Advancing a mission requires resources. Nonprofit organizations depend upon a well-balanced and sustainable income model to do their work, and philanthropy is typically a critical component of that model. Development is the practice of acquiring and retaining those resources in a productive and sustainable way.

Development is both an art and a skill. The art is what most organizations do naturally – they bring the mission to life by expressing their passion and commitment to the work and the cause. The skill bolsters that art with tools and tactics that increase efficiency and effectiveness.

In this series, Fuel the Mission, we’ll dive into three areas of a productive development practice, providing actionable insights and information that can be immediately adopted within an organization. The recommendations and practices shared will be scalable and flexible so that they can be adjusted to the needs of any organization. The sessions will be interactive, blending presentations with breakouts. Each session will include a resource kit with tools and additional information.

The series will include:

October 17, 2023 | 11:00 am – 2:00 pm (3 hours)

Session 1: Building relationships and measuring success

Quite simply, development is a numbers game. A productive program reaches audiences likely to be interested in the organization, cultivates a relationship, solicits giving, and stewards donors. Clear metrics and measures help keep the system focused on what is working and where to invest precious resources (time and money).

This session will first explore the relationship between communications and development, exploring the donor lifecycle and what an organization should do at each point in the donor’s journey. Then, we’ll look at the tools that will measure progress and success, noting the key metrics every development program should monitor.

October 31, 2023 | 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm (2 hours)

Workshop 2: End-of-Year Giving Campaigns

Organizations receive up to 80% of contributed income in the final three months of the calendar year. It is important to have a strategic and coordinated end-of-year campaign strategy to make the most of the “giving season.” A campaign is a set of activities that ensure your organization is front-of-mind with donors and makes a compelling case for giving. It is not just a single mailed appeal letter or a social media post on Giving Tuesday.

In this session, we will map out the key tactics and approaches for a productive end-of-year campaign, from writing to tactic. The lessons will apply to end-of-year campaigns and to any mini-campaigns conducted throughout the year.

November 14, 2023 | 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm (2 hours)

Workshop 3: Major Gift Fundraising

Major gift fundraising is the most productive, most cost-efficient development strategy. While it takes time and commitment, it also yields the greatest results. And, it’s usually (and should be!) a very rewarding experience for both the organization and the donor. That’s because the key to major gift fundraising is managing meaningful, authentic, and personal relationships.

In this session, we’ll first define a major gift program and understand how it adapts to an organization’s situation and needs. Then, we’ll review guidelines for setting up and managing a major gifts program. Finally, we’ll discuss the tools and tactics that will make the program sustainable and successful.

Beyond the sessions

In order to ensure that the material and concepts reviewed in the workshops are appropriately adopted within an organization, there is an opportunity for two follow-ups after the sessions.

1. Office hours (November and December): Following the sessions, participating organizations can sign up for 1-hour virtual meetings with Plentiful to discuss their advancement and development programs and goals. Ideally, the organizations will attempt to apply the information and tools provided in the sessions. Then, we can use these 1:1 conversations to explore a specific issue, challenge, or opportunity.
2. Review and Reflect (January): We will reconvene the participating organizations for a final 90-minute discussion in January to collect feedback on the process and to learn as a group from each other’s experiences. This will give us an opportunity to hear from each organization as it endeavors to implement the tools and practices. We can explore frequent questions, common hurdles, and unexpected challenges. We can also celebrate progress, momentum, and early successes. We will also answer the question: what’s next?

Who should attend? 

Any nonprofit organization in Athens County looking to enhance and evolve its development program is eligible to apply. This will work for organizations of any size and resources that need to establish (or re-establish) an efficient and effective development practice and/or are looking to grow contributed income. Each organization may send up to two individuals with responsibility for development, which could include executive directors/CEOs, development staff, communications staff, and board members. The same participants must attend all three workshops.

Location and logistics

The sessions will be held at the Leadership Room, Building 21, The Ridges, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio. Lunch will be provided at the sessions. Additional logistical information will be sent to confirmed participants.

About Plentiful

Plentiful is a woman-owned consultancy that helps your organization fuel its mission and goals. We do that through every aspect of the advancement model—the blend of marketing and communications with development to create a program that drives engagement with the mission. Everything we do starts with this truth: Relationships matter. Plentiful began in 2016 with the goal of working collaboratively with nonprofit organizations to enhance and elevate their advancement programs by providing resources, strategies, and guidance. We have worked with organizations of all shapes and sizes across sectors around the state of Ohio and beyond.

Carey Schmitt

As owner of Plentiful, Carey is honored to partner with organizations that strive towards big aspirations to advance valuable missions. She believes in the power and potential of the social sector and is excited about the future of philanthropy. This passion comes from working with nonprofit organizations for over 20 years, creating strategic solutions for clients that provide focused, integrated, and resource-efficient pathways to achieving goals. Carey started her career as a legislative staffer on Capitol Hill. She leveraged strategic communications to engage constituents and build awareness for policy initiatives. Once she landed in Ohio, she translated that experience to serving clients through brand and marketing agencies, both serving clients and growing those businesses as part of the leadership team. In 2018, she joined Plentiful with its founder, Sharon Steele. The common thread throughout her career is her passion for creating strategies that will accomplish big goals. Carey’s consulting experience includes partnering with colleges and universities nationwide to achieve multi-million- and multi-billion-dollar comprehensive campaigns. She has also collaborated with many Ohio nonprofit organizations to engage and mobilize supporters to fuel the mission. Carey specializes in shaping right-sized advancement programs to increase audience engagement in a single year and elevate staff productivity and proficiency. Throughout her career, Carey is most focused on leveraging an organization’s strengths and assets to create sustainable momentum, recognizing that a strategy is only as good as the outcomes it generates.

Strengths+Strengths is a special initiative designed to provide nonprofit organizations throughout Athens County with access to professional resources, expert insights, and leading best practices. The goal is to help those who do good do even better. Every organization has strengths and has opportunities to build on those strengths. This program listens to what organizations say they need to get to where they want to go and makes those resources available at no fee. Ultimately, by supporting nonprofit organizations and social sector leaders, we are building the strengths of our county and advancing important mission work in the region.

This series is brought to you by