Nonprofit Toolkit: Annual Fundraising Pipeline

The Annual Fundraising Pipeline

We have consistently used one fundraising tool over the past ten years at my organization; the Annual Fundraising Pipeline. If you are looking for a simple yet powerful tool that tracks your organization's fundraising opportunities, forecasts, and reports on your successes, then I encourage you to download this file.

Make it Your Own

What sets the Fundraising Pipeline apart is its remarkable flexibility. Every organization is unique, so we have made the file editable. Feel free to tailor and customize it according to your organization's needs.

Quarterly Goals

I firmly believe that Fundraisers prefer short-term goals, not intimidating Annual Organization Fundraising Goals. Break up your Annual Goal into four equal quarterly goals. Why does this matter? Your fundraisers will miss some quarters' goals, and when they do, this will allow them to have the necessary closure to move on to the next quarter. For example, my organization's worst fundraising quarter is the year's first quarter. Our fundraisers are always eager to turn the page on the "perceived failure" of the first quarter and win big during the second quarter.

Fundraising Meetings

We use the Fundraising Pipeline at our weekly fundraising meetings. Before the meeting, we ask that all Fundraisers update their Fundraising Pipeline and have it open on their laptops. We use this file as our meeting agenda. Each person will share the funds they won and the opportunities they are working on. We will then offer each other support as needed.

Salesforce & Online CRM Tools

The Fundraising Pipeline is not a replacement for online Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) systems like Salesforce. In my experience, keeping online fundraising systems updated is a struggle. I ask fundraisers to update their online CRM once daily, but their Fundraising Pipeline is always more accurate because this file is so easy to update.

Getting Started

Introducing a new tool within any organization is rarely easy. I would recommend getting your fundraisers together and sharing this file with them. Ask for their thoughts on how it can be edited to reflect your organization's fundraising goals, programs, donor base, challenges, and opportunities. Making the changes together will set you up for a successful roll-out.

Download the Annual Fundraising Pipeline

Five Fundraising Opportunities

AmplifyChange: The website address is http://www.amplifychange.org/. AmplifyChange provides funding to support advocacy and campaigning to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights. Organizations can apply for a grant by submitting an online application form.

Astraea Foundation: The website address is http://www.astraeafoundation.org/. Astraea Foundation provides grants to support LGBTQI organizations working to advance gender and racial justice. Organizations can apply for a grant by submitting a letter of inquiry.

African Women’s Development Fund: The website address is http://awdf.org/. The African Women’s Development Fund provides funding to support women’s rights organizations in Africa. Organizations can apply for a grant by completing an online application form.

FIMI IIWF: The website address is http://www.fimi-iiwf.org/. FIMI IIWF provides funding to support the economic empowerment of Indigenous women. Organizations can apply for a grant by submitting a letter of inquiry.

Cordaid: The website address is http://www.cordaid.org/en/. Cordaid provides funding to support organizations working to improve health care, education, and emergency response in conflict-affected areas. Organizations can apply for a grant by submitting an online application form.