Starting your own Capital Campaign designed to raise $500,000 or more.

Your Very Own Capital Campaign -- Part 3

PHASE THREE OR THE FEASIBILITY STUDY –- Setting The Foundation Of Your Fundraising Campaign

Now that you have begun to develop your Feasibility Study contact list, your nonprofit organization will need to conduct the study before proceeding with further fundraising activities. Here's how to conduct the study.

1. Create a "confidential" survey form with 20 to 30 questions. This is the form used when gathering comments from your study prospects during the actual Feasibility Study. Some questions might include:

Are you familiar with what we do in our community?

If you were approached and asked to make a gift to our campaign over a 3 to 5 year period, what would you consider? Give a range of levels here.

Confidentially, do you know of others in our community that would participate financially in the campaign?

Could you suggest a few prominent individuals in our community that would participate as a campaign leader or worker in the campaign?

Would you personally participate as a campaign leader or worker in the campaign?

Etc.

2. Compile your list of political leaders, business leaders, your own board members, prominent donors, corporate donors, regional foundations, community leaders of other social and nonprofit organizations and leaders specific to the type of organization you run. You’ll want to identify 100 - 300 potential interviewees.

3. Send a letter to all potential interviewees stating that you will be calling on them and requesting the courtesy of a visit with them. It should be signed by a very influential and easily recognizable regional or community leader that will be involved with your campaign.

4. Call and set appointments on this leaders behalf.

5. Conduct the confidential survey by visiting each interviewee in person (telephone interviews are not effective and not recommended). Each interview will take from 30 minutes to an hour so make the appointment for an hour.

6. Compile all of the information obtained in the survey into a concise Feasibility Study document.

7. Report the results of the Feasibility Study at the next board meeting and make recommendations whether to proceed or not to proceed to the Capital Campaign phase.

Once the results of the Feasibility Study are discussed you will be more aware of what potential there is for raising funds for your nonprofit organization during a capital campaign.

Keep in mind that the results may also be negative and could recommend that you should not attempt to conduct a capital campaign at the time of the report.

A well executed Feasibility Study will help keep you from conducting a potentially disastrous fundraising campaign or will give you the edge to help you succeed with your fundraising plan.

Continued...

Your Very Own Capital Campaign -- The Beginning, Part 1

Your Very Own Capital Campaign -- Phase One and Two, Part 2

Your Very Own Capital Campaign -- The Feasibility Study, Part 3

Your Very Own Capital Campaign -- Final Phase, Part 4