Data-Driven Campaign Planning

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A new, data-driven approach to campaign planning

The time-honored campaign feasibility study is designed to help nonprofits test whether their aspirations and campaign dollar goal are achievable. Done well, it is in effect the “soft launch” of a campaign and sets you up for success.

But the process most consultants use in executing the study is backwards. It usually goes like this.

  1. Client wants to raise money to support a new program, endowment or physical space
  2. Client makes a “guess” about how much they can raise
  3. Consultant helps client build a case for support based on the “guess” goal
  4. Consultant tests case with client’s top donors
  5. Consultant facilitates a wealth screening of client’s donors to determine capacity
  6. Consultant gathers all the appropriate data and delivers recommendations for campaign goal, case and next steps.

When you look at this, immediately a few process questions come to mind.

  1. How does the client derive at the “guess” for a campaign goal? What data is that based on?
  2. Why doesn’t the wealth screening come at the beginning to help inform the goal to be tested?
  3. Why are we testing a dollar goal with key donors before we know whether they have the capacity to actually realize that goal?

Instead, the campaign planning formula at JP Fundraising Solutions looks more like this:

  1. Client wants to raise money to support a new program, endowment or physical space
  2. Consultant/client conducts a wealth screening to determine capacity within existing donor pool
  3. Consultant and client review the data and supplement with potential sources typically not included in a wealth screening (e.g. public funding, grant support, “outlier” donors) and set a target campaign goal base on those inputs.
  4. Consultant shapes case for support where items add up to target goal.
  5. Consultant tests case with top donors
  6. Consultant gathers data and delivers recommendations for campaign goal, case and next steps.

The benefit of this approach is that once we have a realistic range for a campaign goal, we can focus our energy on building a compelling case and determining whether donors who we know have the capacity to support that goal are willing to buy into this vision. If they don’t, then we have a case problem; not a goal problem.

The second benefit is that by doing a statistical analysis first, the nonprofit leadership, including staff, board and volunteers, can proceed with confidence that its goal is attainable. Getting everyone bought into the goal at the outset drives momentum and helps eliminate fear and anxiety, the two most dreaded enemies of motivating campaign volunteers.

For a deeper dive of how this approach can be put to work for you, contact James Plourde at JP Fundraising Solutions for free 30 minute consultation.