Development Plan FY 2017-18

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Development Purpose

Mission: Avalon Center works to end domestic and sexual violence by breaking the cycle of abuse

through prevention, education, shelter and support services in the Williamsburg area.

Vision: We envision an aware community that works together to promote healthy relationships and

to end domestic and sexual violence.

Development is the management function to provide resources and funding to support the mission,

goals and objectives of Avalon.

In the 2016-19 Strategic Plan for Avalon, Goal #2 addresses development:

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Development Purpose

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Objective Tasks Success IndicatorEvaluate all Avalon facilities’ needs and costs

Appoint a facilities planning ad-hoc committee

Identify the best options for the Outreach Office, moved to new location by lease end

Determine Shelter Campus facilities’ needs for the next five years

Achieve sustainable funding for the organization

Make an annual development plan to include annual and capital fundraising

Maintain and seek additional grant funds

Increased funding

Prepare the agency for an upcoming capital campaign

Evaluate the capital campaign fund-raising capacity of the board

Provide capital campaign staff and board training

By year three, Avalon will have identified the goal, prepared the case statement and completed the first “silent” phase of the capital campaign

Increase community awareness of and interest in Avalon

Develop a communications plan that reaches a broad audience

Increased knowledge of Avalon services indicated through the organization’s Community Needs Assessment conducted every three years.

Goal # 2: Avalon will assure adequate infrastructure to provide for current and future needs

Development of Avalon over 37 years

• In 1978 a task force of concerned women studied the need for domestic violence services in the Williamsburg

community and created the Williamsburg Task Force on Battered Women.

• In 1980, this task force created its first service, the 24-hour emergency helpline, and was incorporated as a 501

(c) 3 the same year. Shelter was first offered via a network of safe-houses. In 1983 a two-bedroom home was

rented to serve as the shelter. In 1985, services expanded to include sexual assault. The current shelter property

was purchased in 1986, with the original house as the shelter.

• In 1990 the Task Force changed its name to Avalon: A Center for Women and Children.

• Plans for an emergency shelter, six transitional housing units, a multipurpose building and a garage were

approved in 1993. Construction began in March 1998 and was completed in early 1999.

• Avalon opened an Outreach Office in 2000 in the Historic Triangle Building and moved to the office on Ironbound

Road in 2012. In

• In 2016, Avalon provided services in the first six months to more people than in the entire prior fiscal year. The

board underwent a nine-month strategic planning exercise culminating in a plan for advancing the organization

for the next three years. Avalon determined to shorten its name doing business as “Avalon Center.” In 2017,

Avalon expanded its service area to the Middle Peninsula of Virginia, now covering the entire 9th Judicial District, a

population of some 300,000.

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Annual Fund

The Avalon Annual Fund includes

direct financial contributions from:

• Individuals and families

• Civic and faith groups

• Businesses

• Board Signature Events

Individual giving was up 25% over the

previous at $ $130,887. Total direct

contributions were up 6.3% over last

year.

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41105 · Endowment Gifts

41100 · Individual - Other

41110 · Faith Based

41120 · Civic Group

41130 · Business

41200 · Revenue - Foundations -Other

Total 41300 · Revenue fromUnited Way

Total 42100 · Federal Grants

Total 42200 · State Grants

Total 42300 · Local Govt Grants

Total 43000 · Other Revenue

Total 44000 · Special Events

Development Goals FY 2016-2020

Case for Support: Avalon is the only domestic violence shelter and sexual assault center in the region, currently

serving some 600 women, children and men each year. The defined service area populations are growing, and

consequently the demand for Avalon services continues to increase. Avalon needs more funding to meet the demand.

In accordance with the Strategic Plan 2016-19, Avalon will pursue these organizational development goals:

Development Goal One: Achieve sustainable funding for the organization

As our service area populations are increasing, Avalon will require increased funding to meet the demand for

programming. With development staff remaining constant, we set an achievable goal of about 4% increase, fiscal year

over year. In 2016 Direct Contributions were $246,234 and in 2017 $261,625, and increase of 6.3%, exceeding the goal

of 4%. Adding in foundation grants, the total annual fund is $356,992, up over $343,294, an increase of 4%.

Individual gifts, which is where we placed the focus was up 26.9% from $103,145 to $130,888. A significant increase.

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Development Goal: new donors

Objectives

Attract new donors. Examine donor

capture, loss and retention rates to

determine objectives. Our overall donor

renewal rate is 52%, well above the

national average of 39%. For example:

How many new donors do we need to

achieve 10% increase in revenue?

Average gift of $200. To raise an

additional $10,000 in individual giving we

need to achieve a net increase of donors

by at least 50. Need to attract a total of

250 new donors to offset the new donor

lapse rate of 80%.

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Development Goal: event revenue

Attract Donors continued

So, we netted 12 more donors.

Yet, individual giving was way up.

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Status FY 2014-2015 FY 2015-16 FY 2016-17

New Donors 111 153 156

New Donors Renewed --- 28 40

New Donor Renewal Rate --- 25% 26%

Established Donors 558 522 531

Established Donors Renewed --- 316 320

Established Donor Renewal Rate --- 56% 61%

Total Donors 669 675 687

Total Donors Renewed --- 344 360

Total Donor Renewal Rate --- 51% 53%

Increase board event revenue.

Examine 2016 performance and establish event goals and strategies to meet objectives, such as: Begin event planning

earlier. Find new sponsors. Increase number of participants$42,540 over $26,941.

Development Goal: increase awareness

Development Goal Two: Prepare the agency for an upcoming capital campaign

Objectives:

Develop and communicate clear expectations for board involvement in

fundraising.

Educate staff and board about the capital campaign

Ensure development tools are in place.

Create and promote new ways to give, such as planned-giving, and establish gift

acceptance policies for all gifts including those such as stock, real estate and art.

Highlight, encourage and acknowledge legacy giving.

Development Goal Three: Increase community awareness of and interest in Avalon

While the core community of longtime residents in the region have familiarity with

breadth and scope of services. Also, new residents relocating to Williamsburg each

working in Williamsburg may know little if anything about Avalon and its program and

Objectives:

Expand the Avalon network through relationships of board members, staff and

Produce compelling content to make the case for Avalon’s need for new facilities;

generating more awareness across the region

Concentric Circles of Development

Staff and Board work to draw

donors, volunteers and the

community toward the center

of these development

concentric circles through

awareness, cultivation and

recognition. These efforts

strengthen relationships to

prepare the agency for future

needs.

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The Donor Cycle

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Attracting Donors

Activity Who is Responsible?

Public relations, as defined by PRSA,

management function of maintaining

on which the success of the

Staff, using PR best practices, will

array of PR communications

Speaking opportunities

Board members will participate in

community events where they can

of Avalon.

Board and Staff will identify

members and staff to make

Avalon to various audiences.

Friend-raising activities

Board members “open doors”

friends to Avalon, and have

Staff will identify community

support the Board in its efforts to

awareness of Avalon.12

Led by the Development Committee with strategic, consistent outreach through

various initiatives and channels (digital, print, personal) Avalon board and staff will

continue to engage and attract new donors.

Cultivation

“Cultivation consists of all the

relationship-building steps that

lead to donorship — and

cultivation continues as part of a

stewardship program once gifts

are made. Through cultivation,

you learn more about donors,

and they learn more about you.

Each comes to view the other as

a member of the family.”

Public Broadcasting Major

Giving Initiative

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Avalon is

here

Next two

years

Year

three

Identifying and Cultivating Top Donors

75/25 cultivation plan

Examine current and prospective donors – ongoing

Identify top 100 (75 current and 25 new) in the past year, we have identifies our

“focus 100,” and reached out to each personal with a hand-written letter in 2017.

Several responded favorable and attended the wine tour.

2017-18 Goals for cultivation

Establish a plan for the staff and board to approach and become better acquainted

with these identified prospects and current donors who have transformational

capacity. Provide all the board members with their own “portfolios.”

Create a former board members (20-30) advocacy group to meet regularly at

Avalon or at someone’s house, ideally. These “special friends” will broaden

exposure for and introduce more friends to Avalon.14

Donor Stewardship

As the stewards of the funds that individuals and families give to Avalon, we will

ensure donors receive appropriate acknowledgment of their gifts and feedback

on the organization’s progress.

Major donors will receive personal invitations to Avalon events

Who: Staff

Major donors will receive the annual report with a personal letter

Who: Staff

Board members will conduct an annual Thank-a-Thon

Who: Board with staff support

Individual board members will have personal contact with at least three donors

in their portfolio

Who: Board

The Board will conduct a major “signature” fundraising event once a year

Who: Board with staff support

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Gift Acknowledgment Policies

In conjunction with the law, the gift acknowledgement process is determined

by gift level.

• Any gift by a Top 100 is flagged and the steward notified immediately

to personally acknowledge.

• All gifts will be acknowledged with an IRS tax letter within 5-10 business

days

Who: Staff

• Gifts of $250-$999 and first time donors will receive a handwritten note

Who: Director of Development

• Gifts of $1,000+ will receive a personal call or note

Who: Executive Director

• Gifts of $5,000+ will receive a personal call or note

Who: Designated board member

Anonymous gifts will not be acknowledged by name in any publication or

meeting 16

Donor Recognition

Create a donor recognition program to acknowledge giving and

encourage increased support.

Suggested naming for giving levels:

In 2017, we identified donors by giving level for the first time in the

newsletter and at the board event. We also produced the first annual

report.

In 2018, we will build on the recognition levels.

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Humanitarian: $10,000+

Visionary: $5,000 - $10,000

Champion: $2,500 - $4,999

Preventer: $1,000 - $2,499

Guardian: $500 - $999

Nurturer: $250 - $499

Advocate: Up to $249

Donations in the annual report to be

these levels.

Who: Development Committee

level recognition.

Staff produces annual report.

Solicitation

With consistent and frequent contact, we can retain and attract new donors, to

meet fundraising goals. Solicitations will include:

Annual Letter – November letter written and signed by the Executive Director

and/or Board Chair

LYBUNT Letter – “Last year, but not this year.” Those who gave the previous year

but who did not respond to the November appeal, to be sent in February.

Soft Appeals – Two printed newsletters containing a gift envelope, to be sent in

the summer and winter.

Digital news emails sent approximately every other month with a donate button.

In 2017-18, we will send a:

Special Appeal – To raise a stated amount of money for a specific purpose – letters,

emails, personal calls, and contacts. FY2017- encouraged gifts of stock. 2018 appeal

could be regarding the Middle Peninsula.

Invitations to board signature fundraising event

Higher level asks should be done in person, peer to peer. Every board member has

a role in major donor cultivation and fundraising.18

Board Roles

Each Board member will serve in all of these roles.

Leader of Avalon

Set policies that reflect the goals and identity of Avalon. Recruit new board

members who can fulfill all of these roles. Represent Avalon to other influencers

in the region. Write letters to the editor, speak at community gatherings on behalf

of Avalon.

Donor to Avalon

Board members should expect to make a gift annually that represents their

individual capacity, affinity and loyalty to Avalon (one of the top three gifts you

make). Additionally, board members should provide funds to support special

events/appeals.

Ambassador for Avalon

Promote Avalon in your circles and share your board-level knowledge and

involvement. Represent Avalon in photo opportunities and at community events.

Be the eyes and ears of the organization in the community,

Invite people to events, Suggest that friends consider supporting Avalon with an

annual or special gift. Accompany executive director or development director on

donor visits when requested. Hold an event in your home. Thank volunteers and

civic groups when they are on-site volunteering at the shelter campus.

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Development Committee Defined

The purpose of the Development Committee is to ensure adequate funding for

the organization, and, in particular, through board fundraising. Responsibilities

include:

• Working with staff to establish a fundraising plan incorporating Avalon donor

research and metrics to meet the organization’s strategic goals

• Supporting staff in their efforts to raise money

• Leading board outreach initiatives, such as the signature event or thank-a-

thons

• Ensuring the involvement of all board members in fundraising. Examples

include: obtaining event sponsors and “opening doors” for Avalon to new

spheres of influence and funding.

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Public Relations/Communications

Development Goal Three: Increase community awareness of and interest in

Avalon

While the core community of longtime residents in the region have familiarity with

Avalon, many do not know of the breadth and scope of services. Also, new

residents relocating to Williamsburg each year and young professionals working in

Williamsburg may know little if anything about Avalon and its program and

services.

Objectives:

• Develop a PR communications plan with measureable goals to increase

awareness

• Expand the Avalon network through relationships of board, staff and volunteers

-- ongoing

• Establish relationships with the local media and community leaders –

Governor’s Visit in April 2017

• Produce and distribute compelling content including success stories,

testimonials, videos, and photos through all media (news, digital, print, social)

PR/Communications cont’d

• Ensure consistent messaging and branding for Avalon.

• Amplify the Avalon brand by establishing and monitoring the components of

branding ̶ visual identity, key messages and voice ̶ representing Avalon to

its various audiences through all channels.

For example: Avalon uses Associated Press Style (AP Style) in its

communications, rather than MLA, Chicago, or University Press styles

[there are significant differences in usage and punctuation, e.g. no serial

comma.

Ensure branding standards are adhered to in all external communications

by all Avalon representatives, i.e., board, staff and volunteers.

New logo only placed in all materials

Brand colors only and approved imagery to best represent Avalongreen purple

r=152

g=183

b=105

hex

r=96g=35b=104

hex 602368

Development Communications Calendar

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Jul Au Sep Oct Nov De Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun

Annual Report

(newsletter insert )X

Digital Annual Report X

Major Donor Reception X

Direct Mail Letter X X

Board Signature Event X X X X X X X

Board Thankathon X

Signature Event X

Newsy Updates via email X X X X X X