How to assess campaign readiness: measuring an organization’s campaign readiness across 7 indicators and identifying what assets to leverage and gaps to fill before launching a campaign.
3. Agenda
Four Pillars of Fundraising
Assess Campaign Readiness
Prepare For a Campaign
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4. About me
Vice President of Strategy, Orr Associates, Inc. (OAI)
Lead strategy practice and client engagements
Conducted campaign feasibility studies and
developed campaign plans for a number of
organizations
Over 15 years experience in the nonprofit and
public sectors
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5. Your turn
Your name, title and organization
Past, current and future campaign experience and
plans
Goals for this session
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7. Four Pillars of Fundraising
The success of any fundraising effort hinges on the strength of the case,
leadership, donors/prospects, and fundraising systems
Case
• Clear and
compelling reason
for why you are
raising funds and
what will be
different/better as a
result
• Tied to the strategic
vision and plan of
the organization,
with solid metrics
and planning
available to inform
donors how their
investment will be
maximized
Leadership
• Agreement on and
commitment to
campaign initiatives
among staff and
volunteer leadership
• Engaged in
fundraising and
willing to make a
leadership gift and
bring others to the
table
Donors & Prospects
• Engagement and
support of current
donors
• Breadth and depth
of prospect pool
Systems
• Effective and
adequate
fundraising
infrastructure and
systems to raise
campaign funds in
addition to annual
operating support
needs:
• Staffing
• Fundraising
practices
• Prospect/donor
identification and
management
• Database
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9. Taking Stock
• Needs assessment and revenue gap
• Perception of the organization
• Need for and impact of campaign initiatives
• Is the case clear and compelling?
Case
• Perception of staff and volunteer leadership
• Is staff and volunteer leadership in alignment?
• Level of commitment to and support of campaign and initiatives
• Engagement in fundraising and willingness to support campaign at leadership level
• Availability of campaign leadership
Leadership
• Depth and breadth of donor and prospect pool
• Donor and prospect capacity and willingness to support campaign
• Reaction to campaign goal
• Identification and inclination of lead and major gift prospects
Donors &
Prospects
• Strength and capacity of fundraising systems and infrastructure
• Impact of campaign on annual fundraising
• Establishment of campaign policies (gift acceptance, gift recognition, etc.)
Systems
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10. Methodology
Document Review & Data Pulls
• Needs assessment
• Fundraising trends and performance
• Size, capacity, and inclination of donor/prospect pool
• Fundraising collateral
• Fundraising processes and procedures
Research
• Peer/competitor research
• Prospect research
Interviews
• Staff
• Board
• Donors
• Prospects
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11. Outcome of Assessment
The assessment will help you determine:
If you should proceed with the campaign
The appropriate structure, goal, and timeframe for the campaign
What gaps you need to fill before launching the campaign
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Case
• Perception of the
organization
• Reaction to the
campaign initiatives
• Messages that
resonate
Leadership
• Perception of staff
and volunteer
leaders
• Leadership
alignment
• Commitment to
campaign initiatives
and willingness to
support campaign
• Potential campaign
leadership
Donors & Prospects
• If have the
donors/prospects
needed
• Realistic campaign
goal
• Identification of
lead and major
donors and
prospects
• Willingness to
support the
campaign
Systems
• Staff and
infrastructure needs
12. Your Turn
Have you done this type of assessment?
What did you learn?
What challenges did you face?
What was the outcome of the process?
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14. Campaign Readiness
Finalize campaign initiatives
Finalize case statement, incorporating feedback from
assessment
Develop other campaign collateral materials (printed
and online)
Develop talking points
Ensure alignment across all communication
materials
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Case Leadership
Donors &
Prospects
Systems
15. Campaign Readiness
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Case Leadership
Donors &
Prospects
Systems
Staff
• Address any alignment gaps
• Conduct needed training
• Identify prospects from
network
• Assign prospects
• CEO: 10-30
• CDO: 50
• MGO: 75-125
• Provide needed materials
and staff support
Board
• Address any alignment gaps
• Cultivate and secure gifts
from all board members (40-
60% of campaign goal)
• Identify board liaison to
campaign
• Conduct needed training
• Identify prospects from
network
• Assign prospects (1-3)
• Provide needed materials
and staff support
Campaign Committee
• Determine campaign
committee structure
• Develop job descriptions
• Recruit chair
• With chair, recruit committee
members
• Secure gifts from all
committee members
• Schedule regular committee
meetings
• Conduct needed trainings
• Identify prospects from
network
• Assign prospects:
• Chair: 10-15
• Member: 5-10
• Provide need materials and
staff support
16. Sample: Campaign Committee
Organizational Chart
Campaign Co-
Chair(s)
Committee
Member
Committee
Member
Committee
Member
Committee
Member
Committee
Member
Committee
Member
Committee
Member
Committee
Member
Honorary
Campaign
Chair(s)
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Campaign committee members can represent/be responsible for certain
industries (finance, defense, energy, etc.) and/or geographic areas,
whatever is most appropriate to your organization and campaign
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17. Sample: Campaign Committee Expectations
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Responsibilities
Honorary Campaign
Co-Chair
Campaign Co-Chair
Campaign Committee
Member
Duration of responsibilities 3 years 3 years 3 years
Lend name to campaign marketing
materials
√ √ √
Represent the campaign at major public
events and key cultivation opportunities
√ √
Help identify and recruit Campaign
Committee Members
√
Attend all meetings of the Campaign
Committee
√
(preside at quarterly meetings)
√
Make a significant personal gift to the
campaign
√ √ √
Attend
Board meetings and report on results of
the campaign
√
Participate in meetings and calls with
key staff and volunteer leadership
√ √
Identify and help develop strategies for
lead and major gift prospects
√ √
Willingness to cultivate and solicit lead
and major gift prospects
√
(minimum of 10)
√
(minimum of 5)
18. Campaign Readiness
Determine appropriate campaign goal
Develop gift table
Identify prospects at each level, particularly lead and
major gift levels
4 prospects per needed gift
Assign prospects
Develop strategies for top prospects
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Case Leadership
Donors &
Prospects
Systems
19. Sample: Gift Table
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Gift Level
Number
of Gifts
Total
Cumulative
Total
Cumulative
%
3 : 1 Ratio 4:1 Ratio
$5,000,000 1-2 $5,000,000 $5,000,000 33% 3 4
$2,500,000 1-2 $2,500,000 $7,500,000 50% 3 4
$1,000,000 1-2 $1,000,000 $8,500,000 57% 3 4
$750,000 2 $1,500,000 $10,000,000 67% 6 8
$500,000 3 $1,500,000 $11,500,000 77% 9 12
$250,000 5 $1,250,000 $12,750,000 85% 15 20
$100,000 8 $800,000 $13,550,000 90% 24 32
$50,000 12 $600,000 $14,150,000 94% 36 48
$25,000 15 $375,000 $14,525,000 97% 45 60
$10,000 20 $200,000 $14,725,000 98% 60 80
$5,000 30 $150,000 $14,875,000 99% 90 120
<$5000 many $125,000 $15,000,000 100% many many
Total $15,000,000
Prospect Pool
Required
LeadMajorGeneral
20. Campaign Readiness
Hire Major Gift Officers (MGOs) and support staff, as needed
Assign responsibilities across leadership and fundraising staff: CEO, CDO, MGOs, fundraising
support staff, board and campaign committee
Develop systems and infrastructure around prospect identification and cultivation
Event calendar
Communication calendar
Monthly prospecting meeting
Establish moves management protocols
Develop systems around donor solicitation and stewardship
Gift acceptance policies
Giving circles and gift recognition
Pledge period and agreement
Thank you letters
Donor reports
Finance coordination
Develop and maintain donor database
Prospect research
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Case Leadership
Donors &
Prospects
Systems
21. Campaign Launch
Determine timeframe for launch of the campaign
Silent phase:
Infrastructure, systems and messaging in place
Raise 60-80% of campaign goal
100% of board contributed
100% of campaign committee contributed
Most, if not all, of major and lead gift donors contributed
Public phase:
Determine public launch
What, when, where, how, who
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