Summer Institute for Communications and Marketing Pre-Institute Sessions-Clarke_Campaigns 101_SIEFR

Clarke_Campaigns 101_SIEFR_2023 Final

Pdf Summary

A campaign is an intensive fundraising effort designed to raise a specific amount of money for high-level institutional priorities within a defined time period. It is a marketing framework that relies on volunteer structures and has stated goals related to institutional, programmatic, and financial aspects. There are various types of campaigns, including capital campaigns focused on bricks and mortar, endowment campaigns, hybrid campaigns, reunion campaigns, annual giving campaigns, and comprehensive campaigns. <br /><br />There are internal reasons for doing campaigns, including creating urgency, enhancing and sustaining the ability to raise private support, achieving higher year-to-year fundraising levels, advancing aspirations and goals, providing focus and promoting greater alignment, telling stories to a broader audience, improving the public image, and developing the next generation of leaders. External reasons for doing campaigns include rejuvenating people and renewing vision and alignment, building a stronger culture of philanthropy and confidence, engaging in more meaningful volunteer and donor engagement, diversifying volunteer and donor pools, reaching new audiences, promoting pride in the institution, and realizing the power of transformation.<br /><br />Successful campaigns are built on four pillars: plan/timeline, case/branding, prospects/gift table, and leadership/engagement. Planning involves different phases such as pre-campaign/initiation, nucleus/quiet phase, and public phase, each with specific activities and goals. Capacity analysis, feasibility studies, consultation events, and goal setting are essential planning tools. The case statement plays a crucial role in campaigns, addressing why the institution, why the donor, why now, what the gift will support, and the impact of the gift.<br /><br />Campaigns also require effective branding and a well-constructed gift table to guide fundraising efforts at different giving levels. Top gifts play a significant role in campaigns, and involving top prospects in the case development and leadership structure is important. Volunteer engagement and their roles as donors, fundraisers, advocates, and advisors are also crucial.<br /><br />Overall, campaign planning, alignment with institutional culture and goals, reliance on experienced counsel, managing expectations, and leveraging the support of the CASE network are key to successful campaigns. The importance of academic and strategic planning, communication plans, capacity analysis, feasibility studies, consultation processes, timelines, volunteer structures, and goal setting cannot be overstated.

Keywords

campaign

fundraising

institutional priorities

marketing framework

volunteer structures

capital campaigns

endowment campaigns

annual giving campaigns

comprehensive campaigns

leadership/engagement