GOOD NEWS: Fundraising Campaigns and Mount Everest
Good News: An enewsletter for donors and nonprofits
on strategic planning, governance, fundraising, and executive leadership.
“Sometimes an organization has pressing reasons to launch a campaign but too many decision makers simply assume they should go forward, regardless of whether conditions are right.”
Fundraising Campaigns and Mount Everest
In 1923, English mountaineer George Mallory was asked what motivated him to climb Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak. “Because it is there,” he replied.
While this rationale may be enough for some to risk one’s life - many people believe Mallory died before he summited - it should not be sufficient for a board or chief executive to launch the fundraising equivalent of summiting Everest - a campaign.
I frequently meet board members or chief executives who want to achieve something big through securing significant levels of new funding. Conversations abound about organizational needs and wants to augment physical plant, programs, scholarships, or some combination of each. Knowing when - and when not - to launch a campaign is critical.
Sometimes an organization has pressing reasons to launch a campaign but too many decision makers simply assume they should go forward, regardless of whether conditions are right. That kind of blind ambition was the downfall of George Mallory and could be damaging to an organization.
So when is the right time for a campaign? What preconditions are necessary and sufficient? There is much to write since each organization’s circumstances are complex and ever changing. A few thoughts to start:
1. Board Leadership: Before committing to a campaign, take a hard look at your board, especially the chair. Do you have a highly functioning group with lead donors in the room who are ready to actively leverage their networks? Do you have board members willing and able to cultivate and steward donors or do they think that is entirely someone else's responsibility? Too often boards imagine that resources will flow from elsewhere when it is their giving and networking that is needed most. Build your board first and then attempt to mount a campaign with a great team.
2. Executive Leadership: Another hard look needs to be directed at your chief executive. Do you have a chief executive who is enthusiastic and experienced at fundraising? Does she or he allocate a significant portion of their calendar time to cultivating and stewarding donors or are they bogged down with internal meetings? Can they identify advancement and communications staff who are expert relationship builders and story tellers while staying clear of those who rarely leave their offices? Do they allow staff to fall back on merely the passive use of mass emails and direct mail? Without an energetic and competent fundraiser as a chief executive who can build an effective fundraising team, organizations fail to offer what donors respond to most - routine, individual attention that inspires and educates them on their terms.
3. Organizational Culture: It is said that culture eats strategy for breakfast. Is the organizational culture one that encourages and celebrates philanthropy through creative and constant storytelling about successes and challenges resulting in a robust annual fund and a loyal list of donors? Are institutional goals aspirational but realistic? Do big thinking and optimism reign? Is internal communication routine, widespread, and comfortable? Sometimes a deep dive on culture building needs to happen before a successful campaign is possible.
Failing to think deeply about whether a campaign should go forward can result in disruptive turnover in staff, board members, and other volunteers. It can also cause reputational damage and financial distress. Sometimes the most courageous decision is to NOT summit Everest until conditions are more conducive for success.
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