As a nonprofit leader, you know the extraordinary effort you and your staff put forth to fulfill your mission. It takes passion and determination to serve your community. You must also cultivate, solicit and thank donors to meet your organization’s current needs while always keeping an eye to the future. Add in strategic planning, hiring and budgeting and it can be an overwhelming task! Now consider launching a full-scale capital campaign and the phrase “there are not enough hours in the day” comes to mind. You will need help to do the job right, and that’s exactly what a capital campaign consultant will provide.
How can a capital campaign consultant help guide you through this process?
I like to think of it in terms of the three A’s of consulting:
Assess: A consultant can first help you asses your organization’s current status and likely future. Our fundraising consultants are skilled in conducting detailed feasibility studies, during which they confidentially interview your key stakeholders and top donors to determine what your organization is doing well and where it can improve. As an outsider, they can ask the difficult questions on your behalf and get frank, honest answers. This information, compiled into a comprehensive report, offers a detailed analysis of whether your organization can embark on a capital campaign.
Advise: Based on the results of that planning study, a Steier Group capital campaign consultant will be ready to offer advice on what your organization should do next. Perhaps your vision for the future doesn’t quite align with what your donors envision, or perhaps everyone is on the same page and ready to move directly to a campaign. Either way, our consultant will guide you, bringing not only his or her own experience, but the experience of our entire team of development professionals. During monthly training meetings, our team gathers to share best practices and brainstorm solutions so we can offer you a multitude of innovative development strategies.
Act: Once you have determined the best way forward, our fundraising consultant is ready to act on your behalf. When you hire the Steier Group, your consultant will work with a grant writer, copy editor and graphic designer to help you create a comprehensive communications and solicitation strategy to meet your campaign goals. He or she will train your volunteers to solicit gifts and then manage those volunteers throughout the campaign. He or she will also assist in gift processing, event planning and public relations so you can focus on what matters most – meeting with your most passionate supporters to turn your shared vision into a reality.
During our more than 20 years of service to nonprofits across the country, one thing has remained the same: the can-do attitude of our capital campaign consultants. Every nonprofit that partners with the Steier Group benefits from a team of professionals who roll up their sleeves and get things done.
If you’re thinking that 2018 is the time for a capital campaign, please contact me to learn more about how the Steier Group can help.
