Here are the top takeaways gathered today from the Campaign Roundtable session. Thanks to all who facilitated and participated in our guided discussions!
Main takeaways
- Roundtable theme: Campaign Messaging
- Making storytelling an important part of campaigns - should be a partnership between many parties (leadership, board members, donors, etc)
- Board members/leaders through communications of the campaign want to highlight successes and donors wanting to solve problems. How do you marry the two?
- "What if" - what if we did something similar to that? Communication is so important - make people think about 'what if'? That inspires people to action/engage.
- Campaign messaging arc - there is a strategic plan and all the other messaging feeds into the campaign's broader messaging. Let's people:
Raises everyone's awareness - sees it's well planned out and strategic. That's the power of campaign messaging
- It's aspirational - looking to the future. Have people see the vision and why it's important.
- It's energizing and motivating
- Roundtable Theme: Campaign Phases
- Spend time to open and close a campaign correctly. It builds trust internally and externally and communicates impact
- A campaign and its phases should be rooted in the institution's strategic plan and provide a pathway utilizing IA and philanthropy toward achieving part of that vision.
- Roundtable Theme: Campaign Cases for Support
- Approach the case through the lens of urgency
- Why this? Why Now? Ask these two questions before you prepare the case.
- Look at ways to segment messaging to different constituencies.
- Roundtable Theme: New Building Campaigns
- Plan for naming opportunities for the smaller donors, e.g. naming of anatomy tables.
- Incorporate campaign in all giving-encourage or ask donors to give a small % of their gift to the campaign.
- Roundtable theme: Multi-year Campaigns
- Campaigns should be comprehensive of the entire institution and not just one specific unit.
- The public phase of a large campaign should be 5-8 years.
- Campaign priorities should be broad and limited to five
- Plan a second tier of leadership to manage any potential leadership changes once a campaign is underway.
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George Rattin
Executive Director of Development
Rosalind Franklin University
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