Buck “Conventional Wisdom”
About Starting Your Campaign
And You Can Reap Rewards

Is “conventional wisdom” an oxymoron? It is when you hear experienced fund professionals say: “You should never undertake a capital campaign unless you have conduced three successful annual campaign cycles.”

Many long-established organizations have conducted annual campaigns over an extended period. Within this large pool of educated and established donors exists a clear base to begin the capital campaign planning process. However, even in these situations launching a capital campaign depends on identifying a significant pool of new prospects capable of making major gifts.

As a practical matter, any capital campaign begins with an exhaustive search for new potential donors. So why is the conventional wisdom so rigid?

In two words, effort and risk.
Launching a capital campaign without an established pool of annual campaign donors can be done (and should be considered) so long as there is an understanding of the planning and processes required for success. Under these circumstances, a longer-than-usual period of pre-campaign planning may be required. And, to reduce the risk of failure, the feasibility study (Community Readiness Assessment ^SM) is more important than ever. Your fundraising consultant can help you understand organizational development and conduct your capital campaign so that it can serve as the launching pad for successful ongoing annual campaigns.

When an organization’s needs are compelling and time is of the essence, there is no reason to delay a capital campaign. Many other factors must be considered in deciding to move forward with a campaign and your organization’s readiness to conduct a campaign. For instance, you will want to consider – and will test in your Community Readiness Assessment ^SM (or feasibility study) – factors such as the need your organization serves in the community, the compelling nature of the case, and your organization’s reputation and image. Beyond these, you will want to consider the strength, dedication, and willingness of your volunteers to work hard and deliver results.

When you are considering a campaign in these situations, campaign counsel should be engaged and involved at the earliest possible stage. The very first steps required for a campaign beginning under these circumstances requires professional guidance to assure a cogent case, focused prospecting, a soundly executed feasibility study and a well-planned and targeted cultivation process.

These steps will provide invaluable information on individual donor interests, donor perception of the organization and the case, willingness, quality, and availability of leadership, and the most optimal timing. An important element to develop in this step is to identify the “orbits,” or social circles, the individuals who are interviewed travel in. This will allow for the development of a campaign structure and strategy that allows access to the top tiers of those who are influential and affluent in your community.

Although this pre-campaign planning, and the cultivation process that follows it, can take three to six months to execute, your organization’s risk will be significantly reduced and the likelihood of success will be dramatically improved.

On the upside, by exploring new donor relationships your campaign will generate unexpected enthusiasm, and you will avoid the “donor fatigue” that some who are solicited annually (or sometimes more often) often feel. If your case is compelling, top donors can be more open and you may not have to overcome some of the negative feelings that can accompany the organization that is in a perpetual fundraising mode. Finally, your organization will reap the rewards of a flood of new volunteers for every aspect of your organization and position yourself for rocketing success in your first annual campaign.

Campaigns should build capacity for your organization long after the campaign is completed, For more information on how your organization can capitalize on this kind of capacity building, or for general fundraising services to build capacity within your organization, contact Jeffrey Byrne & Associates at 1-800-222-9233. Or, visit us on the web at www.jeffreybyrneandassociates.com.