Fundraising Opportunities for Success
Fundraising Opportunities Which Might Arise
Part 11
In Part 10 the discussion focused on the volunteers of a capital stewardship campaign and for good reason. While it is important that a campaign build strong leaders it is also important to build a strong volunteer team.
Now, before the campaign is launched it is important to consider probable concerns, which might arise before, during and after the building campaign.
At some point during the development of a campaign strategic plan these questions need to be answered to the satisfaction of everyone involved.
First let’s examine some informational concerns. The cohort that will support the campaign wants to know exactly what is expected of them. They are most curious if volunteering, to want to understand what time commitment is expected of them. Not everyone is retired and many will have young families that place a strong demand on the time of those who would be volunteering.
Some consideration needs to be given to defining the skill sets needed for each task involved in the campaign.
When developing new leaders, as a capital stewardship fundraising campaign will do, consider stretching individuals by challenging them to take on a volunteer role, which they could accomplish with some training. This is a great opportunity for younger potential leaders to grow and gain experience, which would help to develop new skill sets.
Of course, the first reaction to a request to take on new responsibilities is “not me, I can’t do that”. When these potential new leaders understand that training is provided there is a new comfort level and a greater willingness to try something new and different.
Along with construction questions such as, “When is the Board planning to begin construction and how long will it take to build?” are questions concerning money. Everyone is going to want to know and understand where the money is coming from. This is not a question that should be put off but rather addressed up front.
There are a whole bunch more questions and they can be found in our “Million Dollar Manual” By the way, the name “Million Dollar Manual” is derived from the fact that while this fundraising guidebook can be used to raise smaller amounts of money such as $100K, $250K, and $500K it can successfully be used to raise multiple millions for charities.
For smaller amount not all committees will be engaged but the principles are the same.
Well, that’s the way I see it!
Monty McKinnon
Master Financial Planning Services Inc.