Blog

Several years ago, I was contacted by a reporter covering philanthropy for our city’s leading newspaper. Researching her assignment, she was struck by an interesting fact. “Why,” she asked, “are so many nonprofits engaged in capital campaigns?”

In reply, I shared a sentiment well-known in the nonprofit sector: If you are not in a campaign, you are actively celebrating a campaign or gearing up for the next. As fundraising consultants, we meet with many organizations at each stage of the campaign continuum. And the question often becomes, what needs to be in place to conduct a successful campaign?

1. A Vision for the Future. Every nonprofit has needs – and with more than 1.3 million nonprofits in the US today, the competition for funding is fierce. But as tempting as it may be to launch a campaign to address operational or short-term challenges, organizations must consider what compels donors to make extraordinary gifts. Will their gift have a significant impact – advancing a mission that is close to their heart while, potentially, ensuring the future health and financial security of the nonprofit? In the best-case scenario, a campaign is undertaken as the direct result of a thoughtful strategic plan addressing an organization’s future goals and objectives. It may also be driven by an undeniable extraordinary need which, if unmet, will prevent a critical program from operating. In both scenarios, fundraisers have what they need to make a strong and compelling ‘case for support’ – assuring donors that that they are making a wise investment in a well-run entity whose leadership will use their contribution to implement a future vision.
2. Prospects Ready to Meet the Need. Equally important to a campaign’s success is a pool of prospects ready, willing and able to make a leadership or major gift. While it is not unheard of for a nonprofit to meet a specific need by conducting a small, targeted campaign among a handful of leadership donors, this is the exception to the rule. It is much more common to find that organizations will need to engage many donors giving at all levels to achieve a campaign goal. And while it can be tempting for an organization to launch a campaign to excite a leadership donor or known community philanthropist, jumping in prematurely without a wider cultivated prospect pool can often lead to a less than successful outcome. As a consultant, exploring the depth of an organization’s “bench” must be a top priority and key objective of any campaign planning study. Are there prospects, beyond a handful of leadership donors, who are willing to go above and beyond their annual giving to make that stretch campaign gift?
3. Capacity to Take it On. While consultants frequently note that campaigns require a strong case for support, a cultivated prospect pool, committed leaders and a thoughtful plan, none of that matters without the staffing and systems in place to manage the campaign process. From prospect engagement and donor stewardship to managing volunteers and making the asks, having the staff and tools necessary to take on the added workload a campaign brings can make or break its success. This is not merely a question of staffing, although that is certainly a consideration, but whether the current staff can maintain existing programming and operations while planning for and engaging in a campaign. Are development operations structured to support campaign activity? Is there a knowledgeable major gift officer or team? Will the budget support the travel, events, marketing materials, and stewardship activities a campaign demands? All are important considerations when creating a campaign plan.

Campaigns allow organizations to go above and beyond – and to achieve extraordinary things. As I noted so many years ago, campaigns are a nonprofit’s reality – and organizations that do not plan for and undertake campaigns are often left behind. But ensuring campaign success requires more than a compelling need – and careful planning, as always, is the key.

Author

Mary Beth Martin,
Senior Managing Director