When you start a fundraising campaign that asks your community to support your school's long-term mission and vision, you want to know that you are going to be successful.
This is where a campaign feasibility study comes in. A campaign feasibility study is a management tool you can use to evaluate and select the best strategies for the planning, development, and implementation of a campaign.
This exercise helps you better understand whether your school can raise the money it requires. But your feasibility study should do much more than just tell you whether or not to stage the campaign.
A Way to Cultivate Your Donors
A campaign feasibility study helps to identify campaign leadership and pace-setting gifts. It effectively pre-sells community leaders in a nonsolicitation setting and, therefore, is one of your best cultivation and stewardship tools.
A Marketing Tool for Your Institution
A campaign feasibility study provides an opportunity to educate your community about the visions and dreams worthy of their philanthropic investment. It is a marketing tool for your institution and helps you engage with your various constituencies.
A Method to Match Your Messages With What Your Community Desires
A campaign feasibility study provides the opportunity to learn what messages resonate with your potential donors, and uncovers your school's strengths and obstacles. You can then match those interests with your institutional priorities.
You also discover ways to fortify your overall development efforts and increase ongoing annual efforts during and after the campaign. You'll gain a solid and comprehensive understanding of what you need for your school’s short- and long-term development goals, and how your Development Team can appropriately work toward those goals.
An objective third party can help make your campaign feasibility study truly insightful. Your faculty, staff, and Board may accept their vision of the school as the truth. Yet, other constituencies you look to for financial support may have a completely different vision of the school and where you should focus your efforts.
A third party is more likely to garner honest answers than someone connected with the school. With this information, you learn your school's strengths and challenges, and develop the messages that will help ensure success.
A well-planned, well-conducted feasibility study gives you a wealth of information and the road map to a successful campaign.
ISM can work with your school to conduct your feasibility study and help set the stage for your successful campaign. Take advantage of our fundraising counsel, support, training, and coaching throughout the process to maximize results. Learn more about this and the rest of our consulting services on our website.
Additional ISM resources:
The Source for Advancement Vol. 16 No. 7 The First Step of Any Successful Fundraising Campaign
Additional ISM resources for members:
I&P Vol. 36 No. 7 The Campaign Feasibility Study: A Map to Campaign Success
I&P Vol. 42 No. 6 The Donor Cycle
