How To Write a Fundraising Plan RFP
Many new nonprofits operate without a fundraising plan. A fundraising plan is an essential feature of nonprofit strategy and organizations must develop a quality plan in order to secure their future. Whether it is due to a lack of on-staff experience with drafting a plan or lack of budget to have a plan drafted by a consultant, making a proper request for proposal is a key to getting the best help possible. The Request for Proposal (RFP) that your organization crafts is a critical first step to ensure that you receive the level of service your organization requires. A well-written RFP attracts high-quality vendors that will give you a high-quality fundraising plan. A well-written RFP will also help vendors have a clear understanding of the scope of work, timeline, and deliverables from the outset meaning there will be no loss of time for your organization. Before we get into the specific sections of an RFP, let’s quickly establish a definition of RFP and its purpose. An RFP lists what an organization needs from the hired vendor to complete the project. This list allows vendors to examine the work, decide whether it fits their capacity, and bid on the project in hopes of winning the contract. This process is equally instrumental for vendors as it is for the requesting organization.
Operating without a fundraising plan means that your organization’s development strategy is unplanned and unorganized. The dollars brought in through development are what fuels your mission and keeps the lights on. Having a poor, unorganized strategy here can spell disaster even for organizations that are presently flush with cash. Organizations without plans send out a mailing every so often or put on an event when an idea comes to mind. Oftentimes they will sit back until their bank statement shows a need for cash and then race to find donors and support. This strategy or lack thereof will lead to headaches, poor fundraising performance, and eventually financial disaster. The easiest (and really only) way to avoid this is to craft a written fundraising plan. A written plan serves as a guide when your development team is in the day-to-day scramble for funding. A plan focuses efforts, contains a calendar, offers guiding strategies for specific methods of fundraising, which ultimately serve to structure your approach even when times are stressful. Many new and small nonprofits are the ones lacking a plan and often because they don’t have the experience. Looking to an outside firm to help craft a fundraising plan is common and incredibly impactful for inexperienced nonprofits. Getting the RFP right is critical, so here is a guide to help you acquire the best services to fit your needs.
The Form
Introduction of Purpose
In this first step, you will explain that you are looking for a fundraising plan. This section is a broad description of your need for a fundraising plan which will be expanded upon in the later sections. This introduction is a good point for you to step back and recognize (and write down) the role a fundraising plan will play in your day-to-day strategy and the overall impact you want to see from crafting this plan. Get your major interests in a shortlist to reference and stay on track throughout the RFP writing process. Now for the introduction, you will explain...
Why are you distributing this RFP?
What problem do you need to overcome or improvement you are looking to make?
What do you want to achieve?
Include key big picture details (time frame, etc.)
The introduction’s role is to give a brief section at the outset that informs vendors of the overall goal of this RFP. In this case, they ought to come away knowing that you are looking for a fundraising plan and the timeframe for the project.
Background
The RFP process is not one-sided. Just as you are selecting a candidate, those who see your RFP have to make a decision about whether they want to work with your organization. Offer them the right information to make a well-informed decision about working with you. Supply a succinct history of your organization and the goal for the project. Make sure that the background information offers enough information for vendors to evaluate your organization's current standing. Some key features of this are...
What does your organization do(think vision and mission here)?
What are your core values?
What makes your organization different?
A fundraising plan is built upon your mission statement and the message you want to share with your community. Fundraising will be driven by the question, “why do you need this money,” so it is important that vendors can identify your guiding vision and mission statements from the beginning.
Project Description/Scope of Work
The project description and scope of work is a critical component of an RFP. Part of writing an RFP is understanding what you want. The scope of work allows you to clearly convey your expectations to vendors in order to ensure that you are not getting proposals for a lacking fundraising plan. This section is where understanding the components of a fundraising plan is incredibly helpful. Check out our blog that examines the structure and components of a fundraising plan, so you can make an informed request. This is also the section to include your budget and experience preferences.
Timeline
This section is quite straightforward but nevertheless important. Include the important deadlines of which vendors should be aware. Some key deadlines to consider including:
When do you need responses?
When will you announce your selection?
When will the project begin?
When is the final project deadline?
The reason you want to include deadlines for the project itself is that many vendors have other clients. By having access to your deadlines, they can make a decision about whether they can complete the project within your time constraints. Remember that the longer your proposal requirements are the more time you should allow for responses.
Application Process
Be straight to the point here. Vendors will appreciate it. Explain the structure you would like responses to be. It helps vendors to know exactly what they need to do. It will also help you when selecting a proposal. When all of the proposals are in the same format, you will be able to process them quicker and compare them more effectively. It may also be helpful to vendors to include the deadline in this section as well.
Selection Process
Finally, note how you will go about selecting a proposal to get the contract. Here you can explain what your organization prioritizes (specific credentials, criteria, specific experience). For example, you may want a firm that has experience crafting fundraising plans for parks rather than just nonprofits generally. Including this information, allows vendors to put their best foot forward and explains what skills they have that match your needs. Having the fullest picture of each vendor will also help you better select a quality candidate.
Help Your Vendors and Get the Right Responses
Use Subheadings and Bullet Points
Organizing your RFP with headings, subheadings, and bullet points is helpful for you and vendors. The clearer your RFP is the better chances you have of getting responses from the best vendors. Vendors will be more interested in working with an organization that puts out a quality RFP because vendors want to know what is expected of them in all aspects of the project. Using these organizational features makes your RFP clear as well as scannable.
Understand What You Are Asking For
If you do not understand what you are looking for, you aren’t in a position to evaluate and choose a vendor. Additionally, you may not even receive proposals that capture what you really need to have completed. Getting a bad or off-subject plan can be disastrous and a waste of money. This ties into our earlier point about understanding what a fundraising plan is and what your goals are. Check out our blog on what is a fundraising plan to understand what components you should expect.
Details not Orders
Being thorough is essential. It will help vendors understand what is expected of them across the whole project, but this does not mean you should tell them how to do their job. There is a reason you are sending out an RFP, you need help. You will get more and better responses if vendors feel they have creative freedom to use their skills and insights to help improve your organization.
Proofread and Revise Your RFP
Don’t let a messy RFP turn away high-quality vendors. Reread your RFP several times to ensure that it is free of spelling and grammatical errors. Also, look out for clarity. Any unclear or confusing portions could result in less efficiency as you receive and review proposals or during the onboarding process. Make sure it is easy for vendors to clearly understand what you are looking for, so in turn, you will understand what they are proposing. Your fundraising plan RFP is a big deal! It is the first step toward setting a strategic structure that will support your programming budget and lead to new growth. Additionally, when you are undertaking a fundraising plan you are undertaking the spending of $25,000-$35,000. Make sure to start on the right footing with a quality RFP.
Interested in supporting your future? We want to help prepare your organization to meet its strategic goals. Click the button below to connect with us for a free fundraising plan consultation.
