Fundraising Plans: Why Every Nonprofit Needs One and How to Build It Without the Stress

Whether you're leading a scrappy grassroots initiative or overseeing a ten million-dollar operation, I’m here to say one thing loud and clear: you need a fundraising plan. 

I’m Maria Rio, a fundraising consultant with over a decade of experience, and I’ve seen it all. The key to success is having an evidence-based strategy that helps you avoid the burnout and chaos caused by winging it without a plan. 

This post will walk you through: 

👉🏼 Why fundraising plans matter 

👉🏼 What they should include 

👉🏼 How to set realistic goals 

👉🏼 How to build one (without a consultant!) 

👉🏼 And how to actually use the plan instead of letting it collect digital dust 

Let’s get into it. 

Why a Fundraising Strategy Is Non-Negotiable 

If you’re raising $500,000 or $5 million, you need a roadmap that takes you from A to B. Without a plan, your fundraising can quickly turn reactive, scattered, and unsustainable. That’s when the burnout creeps in and your staff start to wonder, “Wait, what is our goal again?” 

A solid fundraising plan aligns your fundraising activities with your mission and your capacity. It gives your team a shared understanding of what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and how you’ll know it’s working. 

What’s in a Fundraising Plan? 

A good plan will usually include: 

• 1 to 3 overarching goals that align with your mission 

• Metrics on where you’re starting (e.g. current revenue sources, donor counts) 

• Timelines and key milestones across the plan’s duration 

• Donor segments and outreach strategies 

• Short- and long-term thinking that build value over time, not just over one campaign. 

• Clarity on who’s doing what, including volunteers, board members, and staff 

• Resource allocations that are data-driven and capacity-aware 

Think of it as your recipe for success. And like any recipe, the ingredients matter and need to work in harmony. By understanding what ingredients you have available, you can plan accordingly or see what else you need to acquire. Just like you wouldn’t eat cereal + juice (although it’s edible), you wouldn’t have the fundraiser successfully raise funds without impact stats (although they can; they would just be far less effective). 

The Risk of Not Having a Fundraising Strategy 

Fundraising without a plan leads to confusion, wasted time, and low ROI. You’re likely to burn out your staff, miss key deadlines, and say yes to random initiatives that don’t move the needle. 

A plan doesn’t just tell you what to do, it also tells you what to drop. The plan focuses on your highest ROI opportunities, so whatever is not in there will not be your highest ROI opportunity. That gala your board chair wants to throw? If it’s not in the plan, you can park it for next year’s discussions. 

How to Build Your Plan in 3 Steps (No Consultant Required) 

I love getting paid, but you don’t need a consultant to start this. You need time, commitment, and a bit of strategy. 

Here’s the simple roadmap: 

Step 1: Choose 1-2 Overarching Goals 

Keep it focused. Align your goals with a SWOT analysis; identify your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Look at what’s worked in the past and what hasn’t. 

Step 2: Set Financial Goals That Make Sense 

Let’s stop the wishful thinking. No more 40% increases year-over-year with no added staff, budget, or strategy. 

Rule of thumb: 

• 5-10% growth = deepening relationships 

• 10-15% = a new fundraising initiative or confirmed new funding 

• 15-20% = added team capacity 

• 25%+ = extremely aggressive and usually unrealistic 

Also, analyze your revenue sources. If one big bequest inflated last year’s numbers, don’t expect to repeat that this year. 

Step 3: Involve Your People 

Talk to 6–12 people: board, volunteers, staff, donors. Ask why they care. What brought them here? What do they think you do well? Their answers will show you how to attract others like them. 

These five simple open-ended questions will help unearth many of the things you are looking to assess. 

• Tell me your story in nonprofit and at ORG  

• Why do you work here? What about org or mission speaks to you?  

• What else are you passionate about?  

• What do you think we are doing well in fundraising and comms?  

• What do you think we need to improve on in fundraising and comms? 

However, they are not the only questions you should ask. Your role isn’t just to collect responses, it’s to uncover Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT). That means following your curiosity, spotting patterns, and digging deeper when something stands out. 

How to Bring It All Together: Your Fundraising Plan on Paper 

You can build your plan in a Google Doc or spreadsheet. No fancy templates required. But make sure it includes: 

1. Executive Summary: What’s your focus this year? 

2. Financial Overview: What’s changed? Any red flags? 

3. SWOT Analysis: Internal and external realities 

4. Goals and Measurable Objectives: With clear deliverables 

5. Audience Segmentation: Who are your donors? How do you reach them? 

6. Tactics and Timelines: What happens when, and who’s doing it? 

7. Stewardship Chart: How to thank and engage each donor type 

Good Plans Are Living Documents

Here’s your reminder: your fundraising plan should not live in a forgotten folder. Reference it monthly (weekly if you’re Type A like me). Update it. Move things around. Make notes. 

This isn’t a high school essay you turn in once and it’s done. This is your nonprofit’s GPS. Use it accordingly. 

Real Results from Real Plans 

Our clients went from “throwing spaghetti at the wall” to seeing: 

• 44% increase in donor retention 

• 34% increase in dollars raised through a major campaign 

• 27% increase in total donor base 

• 161% boost in Giving Tuesday results 

All because they stopped reacting and started planning. 

Ready to Build Yours? 

Whether this is your first or tenth time creating a plan, just start. Even a basic plan beats no plan. And if you’re stuck or overwhelmed, consider making your first goal something simple like setting up your CRM properly. 

You’ve got this. 

Want more content like this? Make the algorithm gods happy by sharing this post. If you want help building your plan, you know where to find me. But either way: build that plan, protect your peace, and raise the money your mission deserves. 

Until next time, 
Maria