Fundraising Services
Vision & Governance
Getting Started
Philanthropic fundraising requires strong governance and leadership. We work alongside Boards and executive teams to clarify vision and strategic priorities, understand risk, stewardship and donor intent in order to embed a confident culture of philanthropy.
Our support includes vision and priorities workshops, bespoke learning modules, facilitation and Board engagement, strategic planning, policy development, mentoring and practical advice.
“After the first [workshop] session that we did, on vision and mission, we have already implemented those in our organisation. We went to a strategy session and did a whole day on it, using the framework you gave us to narrow down our vision to one sentence.
It forced us to ask lots of really hard questions amongst ourselves…and clarifying the mission set us up not just for fundraising, but as an organisation. Everyone feels really great after that.”
Start with the Board
Accepting donations carries obligations, and honouring donor intent is something only the recipient can do. That is why we start with your Board, and build the structures that keep donor confidence.
Fundraising has to lead
Fundraising is a profession with its own architecture, policies, and line into governance. It is a financial function that affects every part of your organisation. The most common model is direct-marketing led: it presents well, but limits larger gifts and long-term sustainability.
Your Board sees live actions
We build what is missing as we go, and report it on your Board dashboard as actions taken or ready to take, so governance develops alongside the programmes.
Hank Rosso (Godfather of philanthropic fundraising) founded The Fund Raising School in 1974. He called Boards 'the keepers of the hall', and was clear that Board members had to actively support fundraising and resource it.
...the 'keepers of the hall'
TFA works with an organisation's constitution or trust deed, and with the Board that holds governance responsibility for it at the time. Boards have terms, and members move on. The institution endures, and so it must be built to sustain long-term relationships with its supporters and conversations about giving that run over many years.
Every gift carries an intention, and the Board is where that intention is held. Accepting a donation carries obligations, and honouring donor intent is something only the recipient can do. That is why we start with the Board. Fundraising priorities are agreed at governance level, and from there we establish the policies, targets, cost of fundraising, donor charters, and reporting, and which gifts you want to accept and are able to accept.
Fundraising carries risk, and it belongs in governance alongside the other financial functions. Supporters giving at the highest levels are looking for alignment. They want to give significantly to the things they care about most, and to see you succeed over time. These structures are what give them confidence in how their gifts are received and used.
The sector you fundraise in does not change the build. Education, health, conservation, and social services differ from one another, and those differences matter, but they do not change the revenue streams, New Zealand audiences, or the donor lifecycle. What changes is your communications: what is said, how it is communicated, and its impact.
Vision Statement
A vision statement describes the organisation as it would appear in a successful future state. If your organisation were to achieve all its objectives, what would it look like 20 years from now? An effective vision statement is inspirational and ambitious. The Board, along side the fundraising team, collectively help create, develop or update, your organisational vision statement.
A vision is ambitious; it is achievable in the long-term; you will know when you have achieved it; and it is inspirational, not simply aspirational.
Fundraising Priorities
Fundraising priorities dictate where your current need for funding is, in line with your own strategic plan, by grouping activities or projects that would enable your organisation to deliver its overall objectives. It is essential that your fundraising priorities come from your vision and strategy.
Confirmed fundraising priorities enable you to form compelling ‘asks’ because you have clearly articulated a priority area that aligns with donors’ own interests and values, and which they can visualise and understand.
Client testimonials