{"id":175638,"date":"2023-05-29T20:32:09","date_gmt":"2023-05-30T03:32:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inbusinessphx.com\/?p=175638"},"modified":"2023-05-29T20:32:09","modified_gmt":"2023-05-30T03:32:09","slug":"silent-phase-to-public-when-to-announce-a-fundraising-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.inbusinessphx.com\/?p=175638","title":{"rendered":"Silent Phase to Public: When to Announce a Fundraising Campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/span>Fifty percent. Sixty. Ninety \u2026 Conventional fundraising wisdom says nonprofits should have more than half of funds committed or in hand before publicly announcing a campaign.<\/p>\n

The intention, after all, is to ensure campaign success. While a silent campaign phase allows fundraisers to secure lead gifts and recruit volunteers behind the scenes, there is always the risk of disincentivizing potential donors. Launch with too many gifts, and prospective donors may ask, \u201cWhy should I give? My gift won\u2019t have any impact.\u201d Launch without enough and it becomes more difficult to rally additional donor support.<\/p>\n

One Size Does Not Fit All<\/b><\/h3>\n

So, when is the best time to go public? It depends. Some nonprofits have situations so unique, they bypass the quiet campaign phases altogether.<\/p>\n

Lauri Tanner, CEO of Treasure House, can relate. \u201cWe\u2019re too new, too young,\u201d she says of the Glendale-based active living community for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. \u201cWe had less than 2,000 donors in our database, so we\u2019ve done it the other way.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rather than starting a silent campaign focused on top donors, the nonprofit has been filling the funnel with prospects and distilling them. What\u2019s more, Treasure House needed to move its generous benefactors, Brenda and Kurt Warner, from funders to founders so that the nonprofit could diversify and build revenue sources. \u201cWe\u2019re blazing a trail and need to get to know people that don\u2019t know us yet,\u201d says Tanner.<\/p>\n

Treasure House capitalized on existing events to announce its Growing Home<\/i> capital campaign: during its annual Celebrity Game Night that raises operational funds, and during a Super Bowl Weekend VIP-event hosted at the Warners\u2019 home. \u201cThe Super Bowl event gave us access to high-net-worth individuals who are interested in continuing the Treasure House dialogue,\u201d says Tanner.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But what about organizations that don\u2019t have<\/i> a donor constituency? Grant-funded institutions that have never before raised money may face building and program needs. In that scenario, it\u2019s appropriate to emerge publicly, and early \u2014 trumpets blaring. Billboards, banners and advertising become important for building awareness, while percent-of-goal-raised plays little to no role in ramp up.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose percentage goals are good guideposts but don\u2019t capture the softer dynamics that must be taken into account beyond just numbers,\u201d says Gregory Leet, senior consultant with Aspen Leadership Group.<\/p>\n

Three Components of Campaign-Announcement Readiness<\/b><\/h3>\n

Before publicly announcing a campaign, organizations should focus on the readiness of:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The board: <\/b>Do they embrace the culture of philanthropy? Have they achieved 100% campaign participation or, for those who can, committed to lead gifts? Are they aligned and synchronized with the two constituencies below?<\/p>\n

The executive leadership team: <\/b>Are leaders prepared for the challenges that arise during campaigns: shifts in the economy, staff and executive leadership turnover, board changes? Whether a small social services organization or a complicated public research university, the institution\u2019s leadership must be ready to execute a campaign \u2014 particularly the finance and accounting teams. \u201cCampaigns have a budgetary impact,\u201d says Leet. \u201cAdditional resources need to be funded. Ongoing funding will be needed to support the campaign, so the budget office needs to be ready.\u201d Has finance bought into the campaign? Are they setting budgets for it?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The development staff:<\/b> Is the organization sufficiently staffed and trained? Do they know how to engage on- and off-campus constituents so that they feel energized about the campaign? \u201cWhen I was hired as vice president of development for ASU, the university had already conducted an internal assessment from raw data in the donor base and concluded there was enough of a potential donor pool to move forward with a campaign,\u201d says Leet. To pull off a $1.3-billion goal, though, Leet knew he needed more frontline staff. \u201cWe made a strategic decision to forgo a campaign right then and instead hire an internal team of leadership and major gifts officers to build a bigger pipeline of major gift donors.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a perfect world, all three of those stakeholders would be ready in a synchronized fashion, says Leet, providing high confidence for a successful public launch.<\/p>\n

The Role of Momentum<\/b><\/h3>\n

Momentum, which often results from influential donors giving large, highly visible \u201chead-turning\u201d gifts, is critical to the timing of public campaign announcements. \u201cWhen those gifts come in, it\u2019s like a Good Housekeeping seal of approval,\u201d says Tanner, noting a significant gift announced during her organization\u2019s Celebrity Game Night. \u201cIt definitely inspired others to give. And it inspired our residents to be a part of the campaign, too \u2014 through a bake sale.\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ensuring Readiness for Campaign Success\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n

What other ways can nonprofits ensure a successful campaign launch?<\/p>\n