Here's how you can set realistic deadlines for fundraising projects.

Several factors can influence the fundraising timeline, including the decision to appoint an external fundraising agent or manage the process internally. Fundraising agents typically possess extensive experience and can provide guidance on the number of investors to approach, the indicative terms to offer, the duration of roadshows, and potential obstacles based on previous cases. With their expertise, it becomes easier to reverse-engineer deadlines for each milestone, ensuring a practical and achievable timetable for all parties involved.

After growing an event from 500 attendees to 1500 in just 3 years, I'd like to share a bit of our winning strategy: The very first thing to do, as the campaign coordinator, is to pull up the previous year's conclusions. Was the effort a success? If so, be sure all key staff has a copy, in advance, including the Volunteer Coordinator. Schedule a Brainstorming Session,. No matter the size of the drive, fundraising is a team effort. Together, review past results. Keep, modify or omit aspects of last year's event, and add new ones. Create a S.M.A.R.T. outline (basic) for this year. Assign coordinators for each headline. They will be responsible for adding the tasks of their section to the outline and submit to the Campaign Coordinator.

Refer to the last budget, making adjustments. Deduct omitted costs. Coordinators will submit updated budgets and activities. Ask HR for %payroll increased. Add additional staff costs if lack of volunteers. SubT+(material costs x inflation)1.10= Est. Budget. Coordinators submit updated timelines. Merge timelines and budget. As always, happy staff matters. There will always be concerns as to what might affect the outcome of an established campaign. Barring catastrophes, I'd rather be paying the costs of reaching out to the public for awareness, services and funding, than paying staff the same amount researching, analyzing, and calculating the chances the campaign will or will not work. Loosen it up, It works. (1-100 NPO)

Give yourself as much time as possible. My walls were covered in 3-4 years of Vis'a'vis Calendar Planners. I was nine months ahead of everyone else, overlapping a year ahead sometimes, but I know, my fellow grant writers know just what that means. My kid's calendars were written in, too. It made it easier not to miss-out on any of the good stuff. Tip* Be sure to check-in with marketing, awareness, volunteers, etc. at least 6ms ahead, with monthly updates. Invite them to visit your calendar. Most will thank you for the less stress. The difference this practice makes... well, it's an article in itself. Did you know that the Rose Bowl Parade crew starts working on the next year's floats right away? I hope they take a weekend off first!

I would start with reviewing past projects or campaigns. If your team performed a SWOT analysis, I would thoroughly review this document. If there’s no analysis available, I would search for the amount raised vs the goal set, past campaign donors, the planning timeline, team members involved, and any events associated before creating a new campaign.

Don’t allow yourself to get stuck in the brainstorming phase. It can be fun and enticing to ideate but push yourself and your team to do also practice quick assessments of scope, time and bandwidth. This will help you move the project forward or move on quickly.

Setting realistic deadlines for fundraising projects can also be enhanced by leveraging project management tools to track progress and identify potential bottlenecks early. Engaging with stakeholders to gather their input and secure their commitment can ensure alignment and support throughout the project. Setting milestones and incorporating buffer times for unforeseen delays can also help in maintaining realistic timelines. Furthermore, conducting a risk assessment to identify and mitigate potential challenges, and regularly reviewing and adjusting plans based on ongoing feedback and data can ensure that deadlines remain achievable and realistic.

Fail fast! Don’t get so bogged down in details and making it “perfect” that you lose sight of the need for continued momentum and drive. Create a culture where mistakes and “failure” are allowed to be learning and growth experiences. The real question is, in any goal setting, when you have a budged dollar amount to raise do you know, well in advance, who those donors are that will contribute it or are you going to be acquiring donors as well, because those two different focal points need different approaches and attention.