Here is a question we frequently get from our campaign clients – especially their board members. “How do you create momentum for our campaign?”
Why is this a pain point? Because no one wants their campaign to take a long, long time to achieve the goal. Or, even worse, the campaign never really takes off and then it ultimately fails.
It is enough to keep everyone up at night.
Losing the magic ingredient of momentum will keep you from completing this wonderful and important campaign to expand your organization’s mission.
Control the Risk of a Capital Campaign
Your capital campaign doesn’t have to meet that end. You can take some strategic steps early on – even during initial planning – to set the stage for success.
Building momentum means you gain energy, gather steam and build excitement as you go – like a steam train. Wouldn’t that be a dream come true? Everyone wants to be part of something this hopeful.
And never forget that success naturally breeds more success.
This week, our VP Kathryn Gamble is sharing a video about building the essential ingredient of momentum in your capital campaign.
One thing to remember about campaign momentum is that a strong start out of the gate is critical.
It creates enthusiasm in your team and among donors and makes everyone eager to participate and contribute. You build credibility and confidence in the campaign – essential factors for closing big gifts.
When a campaign has great momentum, you’ll have people tapping you on the shoulder to ask, “How can I help?”
That requires some careful groundwork. A good place to start is with a feasibility study that can identify the key steps and strategy to get your campaign off and running.
The next step is to prepare your donors so they are ready to support your campaign. This step – to create “donor readiness,” can take time. But, this investment of time will pay off big.
What can you do now to build that kind of momentum?
Momentum needs time to build, so it’s important to lay the foundation by setting up your campaign plan at the very beginning.
It’s a bit like lining up dominos – once you are ready, all the the dominos will fall in place, one by one.
The secret is to have the right people in place early on, and secure the important gifts first. These are the gifts that will set the pace for your campaign, and create confidence among the rest of your donors.
Start Building Relationships with Donors – Early and Often.
The time to begin cultivating deeper relationships with your major donors is now, long before you approach them about a capital campaign gift. Even long before a feasibility study interview.
That can include making thank you calls or visits to express appreciation for their past gifts. And, update them on a few ways their money has made an impact.
Ideally, you need to have friendly relationships with your donors well before a campaign. So, if you don’t know your donors personally, it’s time to get out the door and get to know them!
We shared what you need to learn about your donors in last week’s post: their why, their potential gift level, and their timing.
This will tell you so much about how the donor will respond to a capital campaign request. Then, you can make sure that your BIG ASK connects with what they truly care about.
Use your Feasibility Study to Lay the Groundwork with Donors
A feasibility study offers more than a yes or no answer for your campaign. It helps determine each major donor’s level of interest, excitement and commitment to your proposed campaign.
It answers the question: are your donors ready now to support your campaign?
When the answer is “not quite,” we know that there is work to do. And, we have a good idea of what those steps toward donor readiness need to be.
The feasibility study recommendations lay out the plan to move forward and start building the momentum for your campaign.
We often relate this to getting an airplane off the ground – you need to gain momentum going down the runway to lift off the ground.
Tap Into the Resources of Your Consultant.
Working with a capital campaign consultant helps ensure that your campaign gets off to a strong start, so you can start building momentum immediately.
Campaign consultants mitigate your risk. We provide a road map – a Campaign Strategy – based on your donor data, the feasibility study interviews, and our professional experience.
Here are just a few of the benefits a consultant can bring:
- Confidence – A campaign is a big undertaking. The presence of a seasoned consultant can calm the waters for the board, leadership and development team and keep everyone on task.
- Strategy – A good campaign plan is more than a timeline; it articulates your campaign strategy. Strategy is the science and art of employing the right activities at the right time with the right people. Your organization is unique so your campaign strategy should reflect that.
- Alignment – As we have said, a campaign is a big undertaking. It is all hands on deck. We frame this as “flying like geese.” This means the consultant ensures that the campaign strategy is understood and supported by the board, campaign leadership, and the organization’s leadership.
While consultants provide many services, we believe these three key benefits – confidence, strategy, and alignment – are important results of working with a consultant.
If you have a consultant, use them to the fullest. They can provide a tremendous boost at the start of the campaign – and ongoing – to build and sustain momentum. (And if you don’t have a consultant, reach out to us to discuss that possibility!)
BOTTOM LINE: Campaign momentum is essential to a thriving and successful campaign, and it starts with good, early planning.
If you’re in the beginning stages of your campaign and want to bounce around some ideas, reach out for a free strategy call. Send an email to coaching@gailperry.com to schedule a time.
Resources
How to Get Ready for a Capital Campaign
