Fundraising Services Fern
Shapes Triangle

Fundraising Strategies

Barrer & Co specialises in developing operational fundraising strategies for not-for-profit organisations.

We work with not-for-profits to develop strategies that will provide a structure and guide to achieving fundraising success, bringing together our team’s wide knowledge of fundraising streams and the local fundraising landscape, informed by the history and future focus of the organisations we work with.

First, we undertake diligent research of your organisation’s fundraising history, community engagement and set up, and hold an initial workshop with organisation representatives to further inform our research and resulting recommendations. After identifying several streams of funding that sit outside of central and local government funding, we develop a comprehensive strategy, ensuring the most appropriate fundraising streams are targeted for your organisation to achieve their goals.

Our strategies also provide recommendations for internal set-up, resourcing, clear and effective messaging, and best practice methods for implementation. In essence, the strategy would act as a road map of how to generate revenue through fundraising.

Fundraising Feasibility & Stakeholder Engagement Studies

Feasibility studies are undertaken to determine if a project (often a capital campaign), is actually feasible for your organisation to proceed with. The study ascertains if there is an audience that will fund it, and identifies barriers, or perceptions, that need to be addressed in the development of any campaigns or pans.

This is a multi-step process that involves research, interviews with 10-30 stakeholders, and the development of a final report including key findings and resulting recommendations.

Prior to the development strategies, it is often deemed necessary that the document is informed by stakeholders relevant to the organisation (e.g. donors, staff, funders). The Stakeholder Engagement study opens relationships across multiple areas, including and outside of fundraising, including marketing, communications, finance, HR, and operations.

Capital Fundraising Campaign Strategies and Implementation

In addition to developing operational fundraising strategies, Barrer & Co specialises in creating strategies to support clients in their fundraising campaign, to secure funds required for a capital project. The strategy focuses on best practice methods for raising capital, outlining a multi-year strategic plan, context for the strategic plan, and a fundraising guide that includes in-depth tailored suggestions, and next steps. The strategic plan is broken down into three essential phases for a capital campaign:

  1. Set-Up Phase
  2. Active Phase
  3. Tidy-Up Phase

After leading the development of the capital campaign strategy with your board, Barrer & Co would then project manage all phases of the capital campaign implementation through to completion.

We note that often, a capital fundraising campaign can often be the most significant fundraising project an organisation has ever embarked upon, and that operational fundraising to date has not been undertaken strategically or consistently. We therefore often include operational fundraising recommendations within a capital fundraising campaign to ensure that the organisation overall is in a place to fundraise well and care for donors in a meaningful way.

Campaign & Appeal Strategies – Individual Giving

Barrer & Co can utilise campaign and appeal expertise to develop a robust strategy to not just meet, but exceed, campaign targets.

We would support your organisation across three stages:

  1. Planning – includes creating 2-3 annual campaign conceptual ideas (based on a supplied brief), analyse donor data, provide recommendations for campaign launch, and development of an appeal strategy document
  2. Idea refinement – includes working alongside your organisation to develop the selected concept(s), and developing a schedule for execution and delivery
  3. Execution – includes campaign implementation, assistance with delivery, follow-up, and reporting

Your organisation would need to allow for resource for a staff member, or representative, to be responsible for several tasks, including sign-off of items, providing internal information to Barrer & Co as needed, and delivery of the appeal (e.g. posting content to website/social media, processing and receipting gifts).

We can also assist with the development of key donor messaging, campaign packs, and mentoring.  For national organisation, this includes a strategy for the national organisation, along with tailored support for the regional or local bodies.

Planned Giving Programmes (Major Gifts and Bequests)

Barrer & Co provides specific Planned Giving Programme development and implementation support for organisations looking to build major gift and bequest revenue for long-term sustainability.

The development of the programme consists of several modules, with administrative set-up and Board involvement as early key components. It continues through best practice preparation by developing frameworks, policies, and communications, to ensure readiness before approaching potential donors.

Creating and implementing this programme requires support an appropriate staff member from your organisation, to deliver the programme, as well as an allocated internal member of staff to continue the work ongoing. The set-up of this programme requires a minimum of five months’ work.

Policy Development

It is important to ensure you have solid structures in place before you start approaching and engaging with donor audiences and embarking on new fundraising activities.

Barrer & Co can develop fully tailored fundraising policies, including:

  • Gift Acceptance
  • Gift Processing
  • Database Management
  • Stewardship
  • Partnerships

Mentoring

Having worked with over 150 not-for-profits, we at Barrer & Co are well-equipped to provide mentoring support to suit your requirements.

Working alongside your fundraising staff, we use our experience and expertise to empower them to carry out fundraising activities with confidence and determination.

We can tailor mentoring to focus on specific fundraisings streams, or on implementation of fundraising strategies or programmes.

Case for Support Development

A case for support is a fundraising booklet that clearly explains your vision, mission, and values, and motivates the donor to contribute to your not-for-profit, whether for a specific capital campaign or for day-to-day programmes and services. This document will be the cornerstone for your fundraising efforts.

The case for support needs to be a strong, captivating document that communicates the purpose of your organisation effectively to prospects; the content and layout need to be presented in a way that will best serve your fundraising goals.

Barrer & Co can manage the development of the case for support from concept to content development through to production and print.

Vision & Fundraising Priorities Session

Barrer & Co can assist with the development of an effective vision statement – an inspirational, ambitious, and essential tool for not-for-profit organisations to describe yourselves as you would appear in a future, successful state.

Once the vision is established, we can work with you to develop fundraising priorities – organisation-led statements dictating where your current need for fundraising is, in line with your long-term organisation plan, grouping activities or projects that enable your organisation to deliver your overall objectives together into tangible priorities that donor prospects can easily understand.

Following a workshop session to establish the above, we would develop a report from the findings for you to use in your fundraising strategy.

Fundraising Essentials Workshop Series

Barrer & Co can facilitate the development and delivery of a fundraising essentials workshop series for groups related to your organisation, in a particular region, as a way to build the group’s fundraising knowledge, capability, and capacity. The workshops cover the fundamentals of fundraising readiness, the resources required to fundraise well, and the fundraising streams available to these groups.

The series is delivered as six 2-hour workshops, by two members of our staff, over a period appropriate for the attending groups – we recommend over a six-month period. Workshops include a mixture of a presentation on theories and concepts, alongside worked examples, and breakout tasks.

Governance for Fundraising Essentials

Having a solid understanding of how your not-for-profit can generate revenue to support your cause and services is one of the most important responsibilities for Board members. Fundraising is a critical component of any not-for-profit Board’s duty of care.

Barrer & Co has a wealth of experience in consulting at governance level, to communicate the essentials of best practice fundraising in a way that is accessible, meaningful, and tailored towards optimising your existing programme and new opportunities.

Our Governance for Fundraising Essentials session seeks to empower Boards with the key elements of fundraising success.

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