Fundraising Goals you can achieve

Effective fundraising needs goals. But not all goals are equal – you need goals you can actually achieve. That’s where SMART goals come in. This process helps you turn your task into a manageable process, rather than keeping it as a vague aspiration. If you’re fundraising alone, or from a team of 200, this process is helpful.

S M A R T goals

Getting Started – Goal Setting and Calendar Planning

You’ve got to open with a really basic question: Why do you need to fundraise? No, the answer is not ‘because we should’, nor is it ‘because we want to help the school’.

You need to set a goal, a SMART goal, and you get one by having one that is:

Specific – well-defined and clear;

Measurable – in terms of progress towards the goal;

Agreed – all key stakeholders agree to the goal and have a stake in it;

Realistic – don’t be too ambitious;

Timely – built with a timeframe.

Full details for defining a SMART goal are included in Chapter 2 of The Practical Fundraising Handbook. Before you order, you can also download the first three chapters from the book.

Once you have a SMART goal, you need to work towards it. That’s where calendar planning comes in. Try for at least six months in advance. Gold star if you make commitments to fundraising at the Annual General Meeting for the year ahead!

Click here for info on deciding on fundraising events and planning your calendar for:

• Kindergartens & Child Care centres
• Primary School
• High School
• Sports clubs
• Individuals

Setting fundraising goals doesn’t have to be hard, it just takes a bit of time and a piece of paper!