The Key to a Self-Sustaining Fundraising Program

The Annual Manual helps nonprofit organizations build a strong foundation for their development program by taking the best practices for building an annual fund and adapting them to the unique structure of each individual organization.

The Annual Manual is most effective when implemented in nonprofit organizations with new or small development programs that need to build a strong base of fundraising to fund ongoing operations.

The organizations who see the greatest success in the Annual Manual have the following pieces in place prior to beginning:

• A vision and case for support for the organization
• A fundraising database in place and being maintained, including names, addresses, and phone numbers for prospects and supporters
• A regular communications schedule, including both direct mail and digital communications

If your organization does not have these foundational elements in place, it will be worth your time to take a look at Petrus Development's digital Basic Online Advancement Training (BOAT) course HERE first.

Members receive:

• A one-hour phone consultation with a Petrus consultant twice monthly to guide development activity and answer any questions
• A development calendar to guide fundraising activities over the course of the year
• Access to dozens of training videos and how-to guides covering every aspect of a healthy annual fund
• Access to dozens of samples, templates, and scripts to make implementation of each development practice more simple
• A weekly email to keep fundraising activities on track and provide a look at important upcoming fundraising dates and milestones to be aware of

The most important factor leading to success in fundraising with the Annual Manual is having at least one designated staff member at the organization who can lead development efforts and dedicate time to it every week. We recommend a full-time development director, but this may not be possible for all organizations immediately.

Other factors that lead to success with the Annual Manual include:

• A vision and case for support for the organization
• A fundraising database in place and being maintained, including names, addresses, and phone numbers for prospects and supporters
• A regular communications schedule, including both direct mail and digital communications

If your organization does not have these foundational elements in place, it will be worth your time to take a look at Petrus Development's digital Basic Online Advancement Training (BOAT) course HERE first.

Phone consultations and emails will last for 12 months from the time the organization begins the Annual Manual program. The organization will retain access to the Annual Manual library of training videos, how-to guides, samples, templates, and scripts for the lifetime of the product. 

Building a strong annual fund program is the first step toward financial stability. With a strong annual fund in place from the Annual Manual, organizations will be prepared to begin significant growth in the fundraising by having a pipeline of donors and prospects to approach for major gifts.

The Petrus Major Gifts Coaching program can help organizations to implement major gifts fundraising with intensive, personalized, one-on-one coaching both on-site and remotely.