It’s hard to believe, but we are already on the doorstep of the year-end festivities for 2023. For many Cru teams, the past two months have been a flurry of activity, outreach, and events. As we hit the first lull in the school year, many teams and leaders should begin to get down to brass tacks about their fund development plans for the next year.
As you make these decisions, I wanted to share six potential options for you and your team to consider. Remember that there’s no one-size-fits-all plan when it comes to Fund Development. The size and scope of your movement, the number of staff on your team, your ministry priorities, and many other factors influence what “success” will look like for your team in 2024. What is most important for any team isn’t always what their Development strategy looks like, but that they are taking the next step to do better than they did in years past.
There’s no one-size-fits-all plan when it comes to Fund Development
Depending on your team’s present realities, here are a handful of ideas to consider:
1 - PLAN A VISION DINNER
This is the tried-and-true option for many teams, and for good reason! A Vision Dinner is a gathering of believers in your area where you appreciate them, inform them about your ministry, and invite them to partner with you in your mission. Everything you need to plan your event can be found in the Vision Dinners section of TeamGold. For those of you in the Campus Ministry of Cru, did you know that there is a matching fund of up to $10k available for teams hosting their first Vision Dinner in the past 5 years. Find the link on the TL Toolkit for more details about which teams qualify and how to request. Great for teams that…
Are looking to re-engage partners for the first time since COVID
Need significant funding and/or to grow their base of partners
2 - GATHER DATA FROM PAST DONATIONS TO YOUR MINISTRY
3 - MEET WITH PAST PARTNERS
4 - PRESENT A FUNDING PROPOSAL
5 - ESTABLISH A COMMUNICATION STRATEGY
6 - KEEP YOUR ALUMNI ENGAGED
These are just six of the many, many possible next steps for your team’s Development journey. There are so many opportunities for you and your team out there, and some of them might be ones that you and your team try out for the first time. One of the most exciting part of Development is the opportunity for innovation. The key to remember is that the professionals here at TeamGold are here to help focus that innovation and form it into a strategy that will succeed for you, your partners, and our organization. Make sure to let us know if you're thinking of trying something new so that we can help and learn from you!
One of the most exciting part of Development is the opportunity for innovation.
What other strategies have you found helpful for your team? Feel free to leave a comment below! And if you’re thinking of tackling one of these or any other new ventures as a team, make sure to let us know how we can help!