YOUR CRITERIA FOR SUCCESS
The Six Things You MUST Have in Place
to Succeed In a Major Gifts Campaign

Whether you are planning to launch a capital campaign or another major gifts effort, there are certain essential conditions that you and your organization must meet for you to succeed. At Jeffrey Byrne & Associates, Inc., we call these your Criteria for Success. In the next few issues of “News You Can Use,” you can read more about these six simple rules that you can use to help you and your leaders measure your readiness to launch a major giving campaign. For a complete list of the six Criteria for Success, visit our website at: www.jeffreybyrneandassociates.com.

CRITERION 1 -
A Case that is Valid, Realistic and Universally Accepted

The case for the campaign needs to be made in terms of factual data that will validate it. It must be realistically presented as seen through the eyes of the prospective donor, rather than the organization. And, it must have universal appeal by demonstrating potential benefits to the majority, if not all, of the constituency.

One key aspect of a Community Readiness Assessment SM – or fundraising feasibility study – is to test community reaction and receptivity to the project and provide feedback on the case for support. According to AFP, the Case for Support is your essential fundraising tool. It capsulizes important information about your organization, your mission, how you carry out that mission through programming, the need you are addressing with the project you are proposing, and how much it will cost. To borrow a term from the legal profession, in that one document you are literally making your “case” for charitable investment.

In order to do this effectively, the case must clearly set out your plans – in terms the donor can understand and relate to. It must stem from and be able to tie back to your organization’s long-range or strategic plan. The donor must be able to see how it supports your mission. It must be supported by “business plan” financial information that tells that donor how you plan to operate once you are successful in raising the funds and completing the project. It must show the donor how an investment in the project will make a difference in the lives of the people you serve.

The case doesn’t have to be long or fancy. In fact, a trend is to provide one-page executive summaries to accompany fundraising proposals. This is particularly helpful with requests for support to institutional donors. Do not confuse it with your campaign brochure. The case is your “white paper” that serves as the basis for the marketing and fundraising materials you will use in your fundraising campaign.

The case does have to provide the people factor. Avoid including too much “insider” information and "nonprofit-ese" in your case. You may be in love with the way you describe your organization’s mission and history, but limit this information to a brief section. Focus, instead, on the project and the specific outcomes it will create.

Be as specific as possible in providing project costs. At this stage in campaign planning, you may not have a firm budget and prospective donors and feasibility study participants understand that. You should work, however, diligently to provide the best estimate of costs as they relate to your plans and include fundraising and other costs for administering your fundraising project.

Jeffrey Byrne & Associates, Inc., can assist you in evaluating your case and reviewing a project budget for your major gifts campaign.