NONPROFIT SUSTAINABILITY: FUNDRAISING FOUNDATION SNAPSHOT
How solid is your fundraising foundation?
A short assessment for nonprofit leaders — followed by a custom snapshot of what you've built, what's ahead, and what your foundation is currently made of.
Every fundraising strategy sits on a foundation. Some foundations are made of straw — held together by personal effort and constant attention. Others are built of brick and mortar — structural, self-reinforcing, sustainable.
Most nonprofits sit somewhere in between.
The Foundation Checklist reads the 22 practices and structures most telling about where your fundraising currently stands. What you'll receive is a custom snapshot of your foundation — where it's strong, where it's forming, and what building work is available at your stage.
WHAT YOU'LL RECEIVE
Your stage on the foundation spectrum
A clear read on where your fundraising foundation currently stands, from Straw to Brick & Mortar.
A snapshot of five Key Foundational Areas
Direct language about what you've built in each area and where the structure is still forming.
The building work ahead
The specific work available at your stage, sorted by who typically carries it — executive-led, board-led, and shared.
5 minutes to complete. 48 hours to review.
Jennifer personally reviews every submission and prepares your results within 48 hours (excluding weekends). You'll receive a custom PDF and a personal note by email.
The Foundation Checklist is designed for executive directors, CEOs, and development leaders at nonprofits of any size. Your responses are confidential and used only to generate your custom results.
BEFORE WE BEGIN
A few quick details.
So we can send your results to the right place — and give your foundation the right context.
Please complete all fields to continue.
Please enter your name.
Please enter a valid email address.
Please enter your organization name.
This helps us contextualize your results. No exact numbers needed.
AREA 01 OF 5
FUNDamentals
Strategy, case for support, goals, and distribution of work.
These are the structural pieces most fundraising rests on — the strategy, the story, the goals, and who carries the work.
Yes = fully in place today. No = not yet, even if partway there. Answer honestly — this only works if it's accurate.
Please answer all statements on this page to continue.
1. We have a written fundraising strategy.
2. A fundraising strategy and/or goals are used to guide decisions about what to pursue and what not to pursue.
3. We have a clearly articulated case for support.
4. We have written fundraising goals that have been shared with the board.
5. At least one person, besides the executive leader, has fundraising tasks written into their job description.
6. The executive leader has at least one person they can rely on to help with fundraising tasks.
AREA 02 OF 5
Board Engagement & Participation
Board role, financial contribution, and networking.
How the board shows up — the role they play in fundraising, what they give, and how they open doors.
Yes = fully in place today. No = not yet, even if partway there. Answer honestly — this only works if it's accurate.
Please answer all statements on this page to continue.
1. Board members have a clear, defined, documented role in fundraising.
2. Every board member contributes financially to the organization each year — at a level meaningful to them.
3. Board members actively make introductions, open doors, and use their networks to support our fundraising efforts.
4. There is a documented expectation around financial contribution for members of the board of directors.
AREA 03 OF 5
Cultivation
Funder and donor relationship building.
How relationships with funders and donors get built — the list, the role, and the ongoing contact.
Yes = fully in place today. No = not yet, even if partway there. Answer honestly — this only works if it's accurate.
Please answer all statements on this page to continue.
1. We have a documented, visible list of the funders and donors we are actively cultivating.
2. Funder and/or donor cultivation is a defined part of someone's role.
3. We intentionally cultivate relationships with prospective funders and/or donors even when there is no current ask.
4. We are in regular, meaningful contact with our current funders and donors — not just when there is an upcoming or pending ask on the table.
AREA 04 OF 5
Funder-Centric Marketing
Campaigns, impact framing, and marketing capacity.
How the organization communicates with funders and donors — the story, the campaigns, and the capacity to produce them.
Yes = fully in place today. No = not yet, even if partway there. Answer honestly — this only works if it's accurate.
Please answer all statements on this page to continue.
1. Our impact story is framed with funders and donors in mind and includes the problem, the solution, and what their investment makes possible.
2. We use campaigns to communicate with our donors and funders on a regular cadence.
3. We regularly review how our campaigns are landing with funders and donors — and what we learn shapes the next round.
4. We have the people, skills, and tools to consistently produce the marketing assets for our fundraising campaigns.
AREA 05 OF 5
Understanding Fundraising Performance
Metrics, reports, reviews, and accountability.
How the organization sees, discusses, and adjusts its fundraising — the metrics, the reports, and the shared accountability.
Yes = fully in place today. No = not yet, even if partway there. Answer honestly — this only works if it's accurate.
Please answer all statements on this page to continue.
1. We track fundraising metrics such as donor retention rate, average gift/grant amount, and pipeline conversion — not just total dollars raised.
2. We produce fundraising reports on a regular cadence — monthly or quarterly — that leadership and the board actually use.
3. Our board and leadership review fundraising reports together on a regular cadence — and the review shapes what we do for the next cycle.
4. There is clear, mutual accountability between the executive leader and the board for fundraising outcomes — what we're aiming for, who owns what, and how we adjust.
SUBMISSION RECEIVED
Thank you — your snapshot is being prepared.
Jennifer will personally review your responses and prepare your custom results within 48 hours (excluding weekends).
Your Foundation Checklist submission has been received. Here's what happens next:
WITHIN 48 HOURS (EXCLUDING WEEKENDS)
Jennifer reviews your responses personally and prepares your custom results.
YOU'LL RECEIVE BY EMAIL
A custom PDF snapshot of your fundraising foundation, plus a personal note from Jennifer highlighting what stood out.
WHEN YOU'RE READY TO GO DEEPER
Your results email will include a link to schedule a deep dive — a focused consultation where we walk through your specific pattern and map out what comes next.
A NOTE FROM JENNIFER
"I read every submission carefully. Your results won't be automated — they'll reflect what I actually observed about your foundation. If you have any questions in the meantime, reply to the confirmation email in your inbox. I read every one."
You'll receive a confirmation email at your inbox shortly. Your results will arrive within 48 hours. Please add jennifer@organizedsynergy.com to your safe senders list to make sure your results don't land in spam.