Welcome to Step 2 of our 4-Step Fundraising Proce: Create Your Fundraising Plan and Irresistible Offers

If you're joining me after completing Step 1, congratulations—you now have a solid list of 30 to 50 ideal funders tailored to your nonprofit's mission. That's the foundation. But a list alone won't raise money. You need a clear, strategic plan to engage those prospects and an irresistible offer that makes saying yes feel like a no-brainer. That's exactly what we're covering today.

Let me start with a crucial mindset shift: You can't just reach out to a prospect with your hands out. Imagine emailing or calling someone for the first time and immediately asking for money—it's like showing up to a first date and proposing marriage. It feels abrupt, desperate, and off-putting. People often don't like it when you reach out for the first time and ask for money. To raise money successfully, people need to know, like, and trust you. You can only withdraw from a relationship you've invested in. That's why you need a fundraising process that gets them to know, like, and trust you. Your fundraising process should focus on building relationships and providing value before making the ask. This isn't manipulation; it's a natural part of human nature. When you invest time in nurturing connections—sharing insights, offering opportunities, demonstrating impact—funders feel valued, aligned, and excited to support you.

In this step, we'll break down how to create a comprehensive fundraising plan and craft an irresistible offer. I'll explain each component, its importance, and how to brainstorm it personally. Then, we'll discuss using AI to expand and refine your ideas, such as generating a comprehensive plan or refining your offer. By the end, you'll have a roadmap ready to execute, turning your prospect list into actual donations.

First, let's define the two core elements: the fundraising plan and the irresistible offer.

Starting with the irresistible offer. Think of this as packaging your nonprofit's impact like a product—specific, tangible, and tied to a transformation with a clear cost. Donors aren't just giving money; they're buying change. For example, if your organization runs a back-to-school program, your offer could be a "Back-to-School Pack" for $150. This pack includes all the items a student needs to have a great school session: backpack, notebooks, pencils, uniforms, and maybe even tutoring sessions. A funder can then say, "I like to fund 10 packs," knowing exactly what their $1,500 will achieve—10 kids starting the year confident and equipped, reducing dropout risks and boosting community futures.

Why is this important? Generic asks like "Donate to our cause" feel vague and uninspiring. An irresistible offer makes it concrete, emotional, and scalable. It taps into the funder's desire to see real results, making them feel like a hero. Plus, it's easier to promote—on your website, emails, or events.

To brainstorm your offer personally, reflect on your programs. What specific outcomes do you deliver? Break it down: What's the transformation (e.g., a child succeeding in school)? What are the components (e.g., supplies, support)? Assign a cost based on real expenses, adding a bit for overhead. Aim for offers at different levels—$50 for one item, $150 for a pack, $1,000 for a classroom. Spend 10-15 minutes listing 3-5 ideas, tailored to your mission. For an addiction recovery nonprofit, it could be a "$200 Recovery Kit" including counseling sessions, wellness tools, and peer support, transforming someone from isolation to community integration.

Once brainstormed, use AI to refine: Input your mission and ideas into a prompt, and it can expand into detailed descriptions, pricing justifications, and even marketing copy. We'll provide sample prompts in the course workbook.

Now, onto the fundraising plan. This is your blueprint— a document outlining how you'll raise the money, from goal-setting to execution. Without it, your efforts scatter, leading to burnout and low results. With it, you stay focused, track progress, and scale efficiently. The plan includes six key components: the goal, the engagement process (or "plan of care"), the required personnel, execution materials, the offer (which we have already covered), and the execution budget.

Let's break them down one by one.

Component 1: Fundraising Goal.

This is your North Star—what amount do you need to raise, by when, and what transformation will it provide? Be specific. For example, "Raise $50,000 by December 31st to fund 300 Back-to-School Packs, equipping underserved students in our community for academic success and reducing inequality."

Why important? A vague goal, such as "raise more money," lacks urgency and motivation. A clear one rallies your team, excites funders, and allows measurement. It ties back to impact, showing donors their role in the bigger picture.

Brainstorm: Calculate based on needs—program costs, timelines. Factor in your prospect list from Step 1: If you have 50 prospects, aim for 20-30% conversion at average gift sizes. Write it down: Amount + Deadline + Transformation.

Use AI: Prompts can analyze your budget and mission to suggest realistic goals and breakdowns.

Component 2: Fundraising Engagement Process or Plan of Care.

This is the heart of your plan—the step-by-step process to nurture prospects into donors. It follows my proven four-step process, tailored for each donor type (e.g., individuals, corporations, foundations). Include timelines, follow-ups for non-givers, and stewardship for givers to encourage repeats.

The four steps:

• Get Them to Know You: Introduce your nonprofit and mission without asking for anything. Actions might include sending a personalized email with a mission video, inviting them to a virtual event, or sharing a relevant blog post that aligns with their interests. For a corporate funder in the Benefit category, host a webinar on how your programs boost workforce productivity.
  
• Get Them to Like You: Build rapport by providing value and aligning with their goals. Feature them in a newsletter, co-host a community event, or offer exclusive insights. For a Status-driven individual, recognize them publicly at an event.
  
• Get Them to Trust You: Demonstrate credibility with proof. Share impact reports, testimonials, or invite for a site visit/program tour. Use data: "Last year, our packs helped 85% of students improve grades."
  
• Make the Ask: Only now, request support tailored to them. Propose your irresistible offer, like "Would you sponsor 5 packs at $750?" Make it personal, either via a call or a meeting.
  

For each donor type (as categorized in Step 1), adapt these steps accordingly. Add timelines: e.g., Week 1: Know You (email intro); Week 2-3: Like You (event invite); Week 4: Trust You (report share); Week 5: Ask (meeting).

Follow-up for non-givers: If no response is received, send a gentle nudge after two weeks, such as "I wanted to follow up on our invitation—here's a quick impact story." If still no, move to nurture mode (quarterly updates) or deprioritize.

Stewardship for givers: Thank them immediately (personal note), update them on the impact (e.g., photos of funded packs), and invite them to deeper involvement. Aim for repeat gifts: After 6 months, ask again with a new offer.

Why important? This process builds know-like-trust, turning cold prospects into warm relationships. Without it, asks fail; with it, conversion rates soar to 40-60%.

Brainstorm: Map the four steps for 2-3 donor types. Add timelines (e.g., 4-8 weeks per prospect). List follow-up and stewardship tactics.

Use AI: Input your prospect types and mission; it generates customized plans, timelines, and scripts for each step.

Component 3: People Needed to Execute the Plan.

Who will do the work? Outline a lean team: Roles like Founder/ED (oversees asks), Development Coordinator (research/outreach), Program Manager (hosts events), Volunteer (follow-ups).

Why important? Fundraising isn't solo—delegate to avoid overload and ensure consistency.

Brainstorm: List 3-5 roles, responsibilities (e.g., ED: High-level asks), skills (e.g., communication), and time commitments (e.g., 10 hours/week).

Use AI: Our prompts suggest team structures tailored to your size and goals.

Component 4: Execution Materials Needed.

Tools to support your process: Email templates, impact reports, event invites, sponsorship packets, thank-you letters, and social graphics.

Why important? Professional materials build trust and streamline efforts.

Brainstorm: List 5-10 items tied to steps (e.g., Know You: Intro video; Ask: Proposal PDF).

Use AI: Generate templates and content.

Component 5: The Fundraising Offer.

We covered this—integrate it into the plan as the "what" in your ask.

Component 6: Execution Budget.

How much to spend on fundraising? E.g., $2,000 for events, printing, and software. Aim for 10-20% of the goal.

Why important? Tracks ROI; prevents overspending.

Brainstorm: Estimate costs for materials, events, and tools.

Use AI: Budget breakdowns.

To wrap up: Spend 30-60 minutes brainstorming these components. Compile into a simple document or spreadsheet. Then, use AI prompts (in the workbook) to build a comprehensive plan: First, prompt for the goal and offer; second, for the engagement process by donor type; third, for the team, materials, and budget.

This plan isn't set in stone; it will be reviewed quarterly. With it, you're investing in relationships, providing value, and positioning asks for success.

Pause now, grab a piece of paper, and brainstorm your goal and offer. In Step 3, we'll build your team. You're doing great—let's turn prospects into partners! See you soon.

Why This Matters
When you put all of this together — your goal, your offer, your engagement process, your team, your materials, your stewardship — you now have a fundraising system.

This is the difference between winging it and consistently raising money.

Because here’s the truth: money follows clarity, systems, and relationships. If you’re missing any of those, fundraising will always feel like begging. However, once you establish this plan, you’ll have a repeatable process that works not just once, but every time you run it.