Aim for growth

Growth is imperative to a healthy fundraising program. With budget planning in full swing at many organizations, the key question is -- what's the best way to get there, particularly if you're asked to do more with less?

Here are several ways to approach achieving growth: 

1) Test and launch new initiatives. This demands a strategy and plan, plus resources. Perhaps you can secure a small fund to test promising ideas. Or if you have an initiative in mind, you can move it forward by creating a scenario proposal that demonstrates how the investment has potential to pay off in greater net revenue or more donors.

2) Strengthen the tactics you currently have in place. All this takes is you, your team, and a willingness to explore the details of your program to find opportunity. An easy place to begin is by looking for proven practices and programs that don’t demand a cash infusion. Monthly sustained giving programs would fall into this category, as would the launch or expansion of an e-fundraising program. 

3) Improve your campaigns. Take a close look at your initiatives. Are your messages on target? Does the copy need to be refreshed? Is it compelling? Is it clear? Are your forms simple to understand? Are your gift ladders working? Can you eliminate something that's no longer effective and add something fresh to the mix? Find an organization or two with a great program, and ask them if they’ll share their work with you so you can explore what might make your own program even better.

4) Streamline costs to free up funds to invest in additional or improved initiatives. Can you simplify your mail packages, or print a larger quantity ahead of time, or re-bid your largest line items? Have you taken a look at the actual costs of your fundraising events? When the value of staff time is calculated in, you may find that you're using valuable resources that could be more wisely invested in bringing more donors to your organization.

A tight budget can be a challenge, but also an opportunity to make connections, gather information, and drill down into some positive change.