Q: We’ve been told fund raising starts with planning. We don’t have a strategic plan. How can we get started planning for our fund raising needs?
A: No strategic plan doesn’t mean you don’t plan. It just likely means you don’t look very far into the future. While that’s a problem that you (and your Board) should fix, you can in the meantime use your budget as your starting point. Assuming you believe it’s realistic in its revenue expectations. If not, this may be the perfect time to rework your budget. Then you’re ready to plan your fundraising because you’ll have a good target to shoot for.
