Development Assesment

The Comprehensive Fundraising Development Assessment is a strategic tool designed to establish a baseline understanding of an organization’s fundraising activities, strengths, and areas for improvement. Tailored specifically for non-profit entities, this assessment aims to provide a holistic view of the organization’s development practices, enabling informed decision-making and targeted enhancements to fundraising strategies.

Key Components:

Development Training and Team: Evaluate the extent of previous development training received by the organization’s staff and volunteers. Identify the composition of the development team and whether it’s solely internal or involves external stakeholders.

Organizational Structure: Determine whether the organization is staff-driven or board-driven in terms of development initiatives. This sheds light on the involvement and influence of different stakeholders.

Financial Overview: Gain insights into the organization’s financial landscape. Assess the annual budget and analyze the sources of funding, including grants, donations, sponsorships, and other revenue streams.

Future Plans and Budgeting: Explore upcoming significant projects, programs, or initiatives that require funding. Estimate the associated costs and evaluate the organization’s preparedness to handle them effectively.

Donor Landscape: Investigate the donor base by examining historical and current donor statistics. This includes the total number of donors, distribution across donation levels (e.g., $100, $1,000, $10,000), and major gift donors.

Major Gift Analysis: Delve into the organization’s history of major gifts, including the largest gift ever received and personally solicited by the organization.

Donor Engagement: Assess the organization’s approach to donor interactions. Determine the ratio of organization-led communication to donor-led communication during meetings.

Donor Preference Analysis: Explore whether the organization tailors its messages to match donor preferences and listening styles, enhancing donor engagement and understanding.

Donor Ranking System: Evaluate the existence and effectiveness of a donor ranking system. Assess whether donors are categorized based on their giving capacity and engagement level.

Database Usage: Examine the organization’s use of a donor database system for tracking and managing interactions with donors. Alternatively, inquire about the method used for tracking donor interactions if no database system is in place.

Additional Insights: Provide an opportunity for the organization to share any other pertinent information that might impact the assessment, such as unique challenges, partnerships, or opportunities.

Benefits:

  • Establish a comprehensive overview of the organization’s fundraising activities and practices.
  • Identify strengths and weaknesses in development strategies.
  • Inform strategic decision-making by highlighting potential areas for improvement.
  • Enhance donor engagement through tailored communication strategies.
  • Foster better allocation of resources by aligning fundraising efforts with organizational goals.

The Comprehensive Non-Profit Development Assessment serves as a pivotal starting point for organizations to gauge their fundraising effectiveness, enabling them to build upon their strengths and address their challenges to achieve sustainable growth and impact.

    These start at $500 and are an extremely beneficial tool for boards

    If this sounds like something you need for your organization, click to schedule a free discovery call to see how we can help.

    Want to see what questions we ask?

    Click here to download the Development Assessment intake form.

    Download the Development Assessment Intake Form