Fundraising strategy example for a private liberal arts college

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.

Worked example

A complete fundraising strategy for a fictional organization: private liberal arts college with 1,900 undergraduates and 24,000 living alumni.

Worked exampleFundraising strategy

Organization	Private liberal arts college with 1,900 undergraduates and 24,000 living alumni (500 staff)
Ambition	Secure $60M toward a $125M scholarship campaign by fiscal 2029, lift annual gift income from $14.5M to $21M and bring alumni participation back to 21%.
Horizon	3 years

Context

Where we are and what we are choosing

The college received $14.5M in gifts in fiscal 2026: $6.2M in major gifts, $3.6M for the annual fund, $2.4M in bequests, $1.5M in grants and $0.8M from parents. Alumni participation has fallen from 29% to 17% in ten years, and stands at 6% among the last ten classes. Ten donors gave 48% of major gift dollars, and seven of them are over 70. Six gift officers each carry 140 names, yet 58% of the 1,150 alumni rated able to give $100,000 have never been visited. Endowed scholarships fund $5.3M of a $59M financial aid budget.

Challenges

• Financial aid is paid mostly from tuition and the operating budget. Endowment covers 9% of it, so each rise in aid comes out of faculty positions and building maintenance.
• Major giving depends on a small group of older trustees and friends, while the alumni who could succeed them have been rated but never met.
• Graduates of the last ten years have largely stopped giving, and a class that does not give at 25 is hard to bring back at 50.

We will focus on

• The quiet phase of a $125M campaign, with $75M of it for endowed scholarships.
• Discovery visits with rated alumni aged 45 to 65, to build the donor base that follows the current trustees.
• Participation among the last ten classes and reunion years, counted in donors before dollars.

We will not

• A public campaign launch at the 2027 anniversary celebration, which several trustees favor. The campaign stays quiet until $60M is committed.
• Reopening the student phonathon that closed in 2024. Its budget stays with class agents, text outreach and the giving day.
• Making the proposed athletics center a campaign priority. A donor who brings the full cost may name it, but gift officers will not solicit for it.

Case for support

The need	Ninety-six percent of our students receive aid and the average grant is $32,000. Endowed scholarships pay for $5.3M of the $59M we award, so the rest comes from the operating budget, and each year we lose admitted students whose families cannot close a gap of a few thousand dollars.
Our response	The campaign will add $75M to scholarship endowment, enough to fund about $3.4M of aid every year without drawing on tuition. A further $25M supports faculty and the science program, and $25M comes through the annual fund over the life of the campaign.
What a gift achieves	$100,000 endows a scholarship that pays about $4,500 a year in perpetuity. $1M endows one that covers most of a student's tuition every year. A $1,500 annual fund gift does the work of $33,000 of endowment this year.

Income streams

Stream	Income today	Target	Cost to raise $1
Major and principal gifts, cash received	$6.2M	$10.5M	$0.12
Annual fund, alumni and friends	$3.6M	$4.6M	$0.38
Parents fund	$0.8M	$1.1M	$0.25
Realized bequests	$2.4M	$2.6M	$0.06
Foundation and corporate grants	$1.5M	$2.2M	$0.15

Gift table

Gift level	Gifts needed	Prospects needed	Subtotal
$10,000,000	1	3	$10M
$5,000,000	2	6	$10M
$2,500,000	4	14	$10M
$1,000,000	12	40	$12M
$500,000	16	56	$8M
$250,000	24	84	$6M
$100,000	40	140	$4M

Donor stewardship

Thank-you standard	Every gift is receipted within three business days. Gifts of $1,500 or more get a note from a student scholar within two weeks, and donors of new endowed funds get a call from the president.
Reporting	Each endowed fund donor receives a report in October with the fund's market value, its payout and a profile of the student it supports, and is invited to the scholarship lunch in April. Annual fund donors get a one-page summary each summer. Pledge reminders go out 30 days before each installment.
Upgrade path	Young alumni start with a monthly gift of $10 or more and are asked for a five-year pledge at their fifth reunion. Donors with three consecutive years of giving are invited into the $1,500 leadership society. Society members rated at $100,000 or more are assigned to a gift officer, and every 50th reunion class receives a planned gift ask.

Campaign calendar

When	Campaign	Audience	Goal
September to October	Fall appeal and reunion class gift kickoff	Reunion-year alumni and last year's donors	$700,000
October	Homecoming and family weekend	Leadership society members and parents	120 society renewals; $350,000 for the parents fund
November to December	Calendar year-end appeal	All alumni, parents and friends	$1.3M
March	24-hour giving day with class challenges	Alumni, students, faculty and staff	2,400 donors and $650,000
April	Scholarship lunch and senior class gift	Endowed fund donors; graduating seniors	60% senior participation
May to June	Reunion weekend and fiscal year-end close	Reunion classes and lapsed donors	$1.2M and 900 recovered donors

Priorities and measures

Priority 1Owner: Vice President for Advancement

Secure the campaign nucleus during the quiet phase

A $125M campaign is nearly nine years of current giving. It should not be announced until trustees and lead donors have committed about half, starting from the $6M pledged so far.

Outcome	Baseline	Target	Due
Cumulative campaign commitmentsMilestones: $18M by FY27 · $38M by FY28	$6M	$60M	FY29
Campaign gifts of $1M or moreMilestones: 6 commitments by FY27 · 12 commitments by FY28	2 commitments	19 commitments	FY29
Trustees with a signed campaign commitmentMilestones: 70% by FY27	6%	100%	FY28

Initiatives

• Complete every trustee solicitation before any other campaign ask
• Test the scholarship case with 60 top prospects in a feasibility study by March 2027
• Recruit a campaign cabinet of eight volunteers, each responsible for five prospects
• Agree gift counting rules with the board, including how bequest intentions from donors under 70 are counted

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

Priority 2Owner: Director of Major Gifts

Widen major giving beyond ten donors

Ten donors gave 48% of major gift dollars and most are over 70. The alumni who could replace them sit in the database with a rating and no relationship.

Outcome	Baseline	Target	Due
Annual cash from major and principal giftsMilestones: $7.2M by FY27 · $8.8M by FY28	$6.2M	$10.5M	FY29
Alumni rated at $100,000 or more who have met a gift officerMilestones: 55% by FY27 · 68% by FY28	42%	80%	FY29
Major gift dollars from the ten largest donorsMilestones: 44% by FY27 · 38% by FY28	48%	32%	FY29

Initiatives

• Add two gift officers and reduce portfolios from 140 names to 90
• Give each officer 30 discovery visits a year with unvisited rated alumni aged 45 to 65
• Plan six regional trips a year for the president and two deans around prospect meetings
• Offer five-year scholarship pledges from $100,000 that can be completed by bequest

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

Priority 3Owner: Director of Annual Giving

Bring recent graduates back to giving

Participation has fallen 12 points in a decade and the last ten classes give at 6%. The annual fund also produces the leadership donors who become campaign prospects 20 years later.

Outcome	Baseline	Target	Due
Alumni participationMilestones: 18% by FY27 · 19.5% by FY28	17%	21%	FY29
Participation among the last ten graduating classesMilestones: 8% by FY27 · 10% by FY28	6%	12%	FY29
Annual fund income from alumni and friendsMilestones: $3.9M by FY27 · $4.2M by FY28	$3.6M	$4.6M	FY29

Initiatives

• Recruit two class agents for each of the last ten classes and give them a text and social media toolkit
• Introduce a $10 monthly gift promoted at commencement and the first-year reunion
• Fund giving day challenges from trustees that pay out on donor counts, not dollars
• Let seniors and young alumni direct gifts to a student emergency fund

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

Priority 4Owner: Director of Gift Planning

Document the bequests alumni already intend

Bequests supply $2.4M a year, a sixth of gift income, with no staff member dedicated to them. Knowing who has made provisions also tells gift officers whom to thank now.

Outcome	Baseline	Target	Due
Living alumni and friends in the legacy societyMilestones: 350 members by FY27 · 400 members by FY28	310 members	450 members	FY29
Documented value of planned gift expectanciesMilestones: $43M by FY27 · $49M by FY28	$38M	$55M	FY29

Initiatives

• Hire a full-time director of gift planning
• Ask every 50th reunion class for planned gifts as part of its class gift
• Mail a bequest survey to alumni over 60 with 15 or more years of giving

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]

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

   Separate cash received from new commitments. A campaign is measured in commitments, the operating budget in cash, and a strategy that mixes them will mislead the board.

2. 02

   Set the campaign goal from a gift table tested against rated prospects, and decide in advance what share must be committed before a public launch.

3. 03

   Report alumni participation by decade of graduation. An overall rate can hold steady for years while the youngest classes fall away.

4. 04

   Measure how concentrated major giving is among your top ten donors and their ages. If it is high, discovery visits with the next generation come before larger asks of the current one.

5. 05

   Count the rated prospects nobody has visited and size the gift officer team to reach them within the plan.

6. 06

   Give planned giving its own owner and targets if bequests are a meaningful share of income, even though the money arrives later.

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

• Announcing a campaign goal before the lead gifts are in hand, then stretching the timeline to reach it.
• Chasing participation with tiny token gifts in the final week of the fiscal year, which lifts the rate once and builds no habit.
• Counting the same pledge in the campaign total, the annual report and the cash forecast without saying which is which.
• Letting gift officers spend their time with donors who already give, because discovery visits with strangers are harder to book.