Campaign Curiosity: Is Your Organization Ready for a Campaign?
As development professionals, we’re always asking: How do we inspire more people to give more generously to advance our mission? And how do we step off the fundraising treadmill and build something more sustainable?
Campaigns, when well-timed and well-led, can be catalytic for the impact of your programs and your relationship with major donors. A well-executed campaign deepens donor engagement, sharpens organizational vision, and creates financial sustainability. But not every organization is ready for one. So, is now the right time?
We’ve compiled a readiness checklist to help your organization assess whether a campaign is the right next step.
Board and Executive leadership have embraced a unified vision: Fundraising follows vision. The most successful campaigns begin with a clear and compelling vision that serves as an invitation for a larger investment from your donors. And it doesn’t have to mean you’re building a building. Comprehensive campaigns can include growth initiatives, like new programs or team expansion, and annual operations, all bundled into a single, bold plan for impact. The key? Leadership must be unified in the vision for the organization.
The campaign vision presents an urgent need, not a crisis. When urgency is framed as an opportunity and a source of forward momentum, donors want to be part of the solution. Donors want to be part of something that’s winning. A campaign is their chance to invest in greater impact for the organization they already believe in. A strong campaign doesn’t stem from panic or crisis. It stems from possibility. When our campaign vision is rooted in a sound, strategic next step, we build donor confidence.
Lead Donor Potential: A common question: How much can we raise?
A more important one: Who will get us there? In most campaigns, 60 or fewer donors give 90% of the funds, and within that, three to five donors typically contribute about 45%. Early lead gifts create momentum and generate confidence for others to also give boldly. Do you have committed donors who could be leaders for this campaign? Now, that's not to say that they have given you that size of gift before. The question is, could they, and would they? When you are answering those questions, consider these elements that we know make an ideal major donor:Have strong relationships with your organization or leadership?
Have the capacity to give significantly?
Are generous?
Generous Board and Executives: Donors frequently ask, “Who else is in?” The answer starts with your board and executive leadership. Their giving signals to the broader community that the vision is real, worth backing, and all levels of leadership have a level of confidence in your ability to reach the goal. A campaign where 100% of board members have given sends a powerful message. It shows belief. It demonstrates commitment. It builds credibility.
Positive Leadership in Place for Multiple Years: People give to people. More specifically, they give to leaders they trust. When your executive leadership has been in place for multiple years, they’ve had time to build deep relationships with donors. That matters when you’re asking for the most significant gifts your organization has ever received. Stability at the top builds credibility and confidence in follow-through.
Check, Check, Check, Check, Check- What’s Next?
If these campaign readiness markers resonate, it might be time to take the next step: a Campaign Launch Assessment. This assessment helps clarify your goals, invites donors into visioning alongside you, and yields an actionable campaign goal and plan rooted in data.
