There are many viable approaches to funding your ministry, however, you should establish a plan in order to ensure that you choose and carry out the best options.
Naturally, brainstorming must precede the actual development of your fundraising plan. Here are a couple questions to get you started:
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Who are your audiences?—Knowing the different groups of people will have a significant impact on what approaches you use.
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What resources do you already use?—Evaluate the resources you currently have so that you can maximize the helpful ones and change or eliminate the ones hindering you.
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What options are available to you?—It is time for you to do some research. Investigate blogs, email newsletters, grant-writing, social media tools, etc. Find ones that suit your strengths and your organization.
Once you have these initial audiences and resources in mind, you can begin the actual fundraising plan. Each step should be customized according to your research and your true needs. It is okay to build some risk and experimentation into your plan, but make sure it is linked to an objective rather than being sloppy and hap-hazard in its approach.
Step #1) Define your goal—this includes short and long term. Add clarifying details if necessary.
Step #2) Write out how you plan to complete this goal—this is the meat of your fundraising plan. You can do this simply in outline format. Select the best options from your research. Detail how each of these options should be accomplished; this should include specific task assignments, additional research needed, etc.
Step #3) Set a deadlines calendar—this will help keep each team member accountable for their parts and give you a time frame. This does not need to be an exhaustive list. By including the basic essential deadlines, this gives you the flexibility to add or change deadlines.
Step #4) Check with your team before beginning—Make sure that people are familiar with the area they have been assigned to or at least have the resources to become familiar with it. For instance, if a group is contacting lapsed donors, they might need to know where to find the list of donors and proper approaches for contacting such people. Having a time to ask questions and clarify will be beneficial to your fundraising in the long run.
Step #5) Establish a time to evaluate—evaluation should occur at decided phases in the fundraising process and at the end of the accomplishment of the short term and long term goals. If an approach is not working, you need to make a change so that your resources are being used wisely. Correct quickly and encourage often to build a strong team.
-- Jessica High manages research and marketing at Christian Foundation Grants (www.christianfoundationgrants.com) which is a subscription database of foundations that provide grants to faith based organizations. iDonate.com is a website (www.iDonate.com) that allows ministries to receive non cash gifts online