The importance of a fundraising audit
The importance of a fundraising audit
By
Lisa Gribling
Naomi Davenport
SUMMARY
This article discusses how a full fundraising audit can help an organisation to align its fundraising activity with its goals and aspirations and put in place the right organisational structure to support fund development, and build a sustainable financial model. The article highlights the key areas for evaluation and issues to be considered when undertaking a fundraising audit.
- Relationships: maintaining and building relationships is at the core of any fundraising effort. This is key with donors and prospects of all shapes and sizes (ensuring there are mechanisms to communicate on a regular basis). Building relationships and securing gifts is not simply about asking for money; it is about building trust, connections, and finding out what is important to those who you wish to enlist to give. To stand the best chance of success you need a properly evaluated and understood list – in one place – of all potential contributors at a ratio of 3:1 of what you need to raise. Consistent research and evidence based evaluation of your prospect list is vital and should cover three key areas: connection, capacity and motivation.
