FAQs

The planner is 8 x 10 and is hard cover, bound in a durable linen. There are a total of 196 pages, so it sounds quite large but it's only about a half-inch thick. It weighs just over 1.5 lbs so about the same size as a standard notebook. ​ It's bound with a smyth-sewn layflat binding, so it's very easy to write in. The paper is high quality, uncoated so that ink won't smudge or smear. It's built to last with a strong cover and heavy binding, so it will stand up to even the toughest usage. ​ It's designed specifically to look professional, but also accessible and easy to use. You'll be proud to carry this into meetings or have people see it in your office. And you'll have one place to track all your goals, measure your fundraising results and even send that thank you note to the donor you've been meaning to do.

The Fundraiser's Planner isn't designed or intended to replace a comprehensive, detailed fundraising plan - now, if you don't have a fundraising plan or even struggle in creating one, it will help you develop one and it will help you reach your goals. For members of the community, there will be a step-by-step series of webinars and content to help create a full fundraising plan. ​ The Fundraiser's Planner is very intentionally designed to be used by any fundraiser at any stage of their career. Whether you're just starting out or you're an Executive Director wearing too many hats, including fundraising, or you're a seasoned pro working in a large shop, the planner is flexible enough to support all your needs.

The planner is a comprehensive yearly planner and contains space for: Annual personal and professional/fundraising goals A year-at-glance for high-level goal setting by month Quarterly planning and review Monthly planning and review Weekly/Daily pages to manage your day-to-day schedule and priorities ​ There is plenty of space for notes, and even areas to track professional development activities or CFRE education. Each section includes space to track fundraising results (total dollars, retention rate, etc.), as well as progress towards goals. The pages are all intentionally blank so that it can be adapted to use with a calendar year or fiscal years that start in different months. There is a pocket on the back cover to hold notes, receipts, or the downloadable planner pages members will receive every month via the member e-newsletter.

The planner sells for $99.99 which includes shipping via USPS Media Mail (international shipping to Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom requires an additional charge). We are pleased to be offering introductory pricing, taking an additional 40% off the price. ​ The planner community is $29/month or $279/year (a 20% discount if you join annually vs. monthly). That includes the planner itself and shipping via USPS Media Mail.

The Fundraiser's Planner is available for shipping now! The planner is shipped via USPS Media Mail, so generally takes about 5-6 days to arrive. For customers in Canada it may take a little longer and does require an additional surcharge for international shipping. For shipping to Australia or the United Kingdom, please contact us directly at hello@myfundraisingplanner.com.

It was conceived and created by T. Clay Buck, CFRE of TCB Fundraising and Veronica A. Seymour of Itinerant Communications, both seasoned fundraisers who got the idea because they were tired of never finding the exact right planner to support their work as front-line fundraisers. And, yes, they both have shelves full of unused blank notebooks and planners full of really good ideas. It was designed by Amy Keller of Just Sue Designs (who is amazing!) ​ The Fundraiser's Planner Advisory Council is made of consultants, thought leaders, and practitioners who very generously gave of their time and expertise in reviewing the planner for accuracy, best practice, and focus.

The Planner Community is an online community designed to bring fundraisers and nonprofit professionals together to share ideas, inspire each other, ask questions, and learn how others are using the planner and other fundraising tools. ​ The Community will feature: Online forums created by users around any topic they'd like to discuss, seek help with, or inspire others with. Forums will be moderated so this will be a safe, professional place online to share space with other fundraisers. Online forums specific to the planner itself - how to use it, how to develop metrics, etc. - and fundraising planning in general. Regular "Town Halls" where the community can gather in open discussion about current trends, fundraising tips and tricks, and sharing ideas about fundraising and nonprofit management Monthly webinars on topics specific to fundraising planning and fundraising at specific times of year - for example, the first webinars in Q1 are about how to create the ultimate fundraising and stewardship plan, and there are additional webinars slated for budget planning, Giving Tuesday and Year-End - webinars will also be planned around community feedback and requests so that the whole community is about supporting every fundraiser at every level A monthly email newsletter containing information on current trends, what to look out for in the coming months you may want to add to your planner, a little bit of humor, and downloadable content you can use to add to the planner and keep in the back cover pocket - like the perfect stewardship process or your mid-year campaign plan