Final thoughts

Five Core Tools:

• Prayer – most effective; engages God and builds community.
• Top 10 List – monthly 10 key fundraising tasks; simple but powerful.
• Fundraising Budget – separate from org budget; shows known donor income + funding gap → forces strategy.
• Calendar – list all donors/audiences + planned communications; reduces stress, ensures consistency, frees creativity.
• Big Question – How are we reaching more new donors than last year?
• Track: how many new people, how many stayed, how many became donors.

Budget Example:

• Org needs $200k, can identify $125k → strategise to raise $75k gap.
  Budget = identified donors + gap strategy.

Calendar:

• Categorise audiences (corporations, foundations, major donors, monthly donors, events, alumni, etc.).
• Plan when/how to communicate (email, meetings, lunches, events).
  Write a full year’s strategy to avoid “reinventing the wheel.”

Benefits (budget + calendar + top 10):

• Cuts stress and scatter; frees leaders to listen calmly; creates space for creativity and vision; keeps fundraising a priority.

Donor/Community Care:

• Lean into relationships → minister to, respect, and love supporters.
• Builds long-term health + life-giving friendships.
• Fundraisers act like shepherds caring for their community.