Energizing Capital Campaigns: Cup of Coffee or a Good Night’s Sleep?
Every capital campaign is a living process. And like all living processes, a capital campaign can reach a point that requires re-energizing.
We all experience physical and mental exhaustion. Whether the culprit is personal or professional, sometimes we are so tired that even getting out of our chair is overwhelming. If we are fortunate, we can remedy our weariness with a strong cup of coffee or a quick nap or a good night’s sleep. Other times, we must push through the exhaustion and continue working.
Capital campaigns can be like that long day at work. However, this long day lasts for months or years. The best ways to re-energize your campaign are not with a beverage or some shut eye. A campaign is re-energized by adding the right people to your campaign committee.
Peer-to-Peer Asks Are Key in a Capital Campaign
Most campaigns begin strong. The campaign committee has a relatively easy time soliciting board members and staff. And once that’s done, it’s still pretty simple to solicit your organization’s past donors – the people, corporations and foundations that love your mission and trust your capacity. But once you’re past the “easy” asks, it can become challenging to maintain momentum.
Momentum is easy to build and maintain early in capital campaigns because the donor prospects are already sold on your project; they know your organization, its purpose and the people running it. Once you leave that circle of friends, however, the success of your solicitations will depend upon your ability to keep them peer-to-peer. This means that the person making the ask, or at least participating in the ask, is a peer to the person being solicited. Here are some basic criteria you can use to determine if your asks are peer-to-peer:
The person making the ask has donated at a level equal to or above the person being solicited.
The person making the ask has a significant relationship with the person being solicited – they are family, longtime friends or work associates.
Campaign momentum begins to fade when you stop making peer-to-peer asks because it becomes more difficult to schedule, make and close the solicitations. Remember, people give to people. Regardless of if you are raising money to build a hospital or a homeless shelter, you’ll have an easier time of it if you keep making peer-to-peer asks.
Time to Re-energize Your Capital Campaign
Eventually, every campaign committee member runs out of peers to ask. They are still happy to make asks, but the people they are asking don’t match with the criteria bulleted above. This is when it becomes time to re-energize – to find more committee members who have access to different peer groups. The “right” people to invite on to your campaign committee meet the following criteria:
They have made a personally significant gift.
They are happy to open doors to more prospective donors and if you’re lucky, they’re happy to make solicitations.
They can speak passionately about your organization’s mission.
The people you choose to re-energize your campaign come in varying degrees of usefulness and longevity. Below are some personality types to resist or recruit.
The Strong Cup of Coffee
This type of campaign volunteer usually makes lots of promises but delivers very little. They have energy, but it’s not focused. They know all the right people but don’t want to be bothered with your established campaign process. I call them rogue campaigners and I steer clear of them because like too much coffee, they give me the shakes.
The Quick Nap
This type of campaign volunteer really wants to help. They like the project, have friends who are good donor prospects, and are willing to help in every way possible... except they don’t want to make asks, attend meetings or report on their progress. Every committee has these types of volunteers and I like working with them, but they rarely have the willingness or ability to make a substantial difference in your campaign’s financial success.
The Good Night’s Sleep
This type of campaign volunteer is the best re-energizing option available. They have campaign experience. They know how to make a good ask. They are low maintenance and most important, they deliver! However, they are hard to recruit. Not because they are hiding, but rather because they are your community’s most successful people so they are busy. The best way to recruit this level of committee member is to plan. Take time to educate and cultivate them prior to soliciting them. Be very focused on what you want them to do. Don’t put too much pressure on them. Give them the support and tools they need to succeed, and don’t be afraid to give them deadlines.
Re-energizing your capital campaign committee is an expected part of the campaign process. Focus on finding those committee members who can bring new energy and success to the work and push through to final success for your important project.
Are you considering a capital campaign or in the midst of one that needs a new boost? Contact us today for a no-fee capital campaign workshop or to speak with us about your project.
Kevin Wallace is president of CampaignCounsel.org, specializing in capital campaign planning and management. Reach him by email or visit www.campaigncounsel.org.
