CFRE Exam: Leadership and Management

CFRE Exam: Leadership and Management What questions should the mission statement answer? - ✔✔ Who is the audience? What's the geographical service area? What is the desired outcome? How do we achieve that outcome? What are our activities? What are the foundations for creating a culture of philanthropy at an organization? - ✔✔ A clear sense of its mission. A clear understanding of the constituency it serves, and how the mission will serve that constituency. A vision for the organization's direction. An understanding of how the organization's activities serve the community. A plan, a budget, and a clear way to communicate the importance of achieving both of those to the public. What are the tools an organization needs to support fundraising? - ✔✔ -Staffing for research. development professionals need to know how to manage against going down the "know everything about a donor" rabbit hole, and spending all their time Googling. -Resources for research. Participation records, public information, peer provided intelligence. -Policies and practices in place to manage information (e.g. 3x5 cards or a database) and make sure it's updated and well organized. -An ongoing research and data management system which includes the ability to track relationships and upcoming interactions while maintaining confidentiality What is the proper way to report on gifts over a campaign? - ✔✔Charts to track numbers of activities, number of gifts and gift amounts. What is planning? - ✔✔Planning is a process of determining how to best achieve desired outcomes What does a good plan do? - ✔✔Ensure that mission and purpose meets one or more constituency needs Determines your focus- where you are going. Outlines strategies for how you will get to where you are going. Creates an awareness of what resources are needed to design, implement, monitor and evaluate the organization's programs and strategies. Helps you monitor your progress. Strengthens accountability, who is going to do what by when. Provides a foundation for management. Positions the organization to maximize success. Strategic plan vs. long range plan - ✔✔Long range planning is what is used to determine the vision of an organization where as strategic planning is focused on a much shorter time-scale. How long does a strategic plan last? - ✔✔3-5 years What does a strategic plan do - 9 things? - ✔✔Names the major steps an organization will take to meet its goals. Clarifies organizational values. Involves conducting market research and analysis of internal and external Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT analysis). Engages constituents in conversations about the future of the organization, and the needs and goals of clients, donors and the community as a whole. Defines an organization's niche in the market place. Sets SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound) goals and objectives for the organization. Outlines who holds the responsibility for each goal, and a timeline for its completion. Estimates the resources needed to achieve goals. Defines indicators of success, and explains how the organization will measure success. What is the first step to strategic planning? - ✔✔Develop consensus within the organization that a planning process should be implemented.