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What the Fundraising
316: Campaign Success Starts Before You Fundraise with Amy Eisenstein & Sarah
00:26:14
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- [00:04]
A
Before we dive in, I want to give a huge shout out to donorperfect for supporting this podcast and the fundraisers who listen to it. They're not just a CRM, they're a partner in helping fundraisers feel more confident, aligned, and supported. Learn more@donorperfect.com Mallory.
- [00:25]
B
We talk a lot at Capital Campaign Pro about how partnership is such an important element in successful campaigns. Partnerships between an organization and their donors, partnership between staff and board. And I think that, I mean, so obviously that's a theme in the book, like the importance of partnership, but also part and parcel of the way that you framed the opportunity of this book. Mallory is sort of. It exemplifies the partnership, right, because it's board members have this resource and staff members have this resource together, and if they use it in a strategic and thoughtful way.
- [01:09]
A
Hey, my name is Mallory and I'm obsessed with helping leaders in the nonprofit space raise money and run their organizations differently. What the fundraising is a space for real and raw conversations to both challenge and inspire you. Not too long ago, I was in your shoes, uncomfortable with fundraising and unsure of my place in this session. It wasn't until I started to listen to other experts outside of the fundraising space that I was able to shift my mindset and ultimately shift the way I show up as a leader. This podcast is my way of blending professional and personal development so we, as a collective inside the nonprofit sector, can feel good about the work we are doing. Join me every week as I interview some of the brightest minds in the personal and professional development space to help you fundamentally change the way you lead and fundraise. I hope you enjoy this episode, so let's dive in.
- [02:03]
C
Welcome everyone. I am so excited to be here today with Amy Eisenstein and Sarah Plimpton. Welcome to what the Fundraising.
- [02:11]
D
Thanks for having us, Mallory.
- [02:13]
C
I would love for both of you to give a little introduction to who you are and what you focus on. We're here today to talk about your very special new book that is out. I'm holding my copy for those of you not looking at this, but A Board Member's Guide to Capital Campaign Fundraising. I have a lot of questions and I'm super excited to dive in, but let's start with just some introductions.
- [02:35]
D
Yeah? Well, first of all, thank you again for having us. I'm Amy Eisenstein. I am CEO and co founder of Capital Campaign Pro, and as the name would indicate, we serve nonprofits and support them through capital campaigns. And I've been in the sector for 30 years. First as a development director. So if you're listening and you're on the front line fundraising team, I've been in your seat in large shops and small shops and now for almost 20 years as a consultant primarily at Capital Campaign Pro. We serve organizations that are small development teams raising more money than they ever dreamed possible.
- [03:18]
B
So Sarah, great, thank you and thank you for having us, Mallory. It's so great to be with you. So my name is Sarah Plimpton. I work with Amy at Capital Campaign Pro. I am vice president and chief happiness officer. I work with all of our clients who are all over the country running capital campaigns themselves. A little bit about me in the way of background. I have been in fundraising for all of my post college professional life and the through line in all of my roles has been campaigns. I've worked on them as a consultant, as an in house development leader, as a coach and as an advisor. I just love campaigns. I can't seem to get away from them.
- [04:02]
C
Amazing. Well, let's start with sort of a high level because you all have been sort of inside and around so many capital campaigns in the work that you do. And so what inspired or maybe prompted the urgency around writing this book right now and really focusing on the board members experience?
- [04:23]
D
Sarah, you want to start?
- [04:25]
B
Sure. I think there are a lot of reasons we wrote the book, Mallory, but one of the biggest reasons was campaigns are long endeavors. They span typically a couple of years. And over that time frame it is not at all uncommon for board seats to turn over, new board members to come in, old board members to cycle off. And we've seen our clients struggle with having to keep the whole board educated and informed and up to speed the campaign and what's happening and why things are happening and what's coming next. And so we wrote the book really to have a concise, friendly, accurate, one stop shopping experience for directors of development and board members who just want to understand the basics of a capital campaign in one place. So that's one reason we wrote the book. Amy, what would you add?
- [05:25]
D
I mean, I guess the only thing that I would add is that there is a lot of fear and misunderstanding around the concept of capital campaigns. I think most board members, whether they would sort of articulate it this way or not, are nervous heading into a capital campaign. They don't know how much they're going to be expected to give, if they're going to be required to ask their friends and family for money. They don't know if the organization can be successful. And they have a lot of questions. And there's a lot of myths about what how campaigns work and board roles and responsibilities. So to me, another reason we wrote this book is just to put board members at ease, put real information in the hands of leadership teams and volunteers so that they understand what's expected of them, and it diffuses some of that fear and anxiety.
- [06:19]
C
Do you have a phase? I mean, you sort of answered this, but I actually want to check the assumption that I'm making. Like, do you have a phase in a capital campaign where this book is particularly helpful? Like, okay, if you're just thinking about having a campaign one day? Or what about if folks are in the middle of a campaign, but maybe they're struggling with board member engagement? Like, when should people pick this up?
- [06:42]
D
Well, I think a year before you start really diving into a campaign, you want to prepare your board members long in advance of actually starting to ask for money. And you should be in the plant an active plan planning phase for months or maybe a year or longer before you actually start asking for money. So, I mean, we hope that you would buy every board member a copy of the book. And one of the ways that we think it should be used is at every board meeting, focus on one chapter or one question. And the chapters are short. They're only three or four or five pages long. But pick a topic or a question and discuss it at every meeting. And of course, through the campaign. You're right, Mallory. There's no one time. But I would say the earlier the better, because the organizations that start off planning well have an easier time. We don't want you to be stuck in the middle. So, you know, it sort of breaks our heart when we hear from organizations. You know, when. When you're stuck in the middle, it's not too late, but it's harder.
- [07:55]
B
Can I add one thought, which is that if you are. If you're listening to this and you are in the middle of a campaign, it's not too late to pick up the book and learn a lot from it and put it in the hands of your board members and help them perhaps engage differently with your campaign. We really, as Amy said a moment ago, it's broken up into short chapters that each chapter deals with a question that we hear over and over and over again from board members. So it's very accessible in that way. But there are questions that we get through every phase of the campaign. Right? So even in the public phase, there are questions which, for those of you who aren't familiar with campaigns, that's the Very end of your campaign. There's a lot to learn from this book. So it's not just at the beginning, all the way through. Yeah.
- [08:45]
C
Amazing.
- [08:46]
A
So one of the things I'm sort
- [08:48]
C
of reflecting on as I'm hearing you both talk about this is I feel like materials like this or sort of content like this can be really helpful in relationship building between an organization and their board members because it sort of allows for this, like, group learning environment. Right. Where you're sort of, like, deflecting some of these questions from having to be the one to ask them as the chief development officer, as the executive director. But you're going through a material like this together, and you get to solution together around the answers. Talk to me a little bit about how you see that component of it, sort of the connective tissue and connection that this can build between staff and board.
- [09:30]
D
Sarah, do you want to start or
- [09:31]
B
you want to go for it? But I love that question, Mallory.
- [09:36]
D
Yeah, I mean, I think that it gets to the heart of the matter because I think there's this eternal struggle, especially on the staff side, of how to engage board members. So to have a resource that helps you ask questions, helps you facilitate thoughtful discussions. You know, not just staff to board, but sort of back the other way, both ways. If you're reading it together and learning together and asking thoughtful questions, I mean, it doesn't have every single answer. It stimulates discussion because there's not always one right answer. Every campaign is unique and different, and so different organizations are going to answer different questions differently. But this is a real resource that staff and board members and campaign volunteers can use together to learn and grow and make decisions that are good for their campaign in whatever circumstance they're in.
- [10:37]
C
Yeah. Do you. I love that. And do you have anything, Sarah, you wanted to add to that in particular?
- [10:43]
A
Yeah.
- [10:44]
B
I mean, we talk a lot at Capital Campaign Pro about how partnership is such an important element in successful campaigns. Partnerships between an organization and their donors, partnership between staff and board. And I think that, I mean, so obviously that's a theme in the book, like the importance of partnership, but also part and parcel of the way that you framed the opportunity of this book, Mallory, is. Is sort of. It exemplifies the partnership. Right. Because it's board members have this resource and staff members have this resource together. And if they use it in a strategic and thoughtful way, the act of using it in that way is partnership. Right. And so, I mean, there's so many ways that a director of development or an ED could pick up this book and weave it into board agendas over a six month or 12 month period. And that process is going to naturally enhance the partnership between the board and staff around this campaign.
- [11:52]
C
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. And I'm curious, like, for. I feel like you've answered actually a few of my other questions in terms of, you know, what sort of both sides of that relationship are often feeling in these moments. Talk to me a little bit about how you see this book also helping. It sounds like both prevent challenges down the line, but I can imagine in a lot of capital campaigns there are still moments of discomfort or tension or figuring things out because a donor wants to do X, Y and Z. And that wasn't in the plan, you know, or in the naming tiers. But how do you see that this tool also really helping sort of increase the confidence of board members and team members and then actually be able to do it to sort of navigate the challenges that might come up.
- [12:44]
D
Sarah, you can start us off.
- [12:46]
B
Sure. Mallory, you are just coming in with great questions.
- [12:50]
D
I love it.
- [12:52]
B
I love it. So I think if an organization picked up this book before their campaign, as Amy said, like a year or so before they like really launched into active campaigning and read it, let's say most of the board reads it and there are discussions about it and they're, you know, sort of culturally embodying the ethos of the book, which is, you know, really about board members and staff co authoring the campaign experience. I think a couple things. Challenges and campaigns are normal, right. And are normalized in the book. So there would be sort of that, like, oh, no, right. That might seize a board that doesn't have that foundational knowledge and catch them off guard. Hopefully a board that has engaged in this book wouldn't be totally, you know, at their wit's end if there's a challenge or there's a, you know, tricky moment. But also I think the ethos of the book or the ethos of Camp Capital Campaign Pro that I hope we conveyed in the book is that there's always a way, right. Like in the face of some of the greatest challenges that any campaign encounters, there are always levers and options and there always are opportunities. Right. And so I think that there's like, hopefully a mindset that this book conveys of like, it might not be what you expected, but there is a silver lining. There is a next thing to do here. And so for a board and a staff administrative team that are conversant in the book, I hope that that ethos and sort of mindset transmits. And when the campaign challenges come along the pike, they're grounded and settled and able to sort of look around the boulder, look under it, look over it, and, like, figure out, okay, how do we make lemonade out of lemons here and move forward?
- [14:51]
C
That's making me think sort of beyond the book. But just with Capital Campaign Pro in general, I do feel like so much of the sort of historic or legacy ways that we've seen capital campaigns done, and even the different phases have been so binary. Right? You do a feasibility study, and it's like, yes, no, Right. And I've always been like, whoa, like, people are going to invest that much money in a. No. Like, in a. There's no possible way to move forward. Like, that has always sort of blown my mind. And I think what I've always loved about Capital Campaign Pro is the space you all create for the different ways that something could come together and the way that you, like, can hold that nuance. Right. Especially in an industry that has not often been filled with it for a number of different reasons. So talk to me. Let's go a little bit deeper there for a second. Like, talk to me about why that feels so important in terms of changing how capital campaigns are planned for and run, especially in this day and age.
- [15:54]
D
I love that question, Mallory. So I'm going to start. I think you're pointing to something so important. First of all, if we could go back 50 or 100 years and rename feasibility studies, we would in a heartbeat. I would love the whole sector to start calling them campaign readiness or campaign planning studies, because really, what they do is tell you how you're going to do your campaign or how you can do your campaign and what is possible. And so you may be planning for a certain type of project, and the feasibility study says how you can get there or how you might get there, not yes or no. It's not binary. And if for some reason you're planning a $10 million project and the feasibility study indicates that it's likely you'll raise 8 million. Did I say $10 million project? That it's likely that you'll raise $8 million through philanthropy, then your board has data and can make decisions about, will we consider financing, will we consider using a reserve fund? How might we complete this project? Do we need to consider pH or scaling it back slightly? It's not a go, no go. It's a how are we going to proceed with data and knowledge. And I think one other thing that you were sort of Alluding to that I'm going to let people in on is that for many, many years, feasibility studies are a series of interviews that have been conducted by campaign consultants, usually confidentially, and you get an aggregated report of the consultant's findings and data. But we almost 10 years ago now sort of said this is not the best way to do them anymore. Now we know better and we train nonprofit leaders to conduct those interviews. We still help them figure out how the arc of the interview or the conversation goes, what data to collect. We analyze it for them so that they're still getting that analysis and data driven results. But they are building relationships in the process and they're preparing themselves and their donors for the ask and they're really getting ready for campaigns in a much more effective way that's better for the organization, donors, staff, and sort of the old thinking is that donors won't be open and honest with nonprofit leaders. And we have found that that is just not the case. Over the last decade, doing these 100, you know, more than 100 times now with a hundred different organizations, donors are thrilled to talk to nonprofit leaders and tell them all the stuff they're feeling.
- [18:54]
C
I love that. Sarah, is there anything else you want to add to that?
- [18:58]
B
Amy said it, Yeah,
- [19:04]
C
I love what you said about the feasibility studies. And perhaps it's the organizations that I've worked with who have taken them to be no's as opposed to like how they go about doing it because they're more sort of set in that or nothing, you know, or this or bus. But I also, I think even just that framing around it and that expectation setting around what it could or couldn't be is really important as people sort of go into that type of expectation exploration for their organization. Before we wrap up, like if you were going to summarize three of the sort of top recommendations for folks who are, let's say they are folks that are one to three years out. Maybe they've just heard the word capital campaign a few times and they know it's on the horizon because of a particular sort of organizational development. They're thinking about what are your top three recommendations for them as they start to consider. Consider what their first steps might be here and the book might be one of them. But I'm trying to think about the other two as well.
- [20:08]
D
Yeah, I'll share one and then Sarah, you can share another. So to me, an organization that is just thinking about it should hopefully be going through a strategic planning process so that the board is involved and engaged in the visioning for the future of a campaign. So through a strategic planning process, you will point the way forward for the organization and what the big vision is. And then the campaign is how to fund that vision. Usually that's where it starts. So I would say that if you haven't done a campaign in 10 years or more at your organization, you should be going through a strategic planning process with a goal of growth. I mean, that's what campaigns do. They help organizations get to the next level of program, of service. It's a real leap in. I don't know what the word is I'm looking for, but it helps organizations catapult to the next level of sophistication of service, of the way they deliver their mission. Sarah, what's something else?
- [21:19]
B
Yeah, I think you're exactly right, that that is the first place to start. And just to put a counterpoint on that, the wrong place to start is to say, we have an anniversary next year, so therefore we should do a campaign. No, you need a strategic plan driving the vision and big idea or ideas that your campaign will fund. I think the next step in that process is really to think about, okay, we have our strategic plan, we have our vision worked out. What are the specific concrete areas within our organization that need investment in order to make that strategic plan come to life? So whether it's a new building or program growth or acquisition of other sites or geographic expansion or whatever the case might be, like, what are the concrete things that we need money to be able to do more of? And then I think so, that's sort of like another track of things to figure out. And then I think really looking internally too, at your development operations, at your team, asking your staff, what do you need to be able to do a campaign? Like, are all of the seats filled in our development shop? Do we have good systems in place? Are we doing sort of basic development operations at a good clip? Or are there areas that we might need to, like, sort of amp up in anticipation of a campaign? So really sort of looking at internal readiness and systems and capacity as you also look outward at, like, what is the big idea? What are the impacts that we want to have years in the future? And then number three, I would say buy the book.
- [23:07]
C
Yeah. Amazing. Amazing. Thank you both so much. Where should folks go to buy the book? And to learn more about Capital Campaign
- [23:15]
D
Pro in general, I think just to our website@capital campaignpro.com if you want to buy one copy of the book, probably Amazon is the best place. And just search a board Member's Guide to Capital Campaign Fundraising. But if you want to buy copies at a discounted price for every member of your board and your senior leadership team, you can come to capital campaign pro.com board book amazing.
- [23:44]
C
Thank you both so much for the work that you do and for providing this incredible resource to the community.
- [23:49]
D
Thanks Mallory. Thanks for having us.
- [23:52]
B
Thank you Mallory.
- [23:59]
A
I hope today's episode inspired or challenged you to think differently. For additional takeaways, tips, show notes, and more about our amazing guest and sponsors, head on over to Mallorykson.com podcast and if you didn't know, hosting this podcast isn't the only thing I do every day. I coach, guide and help fundraisers and leaders just like you inside of my program, the Power Partners Formula Collective. Inside the program, I share my methods, tools and experiences that have helped me fundraise millions of dollars and feel good about myself in the process. To learn more about how I can help you, visit MalloryErickson.com PowerPartners Last but not least, if you enjoyed this episode, I'd love to encourage you to share it with a friend you know would benefit or leave a review. I'm so grateful for all of you and the good hard work you're doing doing to make our world a better place. I can't wait to see you in the next episode.