Campaign Communications Today

Kristin V. Rehder & Associates
Kristin Rehder, Principal
April 2005

While a campaign can be helpful in enhancing your institution's reputation and increasing awareness of your priorities across a broad constituency, it must first and foremost raise money toward stated priorities from donors (repeat and new) who are meaningfully engaged in closer and lasting relationships with the institution. Remember: A campaign is an announced public effort with the goal of securing an extraordinary level of gift support for specific objectives during a limited period of time. (Washburn & McGoldrick, fund-raising consultants in education)

In order to be effective, therefore, campaign communications should track carefully to your campaign's primary fund-raising goals. Along with fund raisers, those who are creating campaign communications should be responsible for, and evaluated on, whether the campaign is reaching its targets. Tracking the number of projects produced or the "creativity" of that work is pointless. If we make this adjustment in our thinking, our institutions will raise more money to help accomplish their important missions, and greater numbers of donors will repeat their giving at higher levels.

As you are planning your campaign communications, structure your priorities, timelines, and budget resources with the following objectives in mind:

1. To meet or exceed the dollar goal of the campaign. Today, this means communications that are highly tailored to the small number of individual prospects (often less than 300) who often make up at least 80 percent of the campaign total. These "on-demand" communications, in the form of proposals, reports, and individualized or highly targeted marketing pieces, are produced collaboratively by development, communications, and stewardship staff and may be in-print and/or on-line. The communications deliver a distinct message about the potential partnership between the prospective donor and the institution. Such timely communications meet donors' expectations for up-to-date, personal information.

   Because campaigns often attempt to raise as much as 50 percent of the overall goal in the early nucleus phase, your capability to produce these kinds of targeted communications early on—whether for a leadership group of 50-70 people who will participate in a feasibility study or an individual who is considering a lead gift—is essential to your campaign's success.

   Of special note: It is critical that institutions do a better job of writing to the task at hand. Too many schools and colleges create a "master case" for support as they begin a campaign. This master case is then intended to serve as a feasibility paper, an introduction to conversations for consultative dinners with the head/president, and a printed case. Actually, each of these uses involves a slightly different audience that is engaging with the institution at different points in the development of the institution's needs, objectives, and plans. Each version of the case should, therefore, be written anew.

2. To raise money toward your stated priorities. In order to be accountable to the highest purposes and initiatives of the institution, demonstrated in the priorities you choose to fund, you will need to organize interdisciplinary groups of fund raisers, communications staff, and data managers who can work together seamlessly in small teams to fund your priorities. These teams will help design the strategies and communications that allow you to succeed at raising targeted money for large endowment and facilities goals, even as you maintain traditional structures of fund-raising for principal and major gifts, and for programs like the annual fund.
   
   
3. To extend the pipeline of donors. This work is essential for meeting the overall goal of a comprehensive campaign that includes gifts at all levels, but it also allows you to use this campaign to seed the next. You will be educating people about the strength and value of the institution and moving them up in their levels of giving. Some of your best vehicles for this work will be a very strong and consistent annual fund, as well as an increased focus on reunions and giving societies. Communications will need to support each of these key areas strategically and create the "buzz" about your institution that continues to keep people excited about its progress and explores the values your constituents share with the institution.

The information contained here may not be reproduced without credit to Kristin V. Rehder and/or permission to copy.
Kristin V. Rehder August 2005.