YES Scotland had an official target of winning 65 per cent of the vote in the referendum and was committed to raising a £24 million war chest, according to internal documents.
The group's "strategic business plan" also targeted winning the backing of five national newspapers for independence.
Barely one-fifth (£4.8m) of the £24m figure was raised for campaigning, with the bulk of the sum coming from SNP-supporting EuroMillions winners Colin and Chris Weir.
Yes also secured only 45 per cent of the vote on September 18 and only the Sunday Herald declared itself in favour of independence.
Tory MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife Murdo Fraser yesterday questioned the ambitious targets as he said: "I hope [chief executive] Blair Jenkins and the other senior figures in Yes Scotland were not on a performance-related bonus scheme, given the organisation's miserable failure to meet these targets.
"Getting 65 per cent of the vote was always hugely ambitious and shows a complete lack of understanding of what the Scottish people thought about independence, which was always a minority interest."
Yes Scotland, which has now ceased, was set up in 2012 as a coalition of the SNP, Scottish Greens, the Scottish Socialist Party and unaligned individuals in favour of independence.
Former BBC Scotland head of news Mr Jenkins was at the helm, bolstered by a number of directors.
The blueprint, titled Winning Independence, set out all the body's targets and milestones.
Produced in early 2013, the document was intended to serve as a magnet for big donations.
Among the "top level" targets, Yes wanted to secure a 65 per cent vote share on polling day and 2.4 million votes.
In the referendum held on September 18, 44.7 per cent voted Yes to independence, representing about 1.6 million votes - almost 800,000 votes short of the target.
On the financial front, Yes had raised about £4.5m, with nearly three-quarters coming from the Weirs, from Largs, North Ayrshire. The couple are Britain's biggest EuroMillions winners after scooping a £161m fortune in 2011.
Yes then registered further support of about £350,000, bringing its declared total to more than £4.8m, still far short of the £24m identified in the document.
Some pro-independence supporters were critical of the way Yes spent its budget, particularly on an expensive office in Hope Street, Glasgow and salaries for top-earners. Mr Jenkins was believed to be earning between £100,000 and £120,000 a year.
Many other milestones in the document appear not to have been met. In 2013, Yes wanted to launch a "national assembly" and an "independent economic think thank", both of which failed to materialise.
Publishing an "e magazine" and having 500 media-trained "influencers" also fell by the wayside, as did a planned independence rally days before the vote.
However, successes of the campaign include the Communities department, which is credited with having created an infrastructure that led to a grassroots Yes movement flowering across the country.
The digital team is also deemed to have made an important contribution.
* A call has been made for some of the near-50,000 new members of the Scottish National Party since the referendum to have a say in how its Westminster candidates are selected.
Keith Brown, who is standing for the party's deputy leadership, last night said a rule change was needed, as the new members would have to wait 13 months before they get a say in who represents the party.
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