The success of a fundraising exercise by any corporate body or organization may be met with a number of roadblocks that hinder successful fundraising activities. These challenges, according to Walker (2012), include conflicts of interest among board members, board burnout, lack of fiduciary and financial and lack of accountability, professionalism and ethics in fundraising responsibility The most important way of dealing with these roadblocks is to come up with a strategic operational or financial plan in the form of a grant that lists down all the goals and objectives of the organization including its vision, missions, niches, values and needs. This may also be done by leveraging the organization’s previous donors, treating every person as a potential donor, setting achievable goals and creating an innovative plan and audit.
SMART Fundraising Goals and Objectives
Specific
The non-profit organization carrying out the fundraising should be very clear about its financial goals and how, if met, this goal will help the organization. It should be precise on what exactly it wants to accomplish, what is needed o achieve the goal and who stands to benefit should the goal be met. It must also determine how much money it needs to raise and how many donors are required for the campaign (Ciconte & Jacob, 2009).
Measurable
This involves being able to track how much an organization needs to raise and how it will know when the targeted amount has been reached in order to give a clear picture of where the organization is in the fundraising process.
Attainable
This goal relates to the feasibility of the fundraiser plan, that is, how realistic and achievable is the plan considering what has been raised in previous donation campaigns and the organization’s resources in terms of money and time that have to be committed towards the fundraising activity.
Relevant
The fundraising board needs to ask itself whether the fundraising goal works effectively and efficiently for the organization, how it furthers the organization’s mission and the direct beneficial results in terms of return on investment and lives changed likely to be realized from the fundraising campaign.
Time-bound/Timeliness
The fundraising goal should normally state clearly the start and end dates of the donation exercise, steps taken at each stage and an outline of what needs to be achieved when.
Timeline and Responsibility Designation
Leadership Role in Successful Fundraising
Leadership is critical for the success of corporate fundraising and its sustainability. A leader’s first key role is to provide direction and devote or allocate adequate social, human, financial or political resources towards securing funds and driving the organization forward. Further, an organization’s leaders such as the board of directors and executive should play a role of promoting a healthy philanthropic culture within the organization and building or branding the organization’s image in such a way as to attract investment or donations from donors (Williams, 2013).
References
Ciconte, B. L., & Jacob, J. G. (2009). Fundraising basics: A complete guide. Boston: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Walker, J. I. (2012). A fundraising guide for non-profit board members. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Williams, K. A. (2013). Leading the fundraising charge: The role of the non-profit executive. John Wiley & Sons: London.
