Niagara Land Trust: Fundraising and Marketing Plan Case Study

The objective of this independent project was to develop a fundraising and marketing plan to support the communication and development goals of Niagara Land Trust, an environmentally focused not-for-profit (NGO) organization in Niagara, Ontario.

The Niagara Land Trust is a group of concerned and knowledgeable volunteers with experts from a variety of professional backgrounds. Our focus is to work with landowners to acquire, conserve and manage ecological and agricultural land for public interest and benefit while providing leadership in sustainable land stewardship on the properties we own and manage in the Niagara Peninsula. TheNiagara Land Trust is dependent on the support of the community, whether that be through a donation, getting involved on a committee, attending an event or being part of a stewardship team. 

Communication and Development Goals

The Niagara Land Trust board members identified the need for a fundraising and marketing plan to help reach the goal to grow the organization. They needed more help, sustainable financial growth, and improve relationships with key stakeholders. 

The  goals of the Fundraising and Marketing Strategy included a communications plan to:

• Recruit & Retain Volunteers
• Develop Fundraising opportunities
• Develop a Public rRelations strategy

Recommendations were also made to develop internal communications to support the success of this plan.

Research

Research included strategic planning meetings with Board of Directors and F&M committee to first identify the challenges and goals of the F&M plan.  After that, one-on-one meetings to collect information and develop the scope of the project was done involving myself and NLT board members dedicated to the project.  Other secondary research included online methods.  Evaluation was made of the current communications materials, methods and management procedures; which included social media, website, email marketing, graphics, print, and in-person events.   Evaluation of the quality of these materials was important, but primary focus was on how to optimize and manage the current materials and methods to improve communications with the target audience.

Results

Deliverables included a stakeholder planning & engagement strategy, social media & website recommendations (design & management), custom marketing management template (including editorial calendar, metrics to evaluate success), a list of recommended materials & methods, Community Event Management Handbook & Procedures, Recommendations to Recruit & Engage Members, Promotional Video, Timeline, Budget, and Recommended next steps.  Included a Final Report, Presentation to F&M committee & AGM.

Project Duration - Dec. 2014 - June 2015

• Throughout the project [Fundraising & Marketing Plan], Laura worked excellently with the volunteers of the Niagara Land Trust, demonstrating a very high level of people skills. Her commitment to providing work that is both high quality and detailed has led to a great plan for our organization. Her positive attitude and enthusiasm has made it a joy to work with Laura. (August, 2015)
  Tim Seburn, Niagara Land Trust, Treasurer (August, 2015