So You Missed the End Zone
What to do when fundraising results fall short of goal.
It happens to the best of us. You are nearing the end of the campaign timeline and the writing on the wall is clear: despite all of the planning and hard work, you are not going to reach your revenue goal. How do you find the positives in a less-than-perfect outcome?
First, cover your budgetary bases. Take a hard look at how your organization is planning to use the raised funds and align aspirations with reality. Can a project be scaled back or otherwise reorganized? Can funds be (responsibly) borrowed? As unpleasant as this process may be, arming your team with a “Plan B” will go a long way toward avoiding panic and helping all involved feel successful.
Next, scour your prospect list to make sure you left no stone unturned. Might there be donors who could be encouraged to make a second gift to your campaign? Consider crafting special recognition opportunities for this group to acknowledge just how grateful you are for their increased support. Are there prospective donors who might have been considered “not quite ready” at the beginning of the campaign who could be approached now? Some may be inspired by the idea that they are helping you reach your goal.
Review your campaign plan. What went wrong? Fundraising goals should be aspirational, but they must also at some level reflect reality. Were your top prospects properly rated based on a combination of capacity to give at the level proposed and inclination to give to your organization at that level? Was your prospect-to-gift ratio appropriate? Some organizations are positioned for success with five accurately rated prospects per every gift needed to reach a goal while others will need a 10:1 or higher ratio.
Reconsider your campaign’s people power. Were your leadership volunteers engaged and prepared for success? Could your board and committee members be motivated to find those last critical donors to bring you closer to the goal? What have you learned about who should be at the top of a campaign’s leadership and what they need to be effective? Was the staffing sufficient to support your volunteers?
An unflinching post-mortem will help inform future fundraising initiatives, but you also need to find ways to deal positively with your current dilemma.
Take the wins. Maybe the revenue goal fell short, but you doubled the number of donors in your base. Perhaps you identified new major gift prospects and were able to launch a new legacy gift society. Or maybe you gained subscribers, not donors – who will expand the audience for the next campaign.
And last, but certainly not least, congratulate and celebrate your team – volunteers and staff alike – and thank them for their hard work. Whatever the results, find the silver lining!
The More Than Giving Co. can help you help you with your fundraising post-mortem.
Schedule a call today to learn how we can help.