Building a Beautiful Fundraising Plan
Summary:
Forget rigid fundraising plans that sit in a drawer. What actually works is building from your strengths, focusing on authentic relationships, and having a flexible menu of options ready when opportunities arise. This article walks you through how to create a fundraising approach that feels energizing and achievable, not overwhelming.
What’s in it for you:
Build an authentic fundraising plan that leverages your unique strengths, not a one-size-fits-all approach.
Map and engage your network with practical, flexible strategies that adapt to new opportunities.
Transform fundraising from a daunting task to an energizing process that feels natural to your organization.
Helia’s Perspective
Fundraising plans generally drive me wild (as most plans do). There's so much time and energy put into them and, yet, when you start to actually use them, what's important is more the thinking that went into them than the specifics that are on paper, which feels so not the point of a plan?
Why is this? Because regardless of what we have written down, hopefully(!), we are responding to what the world brings forward versus what we penciled/inked/laminated on a piece of paper a few weeks/months/years(!) ago.
I've learned this lesson over and over throughout my career – from the days at Ashoka where we focused on donors in the $5K-$15K range because they were genuinely intentional about their giving, to our Audacious Prize win at Think of Us, which was both a stroke of serendipity (I had no idea what that initial application was even for!) and then an intensely focused effort once we realized the opportunity.
What I've found is that focusing only on data and to-do lists OR just getting things on paper to appease others is without question a waste of time. However, taking the time to put together an intentional plan - when it's done well - is beautiful. Expanding to think about what you are truly good at, where you love to spend time, what possibilities exist, your strengths and challenges, who is on your team (the day-to-day, in your community, in the world(!)), what has been working (and not) - this is a meaningful use of time!
After we raised $50M through the Audacious Project , Sixto Cancel, who co-author Jess Skylar, got to co-lead TOU with, got to give a TED Talk! Note - we say raised as it was a full year of all-in with SO much support. Fundraising is not a passive activity!!!!
From Panic to Possibility: The Story
You know the feeling. The board is asking for a fundraising plan, or you're staring at next year's budget gap, or a funder wants to see your sustainability strategy. The panic sets in, and you open a blank document—then what?
I've been there more times than I can count. At Think of Us, we went through a transformative moment when we were awarded the Audacious Prize. What struck me was how much our success hinged not on having predicted this specific opportunity, but on having built the foundation—clear language about our work, strong relationships with key supporters, and an understanding of our unique strengths—that allowed us to pivot quickly when the unexpected appeared.
"We had no idea what that initial application was even for," I often tell people, laughing. "But once we realized the opportunity, we rapidly built both a face-forward strategy for public communications and a behind-the-scenes game plan for relationship management."
This pattern has repeated throughout my career. At Ashoka, we found unexpected success by focusing on donors in the $5K-$15K range—not because they were the biggest checks, but because they were the most intentional givers. At LA Más, the team found their groove not through formal galas or complex social media campaigns, but through authentic community engagement and personalized funder communications that matched their natural strengths.
What I've learned is that effective fundraising plans aren't about predicting every detail or following someone else's template. They're about understanding what you do well, building strong relationships, and creating flexible approaches that let you respond when the world presents opportunities—expected or not.
What this Looks Like in Practice
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First, what lights you up? Think about this both as an organization AND as the humans responsible for fundraising. Maybe you're a brilliant writer who loves creating content that moves people. Or you're that person who gets asked to speak because you know how to inspire a room. Perhaps your calendar is packed with networking events because connecting is your jam, or you have this magical ability to help people find clarity on a decision through asking just the right questions and listening deeply.
I've seen this play out differently across organizations I've worked with. At Think of Us, Sixto had an incredible gift for public speaking – he truly thrived on stage – so we made sure to get on the circuit. But he also excelled at one-on-one relationships, so we built a quarterly investor roundtable that created dedicated touchpoints with key donors, gave them opportunities to engage with each other, and provided timely updates around our board meetings.
LA Más took a completely different approach that matched their team's strengths. They focused on board engagement, community problem-solving, and personalized funder emails rather than social media campaigns or major donor galas. Their beautiful newsletter and authentic community presence built the foundation for consistent support without trying to be something they weren't.
Your strengths show up in what energizes you - those things where you feel an immediate "yes!" versus the ones that make you want to hide under your desk. Think about what you uniquely bring to the table. Are you the one with deep knowledge about where things are now OR exciting ideas about what's possible? Can you reach humans others can't? Are you piloting solutions that could change how things are done, or scaling what works to reach more people and places? Whatever lights you up - and wherever your organization is naturally shining - those are the places to focus and build on.
This is exactly why our fundraising planning process begins with the "Fundraising Vision - The Why" session, where you clarify your organization's story, values, and strengths before diving into any tactical planning.
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Know your humans and organize them thoughtfully. This is about building real relationships and community. Think of your world in tiers: Tier 3 are folks who know you, Tier 2 are those who've seen your magic in action and get excited about it, and Tier 1 are your true believers who will move mountains to make things happen.
At Journey House, they decided to focus their 2025 fundraising plan on one big event, highlighting monthly donor options for current supporters, targeting a few key family foundations, and hosting three major donor dinners hosted by current supporters. This clarity of focus allowed them to map out exactly who needed to be involved when, rather than trying to reach everyone all the time.
What do you ask for? Match it to your strengths and what brings you joy (remember those from earlier?). If you shine at creating content, ask your Tier 1s to help shape that amazing video series while having Tier 2s share it with their networks. If you're all about bringing people together, perhaps your Tier 1s are co-hosting gatherings while Tier 2s are making key introductions. When your relationships can intersect with what brings you joy - that's where your relationships can really flourish.
In our full planning process, the "Stakeholder & Pipeline Mapping - The Who" session helps you organize these relationships into actionable tiers and develop clear engagement strategies for each.
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You know those fundraising plans that feel more like prison sentences than possibilities? I've made (and abandoned) plenty of those. What actually works is having a menu of options ready - different ways to build relationships and share your work that play to your strengths and let you move when opportunities emerge.
I found this to be absolutely true when we were awarded the Audacious Prize at Think of Us. We had to rapidly adapt our entire approach when this massive opportunity appeared. But because we'd built the foundation – having clear language about our work, knowing our key supporters, and understanding our unique strengths – we could pivot quickly. We created a comprehensive face-forward strategy for public communications while simultaneously developing a behind-the-scenes game plan for relationship management.
The beauty of this approach is that you can design multiple campaigns and then test what works. Maybe you start with intimate gatherings hosted by your true believers, or you focus on funder briefings where you share your incredible impact stories. Whatever you choose, when something clicks, that's where you put your energy! Having options lets you respond to what's actually happening versus being stuck with a rigid plan that doesn't match reality.
This is why the "Campaign Design - The How" session in our planning process focuses on co-creating 2-3 tailored fundraising campaigns that leverage your unique strengths and stakeholder relationships.
Secret Sauce
If there's one thing you should do, it's: Start with what makes you and your organization genuinely shine, then build outward from there. The best fundraising plans leverage what you're already good at—they don't force you to become something you're not.
Stay strategic but flexible: Have a clear direction but be ready to adapt when opportunities arise. When we won the Audacious Prize, we had no idea that initial application would lead where it did, but once we saw the potential, we made it our focus.
Be honest about your strengths: Don't try to do everything at once. Journey House focused on one signature event plus three donor dinners. LA Más leaned into community relationships rather than traditional galas. Each organization should find what fits their unique culture and capacity.
Relationships before transactions: The strongest fundraising happens when you're not just asking for money but building genuine connections. At Think of Us, our quarterly investor roundtables gave donors a chance to engage with each other, not just with us.
Consistent rhythms matter: Whether it's Journey House's monthly check-ins on fundraising pipeline or Think of Us's updates after board meetings, having a regular cadence helps keep fundraising from becoming an emergency-only activity.
Remember: The goal isn't to do everything - it's to do the right things consistently well. This process helps you focus on what matters most for your organization.
Co-author Natalie Bergstrasser with one of her favorite pastimes - ice cream (because it turns out that every picture of her that she likes in the last two years involves ice cream!).
Questions to Ask Yourself
What fundraising activities have I genuinely enjoyed? Where have I seen the most success with the least struggle?
Who are my Tier 1 supporters who would move mountains for this organization? Am I engaging them effectively?
What one fundraising approach best matches our organization's authentic strengths that we could focus on this year?
How much of our current fundraising plan feels like "we should do this" versus "we'd be excited to do this"?
If we had to cut our fundraising activities in half, which ones would we keep and why?
Want to Try This?
Templates & Guides:
Our Fundraising Planning Process walks you through the full journey - from vision to implementation - with specific worksheets and agendas for each session.
Survival Guide for Nonprofits (scroll down Nancy’s website!) - A concise and practical resource from Helia contributor Nancy Fournier - filled with steps to protect your funding and more.
Ensure you’re building your fundraising plan in alignment with your overall strategy by building comprehensive OKRs through thoughtful strategic planning!
Recommended Reads:
Check out Helia’s Campaign Inspiration Guide - think of it as a menu of possibilities: campaign ideas and components you can mix and match based on what works for you!
Have a resource you recommend for strategic fundraising? Tell us about it!
Connections:
Sometimes you need an outside perspective. We've heard wonderful things about Smarter Good and Raise for Good.
Angela Rogensues has been a brilliant fundraiser in her career - working with non-profits from the Bay Area to Michigan and then in her political career running at the local AND national level - and now offers support to others. True definition of a doer who gets things done!
Natalie + Jess from Helia Consulting love to jump in and help with fundraising planning and as interim team members to put hands on keyboard and get things done!
This is from Helia’s perspective! We've learned the most from doing and from talking with other doers willing to share their wisdom. We share these stories in the Helia Library because we don't need to start from blank pages or do it all alone.
As always, take what's helpful, leave what's not, and make it your own.
