A Fundraising Organization SWOT Analysis for 2014

By Miriam Kagan

A FundRaising Success article in January by F. Duke Haddad, "A Fundraising SWOT Analysis for 2014," recommended that fundraising professionals put together a SWOT analysis to determine areas of personal focus for the upcoming year. That got us thinking … A new year is also a good time for organizational resolutions. Year-end campaigns are completed, the tax receipts mailed and the thank-you letters sent. While the job of a fundraising professional never ends, it does seem like there's a bit of time now to:

Evaluate what has worked, what hasn't and why.
Set new goals, e.g., recruit new and retain prior participants, grow your brand, increase the amount raised for related causes, etc.
Identify the tactics and tools needed to reach those goals.

As part of this exercise many successful organizations perform a SWOT analysis and organize their thoughts in four key areas: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

To help you do this, we've prepopulated an example analysis with a composite of elements we have gathered from talking with many fundraisers who, like you, are continually looking for ways to improve results. View it at right.

Haddad's counsel for a personal SWOT is just as applicable for an organizational SWOT: "As you enter 2014, prioritize areas where you can obtain immediate short- and long-term success. Strive to continue to learn from peers, seek best-of-class examples, stay focused and seek continuing education."

Use this to create your own SWOT analysis now; you'll be glad you did.

Miriam Kagan is senior fundraising consultant at Kimbia. Reach her on Twitter at @MiriamKagan