Portfolio of Current Services: Campaign Planning and Oversight

The Development Assessment

A Development Assessment is often the first important step in preparing internally for a major fundraising campaign. If you are not planning for a campaign, the Development Assessment can help solve other fundraising challenges within your organization, and identify unrealized opportunities, as well.

How does the Assessment work? We will conduct interviews with key personnel and volunteers. Examine internal and external fundraising materials. Analyze records and research recent activity. Evaluate your organizational structure. Assess attitudes and morale among your staff and leadership. Take a hard look at your marketing efforts and past fundraising effectiveness. Share best practices based on our experience in the industry. Address head-on the issues that inevitably surface during the investigative process.

We will prepare recommendations and present short-term and long-range strategies, all designed as a roadmap to help you achieve organizational success. And, we will work with you to ensure that effective implementation of our recommendations and strategies takes place.

The Campaign Feasibility Study

A Campaign Feasibility Study gathers the external information needed to determine whether or not your organization will achieve success in a major fundraising campaign. It also provides a solid framework for initiating and moving your campaign forward.

Good fundraising does not happen in a vacuum. It is important to know how your potential volunteers and donors will react to your plans before launching your program. It is important to learn the facts, attitudes, and concerns that could make or break your campaign.

Our Campaign Feasibility Study provides the critical planning information you need to strategize effectively for your campaign ?from the nuts and bolts of schedules, goals, and gift charts, to defining the very vision and essence of your organization.

We will help you determine the potential of your organization for raising significant funds. Identify campaign leadership. Articulate and quantify your dollar goals. Analyze and prioritize the objectives of your campaign ?in ways that are most convincing to prospects. Draw conclusions and provide meaningful recommendations regarding your fundraising effort.

We accomplish this through in-depth interviews with those who are closest to your organization ?board members and staff, as well as key potential donors and campaign leaders. We oversee the development of the initial written case for support, which tests the most compelling components of the campaign, articulates the needs, and discusses the financial objectives. We create the plan for recruiting top campaign leadership, and identify major sources of philanthropic support.

Most importantly, we provide you with specific recommendations and very concrete next steps. Not just a mass of information that you would rather run from than act upon.

Campaign Counsel

We are proud that the majority of our clients have put our feasibility study recommendations into immediate action for immediate results. For some, current organizational leadership and staffing are sufficient to direct a major campaign from within. For others, outside counsel is critical to maintain momentum, enhance internal expertise, and ensure effectiveness.

We stand ready to provide you with ongoing counsel throughout the duration of your campaign ?periodic support whenever needed, or general trouble-shooting as requested. The partnership is yours to define.

Development of the Case for Support

A Case for Philanthropic Support outlines the compelling reasons why a campaign is needed, why it is needed now, who will lead the effort, what financial requirements are needed to meet the goal, and so on. The fully developed case statement serves as the font from which you will draw your campaign proposals, letters, and other promotional materials. We will help you draft this important document and, if needed, assist you in identifying and articulating the key issues that will make up your case for support.

 

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