The Basics Of Managing A Fund

Fund- raising campaigns have 3 characteristics: 1. They have a specific goal. 2. They support a particular project. 3. They have a start and end date. Normally, the distinction between campaigns is whether it is an annual or capital campaign. Annual campaigns run for 12 months with the specific goal of raising unrestricted gifts. Annual campaigns often have a dollar and participations goal, based on the need of the organization or on an increase over the previous year. Capital campaigns run for more than a year, and seek larger pledges, asking donors to stretch their giving. Best way for you to run any campaign is to begin by defining its mission. Trustees running campaigns tend to want to put every need into the capital campaign time period, usually 5 years. The best campaigns name one cause, like Build the New Park, or One Scholarship More, or Endow the Choir Directorship. Prospective donors can buy into the project because they know what it is. The definition of a successful campaign should not be emergency funding or for something vague, like, Make the Future. We make the future by going to work. We often, as fund-raisers, want to give donors a chance to pick among a menu of funds that they can give to. I feel it is confusing. One campaign for one need. The next campaign can meet a different need. After the definition, pay attention to your donors. We often name the amount that we need to raise, give a deadline (usually five years for most campaigns), and then shout, “Go!” However, a feasibility study is the best approach before shouting, “Go!” or even “Ready!” because it will tell you if your current donor base would give enough to meet the campaign goal. Ask key donors what they feel about the project not your trustees, they have already weighed in and whether they would support it at a level five times their current annual support. Listen carefully. Then ask them who else that they know would be the biggest donors to the campaign. Take what you guess and what your volunteers guess and draft it into a pyramid. List 3 prospects for every gift that you need. Take one third of your goal amount. That is your highest gift. Split that amount in half and that is your two second highest gifts needed. Split gifts sizes in half, multiplying the gifts needed by 3 or 5, until you have created the whole pyramid. Multiply each level’s number by 3 because you need three viable prospects for each gift that will end up coming in. Like this: Campaign: $120,000 to Category:Home › Other • Pomegranates: A newly discovered superfood • Where did the joke why did the chicken cross the road come from and why is it funny? • Can mothers diagnosed with bipolar disorder make good parents? • Spiritual evolution of human consciousness • Tips for getting a college basketball scholarship • Living with Pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) • Caring for the caregiver • Technologys impact on society