Fundraising strategy template

What this fundraising strategy template includes

• ContextThe situation, the challenges to solve, and what is deliberately left out.
• Case for supportWhy the organization deserves funding, in terms a donor would repeat.
• Income streamsEach source of income with its current level and target.
• Gift tableThe number of gifts needed at each level to reach the goal.
• Donor stewardshipHow donors are thanked, informed and asked again.
• Campaign calendarThe appeals and events planned across the year.
• Priorities and measuresThree to five priorities, each with an owner, outcomes with a baseline and target, and the initiatives behind them.

Fundraising strategy example

A complete fundraising strategy for a fictional organization: children's literacy nonprofit running reading tutoring in public elementary schools.

Worked exampleFundraising strategy

Organization	Children's literacy nonprofit running reading tutoring in public elementary schools (40 staff)
Ambition	Raise $7M a year by fiscal 2029 to tutor 4,100 children in 60 schools, with no two funders providing more than 14% of income.
Horizon	3 years

Context

Where we are and what we are choosing

We raised $5.2M in fiscal 2026, which ran from July to June, and tutored 3,100 children in 46 schools. Foundations gave $2.2M, district and state contracts $1.15M, major donors $680,000, the annual fund $370,000, companies $450,000 and events $350,000. Two foundations provide $1.3M, a quarter of income, and the larger has said its $800,000 grant will renew at no more than half when it ends in June 2028. Only 41% of last year's donors gave again, and 19% of first-time donors. The gala costs 54 cents for every dollar it raises. One major gifts officer manages all 85 donors who give $5,000 or more.

Challenges

• A quarter of income depends on two foundations, and one has already signaled a cut of at least $400,000 from fiscal 2029.
• We lose six in ten donors every year, so the annual fund spends most of its effort replacing people who gave once.
• Individual giving rests on one gift officer and an expensive gala. There is no structured way to move a $500 donor toward a $25,000 gift.

We will focus on

• A major gifts program built on a managed portfolio of 300 qualified prospects.
• Keeping donors: second gifts, monthly giving and a mid-level circle.
• Multi-year district contracts and a wider base of foundations giving $100,000 or more.

We will not

• An endowment or capital campaign. Every dollar raised in this period funds tutoring and the reserve stays at four months.
• A bigger gala, which several board members favor. It becomes a lower-cost benefit breakfast and the staff time moves to major gifts.
• Renting mailing lists for donor acquisition. New donors will come from school communities, volunteers, tutors and corporate partners.

Case for support

The need	In the districts we serve, 62% of third graders read below grade level. In our partner schools, children who were behind at the end of third grade have rarely caught up later without individual help, and classroom teachers do not have the hours to give it.
Our response	Trained tutors work with each child three times a week for 30 minutes during the school day, using a structured phonics curriculum. Last year 71% of our students met their growth benchmark, compared with 44% of similar children in the same schools.
What a gift achieves	$1,700 pays for one child's tutoring for a school year. $25 a month keeps a child supplied with books to take home. $110,000 funds a whole school for a year.

Income streams

Stream	Income today	Target	Cost to raise $1
Foundation grants	$2.2M	$2.3M from a wider base	$0.08
District and state contracts	$1.15M	$1.5M	$0.10
Major gifts, $5,000 and above	$680,000	$1.5M	$0.15
Annual fund, mid-level and monthly giving	$370,000	$750,000	$0.35
Corporate partnerships	$450,000	$650,000	$0.20
Events	$350,000	$300,000	$0.54 today, $0.30 target

Gift table

Gift level	Gifts needed	Prospects needed	Subtotal
$250,000	1	4	$250,000
$100,000	2	8	$200,000
$50,000	5	20	$250,000
$25,000	10	40	$250,000
$10,000	25	75	$250,000
$5,000	60	150	$300,000

Donor stewardship

Thank-you standard	Every gift is receipted within 48 hours. First-time donors get a handwritten note from a tutor within two weeks, and gifts of $1,000 or more get a call from a board member within five days.
Reporting	All donors receive an impact report twice a year with reading results by school. Donors at $5,000 and above are invited to a school visit each year, and foundation and district reports are filed on or before the due date.
Upgrade path	A first gift is followed by a second-gift ask within 90 days, then an invitation to give monthly. Donors reaching $1,000 a year join the mid-level circle with a named staff contact. At $5,000 or on a wealth screening flag they move into a gift officer's portfolio.

Campaign calendar

When	Campaign	Audience	Goal
September	Back-to-school appeal	Current and lapsed annual donors	$90,000
November to December	Year-end appeal with a board matching gift	All individual donors	$330,000
March	Read-aloud week, peer-to-peer	School families, volunteers, corporate teams	$120,000 and 600 new donors
April to May	School visits and spring major gift asks	Major gift portfolio	$500,000
May	Benefit breakfast	Corporate partners and mid-level circle	$300,000
June	Fiscal year-end monthly giving drive	Donors with two or more gifts	150 new monthly donors

Priorities and measures

Priority 1Owner: Director of Development

Build a major gifts program

Major gifts cost 15 cents per dollar and are mostly unrestricted. Growing them from $680,000 to $1.5M is how we replace the foundation grant that is being cut.

Outcome	Baseline	Target	Due
Annual income from gifts of $5,000 and aboveMilestones: $820K by FY27 · $1.1M by FY28	$680K	$1.5M	FY29
Qualified prospects in gift officer portfoliosMilestones: 200 prospects by FY27	120 prospects	300 prospects	FY28
Donors giving $25,000 or more in a yearMilestones: 9 donors by FY27 · 13 donors by FY28	6 donors	18 donors	FY29

Initiatives

• Hire a second major gifts officer and move the director to a portfolio of 40
• Run wealth screening on all 1,900 active donors and school volunteer lists
• Ask each board member to open three introductions a year and join two asks
• Offer named school sponsorships at $110,000 and grade-level sponsorships at $25,000

Targets are illustrative. Adapt them to your baseline before you start.

Priority 2Owner: Annual Giving Manager

Keep the donors we already have

Raising retention from 41% to 55% is worth more than any acquisition campaign we could afford, and retained donors are the source of future major gifts.

Outcome	Baseline	Target	Due
Donors who give again the following yearMilestones: 45% by FY27 · 50% by FY28	41%	55%	FY29
First-time donors who make a second gift within 12 monthsMilestones: 24% by FY27 · 30% by FY28	19%	35%	FY29
Active monthly donorsMilestones: 250 donors by FY27 · 380 donors by FY28	140 donors	500 donors	FY29

Initiatives

• Introduce the thank-you standard and track it for every gift in the donor database
• Create a welcome series for first-time donors that ends with a second-gift ask
• Launch a monthly giving program with a book-a-month offer
• Start a mid-level circle for donors giving $1,000 to $4,999

Targets are illustrative. Adapt them to your baseline before you start.

Priority 3Owner: Grants and Contracts Manager

Reduce dependence on two foundations

Losing even half of the largest grant would close tutoring in four schools. Institutional income needs more funders and longer commitments.

Outcome	Baseline	Target	Due
Income from the two largest fundersMilestones: 23% by FY27 · 19% by FY28	25%	14%	FY29
Foundations giving $100,000 or more a yearMilestones: 6 foundations by FY27 · 8 foundations by FY28	5 foundations	9 foundations	FY29
Annual income from district and state contractsMilestones: $1.2M by FY27 · $1.4M by FY28	$1.1M	$1.5M	FY29

Initiatives

• Commission an independent evaluation of reading gains to support larger applications
• Build a pipeline of 25 regional and national education funders with board introductions
• Negotiate three-year tutoring contracts with the four largest partner districts
• Stop applying for grants under $25,000 that require custom reporting

Targets are illustrative. Adapt them to your baseline before you start.

Priority 4Owner: Corporate Partnerships and Events Manager

Make companies and events pay their way

The gala keeps only 46 cents of each dollar it raises and corporate support is renewed one year at a time. Both take more staff hours than their income justifies.

Outcome	Baseline	Target	Due
Annual income from corporate partnershipsMilestones: $480K by FY27 · $560K by FY28	$450K	$650K	FY29
Corporate partners on multi-year agreementsMilestones: 5 partners by FY27 · 8 partners by FY28	3 partners	10 partners	FY29
Event cost per dollar raisedMilestones: $0.45 by FY27	$0.54	$0.3	FY28

Initiatives

• Replace the gala with a benefit breakfast hosted at a sponsor's venue
• Package school sponsorship with employee volunteer reading days
• Offer partners a three-year agreement with an annual impact report for their staff

Targets are illustrative. Adapt them to your baseline before you start.

Copy example as text

Blank fundraising strategy template

The same structure with a prompt in every field. Copy it, or download it as a Word or Excel file.

Your planFundraising strategy

Organization	[Describe your organization in a few words, with its size]
Ambition	[One sentence on where you want to be at the end of the plan]
Horizon	[How long the plan runs, for example 12 months]

Context

Where we are and what we are choosing

[Where things stand today: the facts that make this strategy necessary]

Challenges

• [A problem the strategy has to solve]
• [A problem the strategy has to solve]

We will focus on

• [Something you are choosing to concentrate on]
• [Something you are choosing to concentrate on]

We will not

• [Something you are deliberately leaving out]
• [Something you are deliberately leaving out]

Case for support

The need	[Your the need]
Our response	[Your our response]
What a gift achieves	[Your what a gift achieves]

Income streams

Stream	Income today	Target	Cost to raise $1
[Stream]	[Income today]	[Target]	[Cost to raise $1]
[Stream]	[Income today]	[Target]	[Cost to raise $1]
[Stream]	[Income today]	[Target]	[Cost to raise $1]

Gift table

Gift level	Gifts needed	Prospects needed	Subtotal
[Gift level]	[Gifts needed]	[Prospects needed]	[Subtotal]
[Gift level]	[Gifts needed]	[Prospects needed]	[Subtotal]
[Gift level]	[Gifts needed]	[Prospects needed]	[Subtotal]

Donor stewardship

Thank-you standard	[Your thank-you standard]
Reporting	[Your reporting]
Upgrade path	[Your upgrade path]

Campaign calendar

When	Campaign	Audience	Goal
[When]	[Campaign]	[Audience]	[Goal]
[When]	[Campaign]	[Audience]	[Goal]
[When]	[Campaign]	[Audience]	[Goal]

Priorities and measures

Priority 1Owner: [Role accountable for this priority]

[Name the priority in a few words]

[Why this priority matters now, in one or two sentences]

Outcome	Baseline	Target	Due
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]

Initiatives

• [A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
• [A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
• [A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
• [A project or action that moves the outcomes above]

Priority 2Owner: [Role accountable for this priority]

[Name the priority in a few words]

[Why this priority matters now, in one or two sentences]

Outcome	Baseline	Target	Due
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]

Initiatives

• [A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
• [A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
• [A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
• [A project or action that moves the outcomes above]

Priority 3Owner: [Role accountable for this priority]

[Name the priority in a few words]

[Why this priority matters now, in one or two sentences]

Outcome	Baseline	Target	Due
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]

Initiatives

• [A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
• [A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
• [A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
• [A project or action that moves the outcomes above]

Priority 4Owner: [Role accountable for this priority]

[Name the priority in a few words]

[Why this priority matters now, in one or two sentences]

Outcome	Baseline	Target	Due
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]

Initiatives

• [A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
• [A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
• [A project or action that moves the outcomes above]

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How to adapt it

1. 01

   Start from what the programs will cost over the period, not from last year's income plus a percentage. The fundraising goal is the gap between that budget and income you can already count on.

2. 02

   List every income stream with its current income and cost to raise a dollar. Put growth where the return is highest and where you have real prospects.

3. 03

   Build the gift table from the top down, and check it against named prospects. Plan for three or four qualified prospects for each gift needed.

4. 04

   Calculate donor retention before planning acquisition. If fewer than half of donors give again, fix stewardship first.

5. 05

   Write the case for support in words a donor could repeat to a friend, with a cost per unit of impact.

6. 06

   Agree what the board will do: gifts, introductions and attendance at asks. Put numbers on it and report them at each meeting.

How to run it

A plan only works if it is reviewed on a rhythm. This is the cadence the example assumes.

Check-in	Outcome owners update progress and confidence weekly.
Review	Priority owners review outcomes and unblock initiatives monthly.
Reset	Leadership revisits priorities and targets quarterly.

Tability keeps this cadence for you. Each priority becomes an objective, each outcome a key result with its baseline and target, and each initiative a tracked task. Owners get a check-in reminder and the plan shows what is on track.

Track this plan in Tability

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Common mistakes

• Setting the goal as last year plus 10% with no view of where each additional dollar will come from.
• Relying on one or two large funders and treating renewal as certain until the letter arrives.
• Judging events by gross income while ignoring staff time and direct costs.
• Spending on finding new donors while most existing donors lapse after a single gift.