Make your fundraising goals SMART!

How do you set your fundraising goals? Do you choose something at random or do you methodically select what you will work on? Have you decided to “raise more money than last year” or “get more donors”? Not good. Do yourself a huge favor and make your goals SMART.

SMART is an acronym that will help set you up for success. It’s a way of setting goals that you can easily create action plans for and then determine whether or not you’ve met them.

This is what the acronym stands for:

S=Specific. Set specific goals for your fundraising activities, such as “acquire 100 new donors this year” or “write 10 grant proposals in March.” Answer the “who”, “what”, “where” and “why” questions to make your goals specific.

M=Measurable. Make sure your goals are easily measurable. Establishing concrete criteria will help you determine if you are successful or not. Think of questions like “how much” and “how many” to make your goal measurable.

A=Achievable. Set goals that you can achieve with the skills and resources you have. Don’t set unrealistic goals; you are likely to get frustrated and stop working on them.

R=Realistic. Set goals that you are willing to work towards and that are achievable. Otherwise, it’s just a dream and that won’t move your fundraising program forward.

T = Timely. Create a timeline for reaching your goals. If you plan to double your donor base, when will you do it?

Good examples of SMART goals:
o Increase our donor base by 10% by June 1, 2009.
o Recruit 2 new sponsors for our Spring Golf Tournament by March 1st.
o Find 6 volunteers to help sort donations at the thrift store on Mondays. Orient them and have them in place before April 15.

By setting SMART goals, you’ll have a much better chance of achieving them and raising the money your organization needs.