Annual Campaigns
Non-profit Board members take responsibility for fundraising by building relationships with individual donors. Development Committees organize that work for them, and staff help make it easy for everyone. Sometimes that’s easier said than done. Annual campaigns provide a constructive framework for everyone to work together and are conducted in a concentrated period of time.
Description of Service
Annual Campaigns typically follow directly from Development Audits and training sessions, though these aren’t necessarily prerequisites. In the absence of an audit, I start with an abbreviated analysis of current membership giving histories and patterns. I use the information about membership performance over the past 3-5 years to propose an aggressive but realistic fundraising goal and provide a detailed fundraising plan for the campaign. The plan is donor specific as well as activity and timing specific, and is developed with Board and staff participation.
I then work with staff to develop the conceptual plan and materials (letter[s], pledge cards, response materials, and so on). This is great time to look at new giving clubs, and I am available to help incorporate this element as well. The resulting campaign is implemented by staff and Board leadership and designed to be replicable in subsequent years. I stay involved during the campaign, attending periodic meetings of the planning committee, and being available for solicitation training and coaching as needed.
Finally, I prepare a reporting template that provides accurate progress against goal data as well as sets up next year’s campaign.
Fees
I base my fee on an estimate of days required on site plus estimated travel from Madison, Wisconsin. The fee is typically in the $5,000-$8,500 range plus travel.