Planning for a capital campaign is a significant undertaking for nonprofits, requiring an investment in time and resources. Considering the current challenges of nonprofits and donor exhaustion, it is critical to evaluate pre-campaign messaging to establish credibility and eventual case for support.
The effectiveness of campaign messaging lies in the compelling stories and endorsements from individuals directly impacted by your mission. While it is essential to clearly identify what an organization needs to expand programming, it is just as important to create a journey through messaging that informs and motivates donors to galvanize behind a cause with financial support.
Evaluate Baseline Message Clarity and Cadence
Beyond your mission and vision statements, is your organization messaging clear and concise for your specific audiences, not just prospective donors or current donors?
Have you established and been following a consistent messaging plan and cadence to regularly communicate with donors, prospects and media in outbound marketing, social media, and public relations?
Are your KPIs - key performance indicators, or success metrics - at or above industry standard?
Identify Organization Success Stories and Narrative for the Need
Is your organization routinely sharing stories of success that validate your mission and establish an overall case for donor support?
Are annual reports and financial documents available and easily accessible on your website to reinforce fiscal transparency?
Have you identified compelling examples and persuasive advocates that can illustrate the case for support?
Message Integration and Organization Preparedness
How does your website, social media, outbound marketing, internal communications, public relations, advertising, and events integrate with current messaging?
Who will be your key spokespersons and how will you train them on key messaging? How are they communicating in the pre-campaign phase with supporters and media?
How will you prepare all layers of your organization from Board members to volunteers to feel confident about talking about the campaign case for support?
If your organization is considering a capital campaign in the next 12 – 18 months, start now to evaluate your current messaging strategy. We are here to talk strategy with you and prepare a plan that will drive dollars.
