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Our Approach
If you work with a nonprofit organization that is undertaking a major capital campaign, please contact us.
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Major Gift, Capital, Endowment Development/Campaign
A fundraising campaign (Major Gift, Capital, Endowment, Comprehensive) is a complex undertaking and a strategic process that calls for a board-directed planning linkage (Strategic Plan) as a foundation; a solid needs assessment and well thought out case for support; top-level committed leadership and volunteers; a significant number of major gift prospects; a strong plan, and competent, professional direction for executing the plan on time and on target.
Cramer & Associates can guide your institution or organization through each step of this process and approach by providing consulting services that will assure success in funding your objectives and increasing organizational capacity building.
It is essential that your organization has completed its strategic planning or is currently in a multi-year strategic plan. If not, we can assist you with this first essential step.
Your major fundraising campaign needs to evolve out of your Strategic Plan – most Major Gift/Capital/Endowment donors will want to know the justification for their significant investment in your project and will ask if the board has done a thorough job of thinking through the organization's future and, therefore, its need for major funding. The Strategic Plan is the document and process you can point to with confidence in answering this and all the other future questions for the rationale and benefit of funding.
Once a decision is made by the board to consider a fundraising campaign, it will be important to test your case for support and to assess your readiness for such an undertaking. Cramer & Associates' market assessment and planning tool is the Capital Campaign Planning Study & Leadership Assessment™. Such a Study & Assessment provides objective and candid feedback from your community and key supporters concerning your institution or organization and its proposed plans. It provides the information needed to put together a solid campaign plan and identifies potential campaign leadership. It also evaluates the potential leadership’s capacity to lead the undertaking and provide financial support as well as identify and provide access to other key supporters.
With a validated Study & Assessment in hand, your organization may be ready to move forward with putting a campaign plan together and making the decision on how to staff such an undertaking either with organizational staff or outside counsel.
Following the Study & Assessment and board decision to conduct a campaign, there are 10 important areas of planning that will require the organization's or institution's attention:
- Campaign direction with counsel
- Campaign strategy and plan
- Campaign organization
- Campaign budget
- Campaign leadership
- Campaign communications and awareness building
- Prospect identification and cultivation
- Solicitation strategy
- Campaign public announcement
- Proper follow-up