By Marie LeBlanc, Community Partnerships Coordinator
Creating a comprehensive development plan is perhaps not the first item of business for a new Executive Director or Development Director when starting out in the nonprofit world. But this month’s BAH Nonprofit Conference on Fundraising Development stressed the importance of having a thought-out, written-down development plan as a priority for successful, supportive and effective development programming. Keynote speaker Barbara Ciconte outlined many of the key steps to creating an “effective” (and perhaps more importantly, realistic) development plan, as well as the bigger picture items to consider from an organizational standpoint. Ultimately, “development” is about more than just raising money — it involves creating authentic connections with others who believe in and commit to your organization’s mission.
Ciconte discussed many important features of a development plan, including these key elements:
- Detailed goals for each development activity
- Specific strategies for achieving those goals
- An action plan, with a timetable for each strategy and benchmarks along the way
- Clear assignments for staff and other involved individuals
- Marketing and communications needs for development strategies
- Budget for fundraising (it’s true; you usually have to spend money to make money!)