Substance and Style

    Components of A Good Resource Development Plan

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    As the year draws to a close, strategic planning for the year ahead becomes a priority. If you’re operating a nonprofit, a good development plan is a vital part of growing your organization, or even keeping it afloat. Here’s what to include:

    1. An Overview of The Big Picture.
      You should understand your organization’s financial needs. What programs are funded and unfunded? What are your current streams of income? How is your organization’s credit? What are your main sources of funding and how much can you rely on them to continue? The development plan should support your overall strategic plan. You should reference and connect this document to that one and to your mission. Talk about what drives the organization, and what is needed to make its overall goals a reality. What challenges do you face? 
    2. An Assessment of Current Conditions. Conduct a SWOT analysis for each of the main focuses of the plan (fundraising, grant writing, etc.). Gather feedback from stakeholders. Put some real thought into what needs to change and whether you have the capacity to change it. 
    3. Once you have done the above, make plans for what is possible now as well as what would be possible with more support, more staff, more board participation, etc. 
    4. Broad Goals for How to Improve Your Organization’s Overall Financial Health. These can be things like achieving a different funding mix or a certain amount to have saved. These aren’t action items, but general things you’re working towards.
    5. Narrow, Specific Goals to Support the Broad Goals. These are the SMART goals everyone talks about. These should be action items that advance your overall objectives, such as “create a Giving Tuesday campaign” or “create an online outreach system for clients.”
    6. A Plan for Things That Don’t Always Immediately Bring in Income, but advance your goals. These include: networking, partnerships, developing board participation, expanding your volunteer base, community outreach, and your marketing and communications. 
    7. A Plan for Things That Do immediately Bring in Money. These include grant writing, fundraising events, membership dues, donor cultivation and stewardship, social fundraising, and other fundraising campaigns. Consider and mention the costs of these activities here. 
    8. Additional Cost Saving Resources. Make sure you’re taking advantage of discounts for nonprofits. Look into your city, county, or state programs for cost sharing. Do business with business owners that have a personal connection to your mission; often, they will work with you to get costs down. 
    9. A Timeline for Action Steps. Have a calendar for communications and content, for when things need to be done for fundraising events, important due dates for grants and reporting.
    10. A System for Evaluating Results. It’s important to be able to track your progress and make sure your plan is working.
    11. Nice Presentation. Finally, have visual aids, an executive summary, and table of contents. Break your text up into small chucks and include white space, especially if other people are going to be reading the plan.