Budget Wise

Most leaders in advancement agree on the following:

• Major gifts most often come from longer term, trusting relationships built with donors on a foundation of personalized, face-to-face interactions.

• Annual giving programs are most effective when they are built on a foundation of consistent, multi-channel direct invitations to give.

• Special events should be few and are inefficient for sustainable fundraising.

Consequently, advancement budgets reflect:

• Nominal budgeted amounts for gift officer travel, meals, and lodging.

• Significantly decreasing budgeted amounts for direct mail and minimal (if any) for phonathon programming.

• Increasing percentages of total budgets being allocated to fundraising events.

Today, you may be making budget decisions based on the amount of dollars available to you and repeating what you’ve done in the past.

Tomorrow’s budgeting decisions and allocations, though, should reflect a solid philosophical approach, thoughtful plans, and proven strategies.

How we make a decision impacts the decision itself.