Uganda Christian university

Name . Mugabi Eltonben

Course unit. Resources mobilization

Lecturer. Mr kiwumulo Peter

Question.

a) Compare and contrast an organizational strategic plan and an organizational fundraising

strategy

b) Benefits of tools used in fundraising

Compare and contrast an organizational strategic plan and an organizational fundraising strategy

A strategic plan is the process of documenting and establishing a direction of your small
business by assessing both where you are and where you are going

Fundraising strategy is defined as the process of when, where and who shall be the appropriate
donor or source of resources in an organization

Fundraising is more of an art than a science which means you have to use your heart, intuition
and common sense rather than some impersonal, mechanical process. That being said, the
process steps for successful fundraising are somewhat mechanical by design – but it’s a big. This
“mechanical” process will only be effective if we focus on the person and not their wallet. This
will force us to focus on the relationship and not the transaction while a strategic plan we mainly
focus on the pocket as who can give more to support the organization.

They both have processes that need to be followed so as to achieve them. Fundraising strategy
has four stages that are: identification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship while fundraising
has formulation, implementation and evaluation. This shows that both have various steps or
processes you go before reaching them.

Fundraising has various forms like face to face, digital, communal, event and many more which
helps the person fundraising to collect more funds for the organization. Strategic plan has no
form but mostly is more about theories and waiting for it to be acted upon.

What sets a strategic plan apart is its focus on the organization and its impact. What changes
would we like to see in the world, and what should our role be in accomplishing those changes?
Strategic plans are visionary documents, although they also need to be practical. Such as: what
strategies do we need to pursue to find the funding we need to achieve that impact?
Organizational fundraising strategy is both theoretical and practical as a person has a lot to do.
The person has to first write to the various donors and create a relationship with them as in the
process and decide which kind of fundraising to use on the donors so as to get money while
strategic plan is more of theory as you valuate and see how you can reach the planning and make
it go further.
Organizational strategic plan is more of organizations having plans that will push them to the
next level. In the competitive fight for major donor attention and support, having a
comprehensive strategic plan is what could make the difference. Today’s donor insists on
knowing the financial health, objectives and long-range goals of a nonprofit. Much like an
investment, they are basing their decisions on sound business practices versus an emotional
appeal. Not every plan is a strategic plan while fundraising majorly consists of choosing the best
donor to help the organization achieve the set goals in terms of their funds since it is only
looking for mostly funds and the donor is yet to know about the organization.

A true strategic plan takes into consideration the external environment and examines the effects
of the environment on an organization’s programs and service offerings and operations. It sheds
light on strengths and weaknesses and provides a 3-5 year blueprint for the organization. A good
strategic plan will identify the issues that drive the future of the organization and works through
a systematic process that positions the organization to be proactive about its future while for
fundraising one can begin from nowhere and later sets his strategy on where he wants to be when
he has received the funds. This makes it totally different form a strategic plan.

Strategic Planning helps an organization to be proactive versus reactive to changes in

competition, funding sources, client needs and capacity issues. It shows discipline and direction
and provides the business case. It illustrates the issues and plans behind their fundraising needs.
Elements of a sound strategic plan include identify in this a strategic plan defines a fundraising
process as it will depend on the next strategy of fundraising or change of the donor. This makes
them similar because they depend on one another and the other cannot work without the other.
b) Benefits of tools used in fundraising

If you ask nonprofits what their biggest challenge is, most of them are likely to say fundraising.
It can be difficult to keep coming up with creative and effective ways to raise money. This can
include; event fundraising, crowd fundraising, community fundraising, and many more which
helps us collect money needed for the organization to grow and its benefits are as stated below;

View trends and opportunities. A donor management platform can help you capture vast amounts
of data on your donors, advocates, and volunteers. Robust software can also help you discover
trends and opportunities right within your current constituent base as well as provide insight into
how to target new prospective constituents.

Nowadays, there are many crowd funding platforms to choose from just Google “crowd funding”
to see prominent sites. After choosing one, just send out your message to your contacts about
your fundraising goals and let the word spread. This type of fundraising can be particularly
relevant for nonprofits because it seeks to engage people closely related to you who are usually
affected in one way or another by the cause you’re seeking funding for.

Entertaining people is a great way to raise funds. Whether you’re selling tickets to a benefits
concert, a stand-up comedy show, bingo, a themed party, or some other kind of event, these ideas
work great for raising money for a cause because you’re also providing fun and entertainment for
your donors. Running a contest on social media can help you engage your current donors while
increasing your donor base. A photo or video contest will have participants sharing their work
with their friends, bringing more traffic and attention to your cause. Read this post from Buffer
to find out how social media can work for your organization.

Today, people use their mobiles to shop, text and, yes, even donate. Mobile apps aren’t just for
big nonprofits. There are lots of DIY mobile app programs out there that smaller nonprofits can
use to get them in the mobile game. One of the benefits of having a mobile app is that it helps
you nurture the relationship you have with the donors who download it, increasing your donor
retention. And, more to the point, you can launch fundraising drives through the app so that
donors can contribute through a platform that is trustable and convenient. You can draw some
inspiration from these mobile fundraising apps. Social media is a powerful way to spread the
word about your nonprofit.

Fundraising campaign management tools, platforms like Facebook make it easier than ever for
followers to get involved with their one-click “Donate Now” button allow you to create and track
campaigns, accept online donations, and manage fundraising events. You’ll also be able to use it
to track annual giving, major giving, matching gifts, and other donation types

Multichannel marketing tools enable simple communication and campaign promotion via email,
direct mail, content management, and social media. While you can integrate dedicated marketing
software, this in a way helps the organization communicate with the donor even if they are very
far but digital makes it simple by making communications easier between the two.

These tools help in building the relationship with the donor and the organization. This we see
that if the organization has found its donor, it will create a relationship between the two and
hence promoting further growth of the organization.

During the process of face to face fundraising, it helps you advertise to the donor about your
organization. This makes the donor believe that you are genuine and helps sell out the
organization to them and hence raising funds.

Face to face helps the person meet the donor in person and hence creating a mutual relationship
between the donor and the organization. The organization will get funds because a mutual
relationship has been created between the two.
References

https://joiningvisionandaction.com/difference-business-plans-strategic-plans

https://trust.guidestar.org/six-tools-to-drive-your-fundraising-activities

https://blog.higherlogic.com/5-ways-technology-can-push-your-fundraising-strategy-forward