Nonprofit autonomy and reliability is the key to a sustainable revenue strategy.

The opening premise of this article is simple. Creating and acting on a clear revenue model is an essential strategy to support the long-term stability of your nonprofit organization. Without intentional strategy your agency is less resilient and less in control of your future. Creating a revenue model is the process of thinking about the potential universe of funding accessible to your organization and making strategic decisions about preserving, increasing and/or expanding revenue streams with the highest potential of working within the constraints of your organizational capacity.

I have worked with many organizations where the starting point for revenue development planning is next year’s budget. However, a “seeking support for programs” approach to resource development is an increasingly unreliable way to raise revenues that support the financial stability of a nonprofit.