Finding Campaign Prospects and Campaign Leadership

March 17, 2003

© Tamarack – An Institute for Community Engagement & Wayne Hussey Consulting Inc. 2003.

Remember, doing good is not enough

• There are more than 80,000 charities in Canada• Each is empowered to raise funds through

donations and philanthropy• Though Canada is one of the most generous

countries on earth in terms of giving of our time and money, we are competing for potential donors and potential leaders

• So how do we find these generous and community minded people, businesses and organizations?

Start with the Case

• Our fundraising case gives us direction on the type of prospects we will be searching for

• Given the vision of Vibrant Communities we are looking for people who value what we are trying to do

• The good news is that addressing poverty has been an issue for decades or more

• The bad news is we are trailblazers – people have heard poverty promises before

Look to the goal

• If we were trying to raise $1,000,000 over a four year period we prospect differently than if we wanted to raise $10,000 or if we were aiming for $100,000,000

• The goal is therefore reflected in a tool we call “The Gift Table” We actually chart out what gifts we need in

order to reach our goal. This then tells us the kinds of prospects we need.

• There are three potential models we can apply:

The Hierarchical Model - One large large lead gift followed by gifts of descending magnitude

OR The Partnership Model - A series of relatively equal

sized gifts

OR A Blended Model – A few larger lead gifts followed by a

number of relatively equal sized gifts

A Gift Table for $1,000,000

The Hierarchical Model

Gift Total Running Total

One lead gift of $100,000 $100,000 $100,000Two gifts of $75,000 $150,000 $250,000Four gifts of $50,000 $200,000

$400,000Eight gifts of $25,000 $200,000

$600,000Ten gifts of $20,000 $100,000 $700,000Fifteen gifts of $10,000 $150,000 $850,000Twenty gifts of $5,000 $100,000 $950,000Twenty five gifts of $2,000 $50,000 $1,000,000

• This table requires 85 gifts from 255 prospects

The Partnership Model

• This model seeks a smaller number of gifts and attempts to bring donors in at comparable levels

• Seeking perfect equity is impossible – a small company giving $50,000 is very different than a billionaire giving $50,000 – trying to achieve equity is a fruitless exercise

• All gifts are equally valuable and appreciated

Partnership/Blended Model

• Partnership Model (needs 45 prospects) 15 gifts of $50,000 - $75,000 $1,000,000

• Blended Model (needs 48 prospects) 4 cornerstone gifts of $100,000 $400,000 12 partnership gifts of $50,000 $600,000

The Preferred Model

• The Partnership Model or the Blended Model are both ideal for Vibrant Communities as we need to have both inclusion and access

• A smaller donor group allows a more intimate relationship which in turn allows us to include them as working partners not just donors

• These two models require a significantly smaller pool of prospects and therefore a much smaller number of campaign leaders (canvassers)

Prospect Identification

• We start with ourselves – every member of the Steering Committee makes their personal contribution

• We then ensure our organizations (where appropriate) support the project financially and with our time

• We then identify all of the previous donors (if any) to our efforts

More Identification

• If there is no history of giving to us (as is likely the case) we identify those who have given to other agencies or projects like us

• We also look to identify generous people within our personal sphere of influence and within the group’s personal sphere of influence

• We then look to generous people outside our collective sphere of influence but have shown sympathy for our cause or related causes

• We then match all of these names to the gift table in the case of the hierarchical model or create Top Prospect and Secondary Prospect Lists for the Partner/Blended Model

Prospect Identification and Research

• In order to start the prospect rating process (matching them to gift tables or partner giving levels) we need to do prospect research

• We need to scan the public domain for information about the prospect and build a profile on them. A critical part of this process is to understand their giving history and their volunteer leadership history

• We also constantly scan community media to identify additional prospects that we had not thought of but who are demonstrating interest

• We add them to our prospect list

Constantly Seeking Advice

• One of the most powerful ways to enrich your prospect list is to ask others for advice and comment

• It is also a friend finding process (leadership)• We constantly gather input about the prospect,

who knows the prospect, who should call on the prospect, how to recruit the person to call on the prospect, etc.

• Our confidence soars when we begin to realize we have access and potentially a match with a prospect

The List is Ever Fluid

• As we engage prospects in our first visit we will quickly learn whether they are serious prospects for Vibrant Communities

• We are constantly delighted and disappointed What we thought would be a cultivation call yields a gift What we thought was a certain solicitation reverts to

cultivation

• And don’t forget to meet with your prospects and other community leaders simply to confirm and expand the Prospect List. It is a simple and safe way to determine their interest

Finding Leaders

• The number and nature of leaders required for a campaign is dependent on two things:

• The Gift Table

• The Campaign Model

Impact of the Gift Table

• Using the Hierarchical Model of Campaigns requires legions of volunteers as we are likely going to meet in excess of 200 prospects in order to secure around 85 gifts that total $1,000,000

• This model is labor intensive and could require up to 50 canvassers, captains and division chairs

• The Partnership and Blended Model requires a much smaller number of gifts and therefore a much smaller number of campaign canvassers – it can be successfully achieved with a group of 5 highly committed canvassers

The Challenge of Finding Leaders

• With so many campaigns many leaders are worn out – they have done their turn

• There are real concerns from potential campaign volunteers that they will be successful if they agree to join – no one wants to fail in these campaigns

• Potential leaders have less time than ever • They want a highly streamlined approach• They want skilled staff to do the support work• They are getting tired of meeting for meetings sake• Meetings are up, sales are down

The Wrap Around Model

• Limit each volunteer to no more than five prospects at any time

• Carrying one prospect well is a good enough contribution

• Don’t hold meetings – go meet with each volunteer and support them in doing quality cultivation and solicitation

• No one goes out alone• Every cultivation step is planned and even scripted• Meet at the beginning to orient and share prospect

information and accept prospect assignments• Meet no more than every three months• Carrying a prospect takes 5 - 20 hours each

Targeting Effective Leaders

• Using the wrap around model streamlines their time, allows campaigns to run silently and provides maximum staff support

• Your chances of recruiting have now gone up dramatically

• Who you recruit is actually quite simple – people who are respected and have positive influence on the names on your Top Prospect List

• Remember, doing one call well is a significant contribution to a Partnership/Blended Model

• Look to current community leaders, past leaders, current and potential donors

How Many Leaders at One Time

• The Wrap Around Model allows you to have leaders move in and out of the campaign team as they start and finish their prospect assignments

• The real determinant of how many volunteers we can support at any given time is based on our staff resources

• If your campaign has a single Campaign Director, the largest number of prospects you can support is 25 and still have quality control

• The number of volunteers is then determined by the number of volunteers who make up the ambassadors for 25 prospects

For example

• Five high profile leaders have good access to five prospects each and accept those assignments = stop recruiting until one or more of those are done

• Or Twenty five leaders are each willing to take one prospect = stop recruiting

• Any combination of the above that equals 25

Finding Campaign Prospects and Campaign Leadership

March 17, 2003

© Tamarack – An Institute for Community Engagement & Wayne Hussey Consulting Inc. 2003.