When it comes to ensuring a nonprofit’s sustainability, striking the right balance between funding short-term needs and long-term viability hinges on combining annual giving, major giving and planned giving fundraising into a cohesive strategy.

Annual giving provides a steady stream of immediate income, yet its reliance on recurring gifts can present challenges in meeting more ambitious goals. Major giving offers an avenue for securing significant contributions because it signifies a partnership between the donor and your organization—a shared vision on a larger scale.

Planned giving represents an opportunity for generosity that transcends generations and leaves a lasting impact because it embodies foresight, intentionality and a commitment to an investment in the future.

Ducks Unlimited, a nonprofit focused on wetlands preservation where I was controller and director of investments for 18 years, enjoyed eight decades of success from event-based fundraising before creating a more developed and focused strategy to include major gift and planned giving programs out of necessity. 

DU learned the hard way that having only an annual gift strategy exposed the organization’s revenue to the whims of the economy; when yearly donations decreased, vital programs had to be cut. With the addition of both a major and planned giving focus, DU was able to build its fundraising programs over time to address long-term success in both mission delivery and organizational sustainability.

Understanding your philanthropic approach and then formulating a plan may be the most crucial component of your organization’s long-term success. Sharpe Group’s Wholistic Solution was developed to help nonprofit organizations and institutions of all missions and sizes design sustainable fundraising strategies.