The Lost Planet of Development Plans👩‍🚀

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Early in my career I was invited to give a report on fundraising activities at a board meeting. The report went well, however in a follow-up discussion, it was clear the board believed we needed to have better outcomes. Finally, the chairperson turned to me and asked, "What’s your plan for the coming year, and where do we fit in?"

I froze. Even though I had a goal (raise money), I didn’t have a true plan other than working through donor lists and submitting inquiries to charitable foundations.

What a wake-up call!

We fundraisers aren’t typically long-view-strategic-planner types. We’re like Gimli in “Lord of the Rings”: I’m wasted on cross-country! We dwarves are natural sprinters. Very dangerous over short distances.

‍Many of us are natural sprinters😅. It’s where we tend to thrive. Yet it’s worth noting that even Gimli knew there were times he’d have to do things outside of his comfort zone.  Just prior to the scene above, Gimli was instructing his fellow Hobbit travelers to “keep breathing… that’s the key.. breathe.”

I sometimes see my kindred spirits in fundraising drift through their work without a structured development plan - like astronauts floating toward a distant planet with no navigation system. They hope to land somewhere good. They simply don’t quite know how to get there.

And even when a plan is created, it tends to float away to the Lost Planet of Failed Development Plans, ne’er to be seen again…

Let’s fix that.

If you want to move from hopeful fundraising to strategic fundraising, you must create a plan with three cornerstones: SMART goals, clear strategies, and tactical execution. The summary of the plan should easily fit on one page so you can tape it on the wall above your computer.

Let’s break down each of these essentials:

I. SMART Goals: Plotting Your Destination

Vague goals like “raise more money” need clear action steps. You might already be familiar with the SMART framework:

✅ Specific – “Secure $1M in multi-year commitments”
✅ Measurable – “Engage 50 key givers in meaningful conversations”
✅ Achievable – “Increase unrestricted giving by 25%”
✅ Relevant – “Focus on funding program expansion”
✅ Time-bound – “By the end of this calendar year”

Without a specific destination, you’ll end up lost in space, chasing every shiny new opportunity instead of making real progress.

I suggest that all SMART goal sections include the following:* New dollars raised (new and increased giving)* Retained dollars secured* Number of major givers (active and prospective)* Lapsed dollars recovered

II. Strategies: Flight Path

Once you’ve set goals, how will you achieve them? That’s where strategy comes in. These can be short descriptive statements such as:

🚀 One-on-one meetings with individuals
🚀 Activating connectors
🚀 Small group vision events
🚀 Foundations
🚀 Churches

Don’t worry about tactical execution yet…that comes next. And try to keep this strategy list short and manageable. I have some clients who start with just two strategies. They get those working super well before adding more.

3. Tactics: Daily Mission Control

Your tactics, quite simply, are a to-do list for each strategy.

For one-on-one meetings with individuals you might have the following examples:
✅ Schedule three one-on-one meetings per week with key givers.
✅ Send handwritten thank-you notes to 10 givers each month.
✅ Record key insights after every meeting and plan follow-ups.

Some of these to-do lists will get quite detailed and involve different point people. That’s fine as long as the tasks are recorded properly and followed up with your people throughout the process.

Tactics turn ideas into impact.

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Now that you’ve drafted objectives, strategies, and tactics, let’s add a fourth element - a fundraising mission statement

Your organization has a mission statement. But do you have a mission statement for your fundraising efforts?

Fundraising is more than hitting a financial target. It’s about inviting people into something bigger than themselves.

Try answering these questions:
✅ Why does funding this mission matter?
✅ What reputation do we want to have in our fundraising?
✅ How does giving transform lives?
✅ What kind of givers are we inviting into the work?

When you can articulate this clearly, fundraising becomes an invitation, not a transaction.

If your major gift plan feels lost in space, here’s a recap of today’s guide to take action this week:

1️⃣ Clarify your SMART goals.
2️⃣ Choose your key strategies.
3️⃣ Break them down into tactical steps.
4️⃣ Refine your fundraising mission statement.

The next time your board chairperson (or anyone) asks, “Where do we fit in?”* - you’ll be primed and ready for the discussion.

Schedule a call with me if you want to talk further. This past week, four of you reached out and it was great.

Have a great week!

* By the way, this is a *great* question for a board member to be asking… but most won’t know how to articulate it. You might have to help them a bit💓

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If you haven't taken advantage of some of the resources I've created to help major gift fundraisers, take a look now!  Initial calls with me are free and "no strings attached".  Sometimes folks feel like they need to wait and not 'bother' me until they have a pressing issue.  No need for that...just make the call. 🕺

‍Here's where you can access a lot of content for free:

‍* Follow me on LinkedIn - You'll get short pro-tips and reflections on major gift fundraising every day between 5-7am pacific.

* Breakthru Newsletter - As you've seen here, these are longer weekly posts (audio and written) sent directly to your email.

* Breakthru Blog - the newsletter from the previous week gets posted here each week for everyone (so email subscribers get it a week early).

* Breakthru Podcast - Interviews with high net worth givers about how we as fundraisers can get better at inviting them to the party.  And audio readings of Breakthru Blog posts.

‍Before getting to the PAID stuff: My opinion is that no small ministry with a tight budget should be spending more than $3-5k (total) for major gift coaching/consulting.  Most of you will be good-to-go spending far less than that.  This was a major issue for me when I was a frontline fundraiser - major gift consultants were an expensive 'black-box-of-confusion' for me.  That stops now.

‍Here's the PAID stuff:

‍* Online Catalyst Course - This is a full brain dump of my 28+ years of experience - good, bad, ugly.  It's built around the fundamentals, the sacredness, and the fun, of major gift fundraising.  It's infused with Henri Nouwen reflections.  Many people can take this course and they will be 'cooking-with-gas' and not need any additional coaching from me on the core systems.  I'm grateful that this course has gotten *great* reviews.

* Live coaching with me - I refer to this as "brain rental".  The ROI on live coaching, as you might imagine, is extraordinary.

Finally, be sure to connect with my colleague Ivana Salloum.  She's super awesome and can help with scheduling and access to resources, etc.

I look forward to hearing about your good work!

Blessings,