What Makes a Strong Fundraising Program? Start With Machine + Strategy

When a new client comes to me because fundraising revenue is declining, donors are shifting to another organization, or donations have simply stalled, I usually start by looking at the same three things: Machine. Strategy. Artistry.

After more than 20 years in fundraising, I’ve been brought into a lot of development departments that needed to get their fundraising programs back on track. Over time, I started seeing the same patterns again and again. Usually, something was breaking down in one or more of these three areas.

Each one plays a different role, but together they create the foundation for a fundraising program that can grow with you. And it all starts with the Machine.

Your fundraising needs a machine

Successful fundraising programs are built like machines. They run consistently in the background, keeping your organization connected to the people who care about your work.

Part of that machine is technology: a good CRM, an easy-to-use online giving page, clean donor data, and lists that are organized so you can communicate with the right people in the right ways.

But the most important part of your fundraising machine is something much more human: consistent communication.

Throughout my 20+ year career, I’ve overseen both Development and Communications departments in many of my leadership roles because I believe the two go hand in hand. Philanthropy is crowded (and dare I say, competitive), and your organization needs a way to stay connected to your community throughout the year.

That might mean a monthly email from your executive director, regular social content, donor updates, stories from families, research news, videos, or a thoughtful mix of all of the above.

One of the first things I implement with many of my retainer clients is a Ghostwriting Guide for their leader, followed by a monthly thought leadership email directly from that leader to their community. People give to people, and those communications create space to talk about your values, what you’re learning, the challenges you’re working through, and the future you’re building.

Those ideas can then show up across your other channels through social posts, carousels, videos, blog content, and sometimes print.

The goal is to take one strong idea and give your community multiple ways to encounter it.

When your communications are running consistently, your fundraising campaigns have something to build on.

Strategy gives the machine direction

A machine can keep moving, but it needs direction. That’s where Strategy comes in.

When I look at fundraising strategy, I’m really asking three questions:

Are you asking people to give at the right times and in the ways they want to be asked?

Are you harnessing the unique strengths of your community to raise as much money as possible through the channels that work for them?

Are you communicating your mission and vision in a way that is meaningful and memorable?

There isn’t one universal answer to those questions because every nonprofit has a different community with unique strengths.

For one organization, Giving Tuesday might be a major fundraising opportunity. For another, an Awareness Day or Month may be when their community is most engaged and ready to take action.

If your Awareness Day falls in October or November, for example, you might need to think carefully about how that moment fits alongside Giving Tuesday and your year-end campaign. If your community gets especially energized around that Awareness Day, it could become a powerful rallying point for a fundraising or peer-to-peer campaign.

The same thinking applies to the people you’re trying to reach.

If you have an older donor community, print may be an important part of your campaigns and evergreen communications. If you have a community of newly diagnosed parents who are eager to take action, a Family Fundraisers Toolkit could create an entirely different opportunity. If your community loves coming together, an annual event might become an important part of your fundraising calendar.

Your donor community is already telling you what they care about and how they want to engage. Good strategy starts by listening.

Let your community shape the plan

One of the easiest ways to get distracted in fundraising is to spend too much time looking at what everyone else is doing.

There will always be a new platform, a new campaign trend, a new fundraising idea, or another organization doing something that looks exciting.

Those things can be useful sources of inspiration, but your own community should be the starting point.

Look at the moments when your supporters already show up. Pay attention to the stories they respond to, the ways they like to participate, and the channels where they engage most. Look at what has worked in the past and consider how you can build on it.

That’s where strategy becomes much more than a fundraising calendar.

It becomes a way of understanding your community and creating opportunities for people to engage with your mission in ways that feel meaningful to them.

When the Machine and Strategy work together

The Machine keeps your organization connected to your community. Strategy makes sure that connection has purpose.

When the two work together, your fundraising communications start to feel less like a series of individual asks and more like an ongoing conversation.

Your year-end campaign isn’t suddenly appearing in your donors’ inboxes after months of silence. Your community already knows who you are, what you care about, and what you’re working toward.

Then, when it’s time to invite them to give, you have a relationship to build on.

That’s especially important during a busy fundraising season. When Giving Tuesday arrives, you don’t want your organization to be introducing itself for the first time. You want your community to already be paying attention, recognizing your voice, and understanding the vision they have an opportunity to support.

That’s what a strong fundraising machine and thoughtful strategy can create.

And there’s still one more piece.

You can have a reliable Machine and a smart Strategy, but your communications also need to capture attention and make people want to keep reading, watching, and engaging.

That’s where Artistry comes in.

We’ll talk about that in our next blog!