In a major fundraising effort, you will face a number of difficult questions and decisions. None may be bigger than this: Where do we begin?
Simply put, the planning stages of successful capital campaigns can begin long before your initial call to the Steier Group. We want to be part of your planning process, but we also know we do our best work when we partner with you at the right time. That “right time” for your organization usually means after you have accomplished some, if not all, of the following:
Strategic plan: Putting together a strategic plan allows you to determine where you are and where you want to be as an organization. Identifying what is important to your constituents will help guide your decision making process. Before you can even consider asking for money, you must have an idea of how a potential capital campaign fits into your strategic plan.
SWOT analysis: Determining how strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats impact your organization will direct you to your next steps. Often a SWOT analysis leads you directly to our website. Sometimes this internal and external analysis can reveal that more steps need to be taken before considering outside counsel.
Get feedback: Consider hosting town hall style meetings that will allow your constituents an open forum to discuss the proposed direction of your organization. Have a strong moderator and stick to a specific agenda so order is maintained and all planned topics are covered. The goal is to collect feedback and input so be sure to create questions that will spark dialogue.
If you think your organization is ready to move forward, but you aren’t sure if you have enough pieces in place, contact the Steier Group and we can help you work through the critical first steps. These steps will put your organization in prime position to run an effective planning study and successful capital campaign.
I encourage you to contact me if you have any questions regarding best practices and the professional services of the Steier Group.
