Were you in Toronto last week for the Association of Fundraising Professionals International Conference? If not, don’t worry. As in years past, you can buy the recording to every session through the AFP website.
As has been the case for over a decade, I had the good fortune to present this past week — this time, my focus was on preparing for a successful capital campaign.
Preparing for a Successful Capital Campaign
In a full-day, pre-conference workshop, participants learned to prepare for a successful campaign. (You can download the Capital Campaign Pro development office readiness assessment for free.)
My breakout session was called Capital Campaigns: Trends and Best Practices to Help You Plan a Successful Campaign. In that session, I referenced our 2023 benchmark study on capital campaigns, which had several important findings.
Key Findings from the 2023 Campaign Study
This study, coordinated by Capital Campaign Pro, addressed common fears about capital campaigns, including:
- Your capital campaign won’t be successful (yes, it will)
- Your annual fund will decrease during a campaign (no, it won’t)
- You can’t be successful at a small organization (yes, you can)
- You can’t be successful unless you have a wealthy, connected board (yes, you can)
Download the survey results here »
Key Points from my Breakout Session
The key points I make in my talk included three ways to plan a successful campaign. They are:
- Engage donors early in your campaign
- Focus on a few key donors who can give leadership level gifts
- Access expertise so you are not reinventing campaign strategy
Among other things, these three key strategies point to beginning your campaign with a feasibility study, which engages donors early, forces you to focus on a few key donors, and taps into the campaign expertise of the consultant you hire to help with the study.
My Own “Ah-Ha” Moment
My biggest takeaway from the conference came during my own session. A consultant I’ve known for years got up and walked out, visibly shaken from my presentation.
I was in the middle showing a slide comparing “new” versus “old” models of feasibility studies. The slide showed how the old model (when consultants interview prospective donors confidentially and anonymously) is a bad practice. Unfortunately, most consultants still conduct this outdated model of feasibility study.
Comparing the Old vs. the New
In both feasibility study models, consultants:
- Provide strategy and structure
- Help identify the best people to be interviewed
- Develop questions to be asked
- Provide data collection tools
- Analyze the data
- Make recommendations and report out to the board
The key difference is who is actually in the room (and conducts the interviews) with the donors.
In the new model, nonprofit leaders meet with their own donors and community members. There’s full transparency. Relationships are built. Nonprofit leaders get experience having strategic conversations with prospective donors. There’s a natural path to solicitation.
In the old model, consultants conduct interviews confidentially and anonymously. This results in a lack of transparency. It doesn’t help build relationships or the confidence of nonprofit leaders.
The old model is seriously problematic, but many traditional consultants refuse to consider the clear benefits of the new model.
Truly a Best Practice
It was fascinating to realize, in that moment during my session, how developing this new model had truly changed the sector. At Capital Campaign Pro, we created (and have been refining) this new mode — one where nonprofit leaders interview their own donors — since 2018. Now it’s no longer new, but it truly is becoming a best practice!
Conferences Are a Great Source of New Ideas
If you can get to a local or national conference every year, I encourage you to do so. AFP Chapters provide conferences in (nearly?) every state.
Hopefully, you will attend and come away with new ideas, inspiration, and encouragement. If I come away from a conference with one new idea, I consider it a win. Sometimes it takes just one new idea to have a profound effect on your work (or life).
Hi Amy – I’m ecstatic to hear that you are promoting this “new model.” It’s something I’ve said for years, though felt like I was the only one who felt this way. The “old model” didn’t make sense to me as a frontline fundraiser with two decades of experience. Your model creates honest conversations and builds authentic relationships, which should be at the heart of any solicitation and starts with getting to know the donor (or “the interview”). Bravo!
Hello Amy, Given the critical nature of building relationships with donors, this model makes all the sense in the world to me now.I’ve followed your blog for years and watched your Youtube videos, so thank you for all your leadership in philanthropy!