Evaluate the current climate

Fundraising goals are often based on how much money is needed to balance your budget. This seems to make sense on the surface. But that number really has nothing to do with your ability to raise that amount of money. You should set your goal based on all the criteria that affect your ability to raise the money, including how much you raised in the past as well as a variety of other internal and external factors.

Internal factors

What's going on inside your organization that could impact fundraising? Do you have new opportunities to take advantage of - a special anniversary, a new director? Have there been changes on your board? Are you also raising money for a capital campaign?

How much fundraising experience does your staff/board have? How much attention do you give to donor relations? Do you have prospects already in the pipeline or are you starting from scratch?

External Factors

Given the economy over the past year and counting, we're used to thinking about economic factors. Consider how these have and will affect your fundraising.

What other external factors could have an impact - the relevance of your mission in the current political environment, giving trends among donors, etc?