Fundraising plan 2027, Pawsmere Animal Rescue

Fundraising plan template with sources, targets and calendar

A fundraising plan has to say how much a charity needs, where each dollar is expected to come from, when every appeal and event happens and what it costs to raise the money. This five page plan for an animal shelter raising $240,000 sets six income sources against last year, a month by month calendar, a donor journey, a $46,000 cost budget and six measures.

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Pawsmere Animal Rescue
Approved 7 December 2026

Fundraising plan 2027

$240,000 from six sources to rehome 900 animals and open a second cattery wing.

Prepared by
Fundraising and communications manager
Date
Approved 7 December 2026
Pawsmere Animal Rescue, fundraising plan 2027Page 2 of 5
Pawsmere Animal Rescue, fundraising plan 2027Page 3 of 5
Pawsmere Animal Rescue, fundraising plan 2027Page 4 of 5
Pawsmere Animal Rescue, fundraising plan 2027Page 5 of 5
1. What the money is for

Pawsmere Animal Rescue takes in lost, surrendered and abandoned cats and dogs, gives them veterinary care, and finds them homes. In 2026 we rehomed 812 animals with 6 staff and 140 volunteers. Adoption fees and a council pound contract cover about half our costs. Fundraising covers the rest.

In 2027 we need to raise $240,000: $190,000 for veterinary care and daily running, and $50,000 towards a second cattery wing that lets us take 90 more cats a year. The goal is to rehome 900 animals.

$240,000
Fundraising target
$196,400
Raised in 2026
1,320
Active donors
900
Animals to rehome
2. Income sources and targets

Six sources make up the target. The plan leans on regular giving because it is the most predictable money we have and grows every year we look after it.

Source
2026 actual
2027 target
Share
Lead
Regular monthly giving
$58,800
$72,000
30.0%
Fundraising manager
Appeals, mail and email
$47,100
$54,000
22.5%
Fundraising manager
Trusts, foundations and grants
$41,500
$48,000
20.0%
Grant writer
Community events
$26,300
$30,000
12.5%
Events volunteer lead
Business partners
$15,200
$24,000
10.0%
Chief executive
Gifts in wills
$7,500
$12,000
5.0%
Chief executive
Total
$196,400
$240,000
100.0%

Regular giving rises because 160 new monthly donors at an average of $25 a month is $48,000 a year at full run rate; the plan counts $13,200 of it in 2027, as donors join through the year. Gifts in wills are unpredictable, so the board treats any amount above $12,000 as a bonus for the cattery.

3. Calendar of appeals and events
Month
Activity
Target
Channel
February
Grant round 1: veterinary equipment, two foundations
$20,000
Applications
March
Autumn appeal: "Ruby's second chance"
$22,000
Mail and email
April
Open day and adoption drive
$6,000
Event
May
Regular giving month: monthly donor drive
Counted above
Email, social, phone
June
End of financial year tax appeal
$12,000
Email
August
Grant round 2: cattery wing
$28,000
Applications
September
Paws on the Promenade community walk
$24,000
Event
October
Gifts in wills information mailing to long term donors
Pledges
Mail
November
Christmas appeal: "Home for the holidays"
$20,000
Mail and email
Year round
Business partner sponsorships and staff giving
$24,000
Meetings

The three appeals add to $54,000 and the two grant rounds to $48,000, matching section 2. Events add to $30,000.

4. Donor journey

Most donors give once and never again, because nobody tells them what their gift did. The journey below is how a first gift becomes a long relationship.

Day 1, thank you
An email within 24 hours, from the animal's point of view, and a receipt.
Day 7, welcome
A letter from the shelter manager with a photo of an animal adopted that week.
Day 30, the story
What happened to the animal in the appeal, and how the gift helped.
Day 60, invitation
An invitation to the open day or a volunteer shift. No ask for money.
Day 90, the ask
An invitation to give monthly, with what $25 a month pays for.
Every year, a report
A one page report in February on the year's animals and money.
Day 1, thank you
An email within 24 hours, from the animal's point of view, and a receipt.
Day 7, welcome
A letter from the shelter manager with a photo of an animal adopted that week.
Day 30, the story
What happened to the animal in the appeal, and how the gift helped.
Day 60, invitation
An invitation to the open day or a volunteer shift. No ask for money.
Day 90, the ask
An invitation to give monthly, with what $25 a month pays for.
Every year, a report
A one page report in February on the year's animals and money.
Day 1, thank you
An email within 24 hours, from the animal's point of view, and a receipt.
Day 7, welcome
A letter from the shelter manager with a photo of an animal adopted that week.
Day 30, the story
What happened to the animal in the appeal, and how the gift helped.
Day 60, invitation
An invitation to the open day or a volunteer shift. No ask for money.
Day 90, the ask
An invitation to give monthly, with what $25 a month pays for.
Every year, a report
A one page report in February on the year's animals and money.

Donors can choose how often we contact them, or ask us to stop, at any time. Phone calls go only to donors who have agreed to them.

5. Fundraising costs
Cost
Budget
Supports
Appeal printing and postage
$14,000
Appeals, wills mailing
Event costs, permits and insurance
$12,000
Open day, community walk
Digital advertising
$8,000
Regular giving drive, appeals
Donor database subscription
$6,000
All sources
Contract grant writer
$6,000
Grant rounds
Total costs
$46,000

At $46,000 against $240,000, each dollar raised costs 19 cents, down from 21 cents in 2026. Net funds for the animals are $194,000.

6. Measures
Measure
2026
2027 target
Reviewed
Total raised
$196,400
$240,000
Monthly
Monthly donors
196
356
Monthly
First time donors who give again within 12 months
31%
40%
Quarterly
Cost to raise a dollar
21 cents
19 cents
Quarterly
Grant success rate
3 of 8
4 of 8
After each round
Gifts in wills pledged
9
15
Annually
Measure
2026
2027 target
Reviewed
Total raised
$196,400
$240,000
Monthly
Monthly donors
196
356
Monthly
First time donors who give again within 12 months
31%
40%
Quarterly
Cost to raise a dollar
21 cents
19 cents
Quarterly
Grant success rate
3 of 8
4 of 8
After each round
Gifts in wills pledged
9
15
Annually
Measure
2026
2027 target
Reviewed
Total raised
$196,400
$240,000
Monthly
Monthly donors
196
356
Monthly
First time donors who give again within 12 months
31%
40%
Quarterly
Cost to raise a dollar
21 cents
19 cents
Quarterly
Grant success rate
3 of 8
4 of 8
After each round
Gifts in wills pledged
9
15
Annually

The fundraising manager reports to the board every two months. If income is more than 15% behind target at the end of June, the board decides by July which cattery spending to defer, so running costs for the animals are protected first.

Section by section

What each section is for, so you can keep the ones you need and drop the rest.

Cover
Masthead cover with the shelter, the plan year and the target.
1. What the money is for
Running costs and the cattery wing, with four headline figures.
2. Income sources and targets
Six sources with last year, target, share and lead.
3. Calendar of appeals and events
Ten activities by month, with targets that match the sources.
4. Donor journey
Six steps from thank you to annual report, and contact choices.
5 and 6. Costs and measures
$46,000 of costs, the cost to raise a dollar and six measures.

How to adapt this document

First, rebuild the sources table from your own last year by source, and only grow a line where you can name the activity that grows it. Second, write your appeal calendar around your cause's own moments, such as a season, an anniversary or the end of the tax year where you are, and check the targets add back to the sources. Third, write the donor journey before the first appeal goes out, so the thank you is ready when the first gift arrives.

What makes this document work

Sources, calendar and target agree

Six sources add to $240,000 with shares totalling 100.0%, and the calendar matches them: three appeals of $22,000, $12,000 and $20,000 make the $54,000 appeals line, two grant rounds make $48,000, and the open day and community walk make $30,000. Last year's $196,400 sits beside each line.

Regular giving is counted honestly

160 new monthly donors at $25 a month would give $48,000 a year at full run rate, but the plan counts only $13,200 in 2027 because donors join through the year. Gifts in wills are capped at $12,000 in the plan, and anything above that goes to the cattery.

The donor journey earns the second gift

A first gift gets a thank you within 24 hours, a welcome at day 7, the animal's story at day 30 and an invitation with no ask at day 60, before an invitation to give monthly at day 90. The measure that tracks it, donors who give again within 12 months, rises from 31% to 40%.

Questions people ask

How do you set a realistic fundraising target?

Start from what the money is for and what last year raised by source, then grow each source by what you can justify, such as new monthly donors you can recruit or grants you can apply for. Add the sources rather than picking a total first. This plan grows from $196,400 to $240,000, with a reason for every line.

What is a donor journey?

A donor journey is the planned sequence of contact after someone gives, designed to thank them, show what their gift did and build a relationship before the next request. Many first time donors never give again because they hear nothing but asks. Mapping the journey by day, as section 4 does, makes the thanks happen every time.

What is a reasonable cost to raise a dollar?

It varies with the mix of activities. Grants and gifts in wills usually cost little to raise, events and recruiting new donors cost more. Many small charities aim for well under 25 cents in the dollar across a year. Track it as a trend, as this plan does from 21 to 19 cents, rather than as a single target.

Why focus on regular monthly giving?

Monthly donors give a predictable income that the charity can plan around, and they tend to stay for years and give more in total than one off donors. The trade off is that recruiting them takes time and money up front. A plan should show both the full year value and the smaller amount counted in the first year.

What should a fundraising plan do if income falls behind?

Set a checkpoint and a rule in advance, such as reviewing at mid year and deciding which spending to defer if income is more than a set percentage behind. Protect core services first and defer projects. Deciding the rule before it is needed avoids rushed cuts and keeps the board and staff agreed on priorities.

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