types of fundraising events raise both donations and awareness or how fundraisers use social media to enhance their fundraisers.
Discover everything you need to know to start fundraising on GoFundMe from examples of fundraisers to helpful resources.
2. Gather the basic information for your fundraiser story
Prepare for your fundraiser by getting the following key bits of information. Having these details will help once it comes time to creating your fundraiser and writing your fundraiser story and funding proposal. This info includes:
- Location
- What you’re fundraising for
- Who you’re fundraising for
Learn about what else to expect when fundraising by checking out how GoFundMe works and answers to common fundraising questions.
3. Select a photo or video
When promoting your fundraiser, using quality photos or videos is essential. For your main fundraiser image, choose a photo or video that showcases the person, animal, or cause the fundraiser is for. If you decide to make a memorable video about your cause, it can help illustrate your story. Keep in mind that on GoFundMe, you can edit your fundraiser image at any time, even after your fundraiser is created. For more details, see our posts on image fundraising tips and video fundraising tips.
4. Set your fundraising goal
During planning, you must decide how much money you intend to raise, whether the fundraiser is for yourself, someone else, or a cause. This amount will come from careful consideration of what the fundraiser’s money will be used for and anticipation of needs. For example, when raising money for a family member’s medical treatment, calculate the exact costs of transportation, treatment, and medication to get a clear idea of how much you need to raise. Check out our blog for more advice on fundraising goals.
5. Decide how you’re going to share your fundraiser
Sharing your fundraiser on social media, through text messages, and via email is an important piece of an effective fundraising plan. Take note that posting on social media requires consistency, which means creating content, replying to comments, and interacting with other similar fundraisers or communities daily. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Nextdoor, and WhatsApp are platforms every fundraiser organizer should take advantage of. Take a look at our social media fundraising tips and fundraising email templates to help you reach your goals.
6. Reach out to family and friends
Another important step in your fundraising plan is to list people who can help share your fundraiser with their own networks. Try to create a diverse mix varying from friends with a significant social media following to community leaders who might be interested in your cause and can help you reach your fundraising goals.
When contacting your community and potential donors, start by initiating a conversation about your cause to allow them to understand and connect to your fundraiser. From there, you can ask for donations and see if they’d be willing to share your fundraiser on their social media accounts. These individuals will be crucial in spreading the word about your fundraiser after it launches.
Try this free fundraising plan template
Wondering how to write a fundraising plan? Use this fundraising plan sample to help you get started and keep you on track.
Step 1: Observe successful fundraiser examples
- Timeframe: [Date/Time] to [Date/Time]
- Name of each fundraiser example: ___, ___, ___
- Key tasks: Take notes of what you like about each fundraiser.
Step 2: Collect basic information
- Timeframe: [Date/Time] to [Date/Time]
- Key tasks: Nail down answers to the following questions—what is your location? What are you fundraising for? Who are you fundraising for?
Step 3: Gather photos or videos
- Timeframe: [Date/Time] to [Date/Time]
- Key tasks: Assemble high-quality photos or videos that showcase the person, animal, or cause your fundraiser is for.
Step 4: Select a fundraising goal
- Timeframe: [Date/Time] to [Date/Time]
- Key tasks: Determine how much money you need to raise and calculate exact costs.
Step 5: Decide how to share your fundraiser
- Timeframe: [Date/Time] to [Date/Time]
- Key tasks: List social media platforms to use, check out fundraising email templates, and draft text messages to send to your community.
Step 6: Contact family and friends
- Timeframe: [Date/Time] to [Date/Time]
- Key tasks: List the people who can help share your fundraiser, engage in conversations with your community about your cause, politely ask for donations, and see if they can share your fundraiser with their networks.
Execute your fundraising plan today
A careful, strategic approach can help ensure a successful fundraiser. Supplement your fundraising plan template with these creative fundraising ideas to help boost donations. Now that you have all the keys to making a great fundraising plan, launch your own fundraiser and start raising money for your cause today.