• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • Management
  • Give & Care
  • Marketing
Capital Campaigns 101: What are Feasibility Studies?

Capital Campaigns 101: What are Feasibility Studies?

September 27, 2022
The Three Layers of A Person and Your Fundraising Story – Agitator

The Three Layers of A Person and Your Fundraising Story – Agitator

March 20, 2023
Engaging Millennials and Gen Z by ChatGPT – Nonprofit Law Blog

Engaging Millennials and Gen Z by ChatGPT – Nonprofit Law Blog

March 18, 2023
Advertisement
The 5 Best Fundraising Ideas for Your School’s PTA

The 5 Best Fundraising Ideas for Your School’s PTA

March 18, 2023
Nonprofit Tweets of the Week – 3/17/23 – Nonprofit Law Blog

Nonprofit Tweets of the Week – 3/17/23 – Nonprofit Law Blog

March 17, 2023
Are You Giving Your Donors the Trump Treatment? – Agitator

Iron Law of Megaprojects – Agitator

March 17, 2023
Hosting Engaging Virtual Events: How to Boost Participation

Hosting Engaging Virtual Events: How to Boost Participation

March 17, 2023
Workaholic and Caretaker: Two Patterns That Make Saying No Hard

Workaholic and Caretaker: Two Patterns That Make Saying No Hard

March 16, 2023
All Segmented Up and Nowhere to Go – Agitator

All Segmented Up and Nowhere to Go – Agitator

March 15, 2023
Understanding Nonprofit Membership Models: Quick Guide

Understanding Nonprofit Membership Models: Quick Guide

March 15, 2023
How to Make Your Social Media Updates (Among Other Things) More Relevant

How to Make Your Social Media Updates (Among Other Things) More Relevant

March 14, 2023
Tuesday, March 21, 2023
  • Home
  • Charity News
  • Give & Care
    The 5 Best Fundraising Ideas for Your School’s PTA

    The 5 Best Fundraising Ideas for Your School’s PTA

    Lenten Pastoral Notes For Better Engagement

    Lenten Pastoral Notes For Better Engagement

    Appuntamento Evaluation

    Top Fundraising Platforms for Catholic Organizations

    Top Fundraising Platforms for Catholic Organizations

    10 Unique Nonprofit Fundraising Ideas for a Productive 2023

    10 Unique Nonprofit Fundraising Ideas for a Productive 2023

    How to Create Successful Nonprofit Fundraising Videos

    How to Create Successful Nonprofit Fundraising Videos

    Taking Nonprofit Email Marketing a Step Further: 6 Tips

    Taking Nonprofit Email Marketing a Step Further: 6 Tips

    4 Fundraising Delusions That Nonprofits Go Through

    4 Fundraising Delusions That Nonprofits Go Through

    3 Ways You’re Holding Your Campaign Back Without Knowing It

    Transform Your Giving & Engagement With GCSmart Tools

    Transform Your Giving & Engagement With GCSmart Tools

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Climate Change
    • Flat Earth
  • Management
    Engaging Millennials and Gen Z by ChatGPT – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Engaging Millennials and Gen Z by ChatGPT – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Nonprofit Tweets of the Week – 3/17/23 – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Nonprofit Tweets of the Week – 3/17/23 – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Nonprofit Law 201 for Journalists – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Nonprofit Law 201 for Journalists – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Nonprofit Tweets of the Week – 3/10/23 – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Nonprofit Tweets of the Week – 3/10/23 – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Nonprofit Tweets of the Week – 3/3/23 – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Nonprofit Tweets of the Week – 3/3/23 – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Is Fiscal Sponsorship a Service Provided for a Fee? Why it isn’t and why it matters. – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Is Fiscal Sponsorship a Service Provided for a Fee? Why it isn’t and why it matters. – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Scholarships to NCPGC 30th Annual Planned Giving Conference – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Scholarships to NCPGC 30th Annual Planned Giving Conference – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Nonprofit Tweets of the Week – 2/24/23 – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Nonprofit Tweets of the Week – 2/24/23 – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Highlights from the ABA Exempt Organizations Subcommittee Meetings 2/10/23 – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Highlights from the ABA Exempt Organizations Subcommittee Meetings 2/10/23 – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Nonprofit Tweets of the Week – 2/17/23 – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Nonprofit Tweets of the Week – 2/17/23 – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Trending Tags

    • Donald Trump
    • Future of News
    • Climate Change
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
    • Flat Earth
  • Marketing
    Workaholic and Caretaker: Two Patterns That Make Saying No Hard

    Workaholic and Caretaker: Two Patterns That Make Saying No Hard

    How to Make Your Social Media Updates (Among Other Things) More Relevant

    How to Make Your Social Media Updates (Among Other Things) More Relevant

    Mixed Links: News and Tips for Nonprofit Marketers – March 10, 2023

    Mixed Links: News and Tips for Nonprofit Marketers – March 10, 2023

    Unlocking the Power of AI for Nonprofit Communications

    Unlocking the Power of AI for Nonprofit Communications

    Why Saying No at Work is Hard for Nonprofit Communicators

    Why Saying No at Work is Hard for Nonprofit Communicators

    Social Media Demographics Nonprofit Communicators Need to Know in 2023

    Social Media Demographics Nonprofit Communicators Need to Know in 2023

    Mixed Links: News and Tips for Nonprofit Marketers – March 3, 2023

    Mixed Links: News and Tips for Nonprofit Marketers – March 3, 2023

    Kivi and Farra Talking Trends

    Kivi and Farra Talking Trends

    Nonprofit Social Media and Newsletter Ideas for March 2023

    Nonprofit Social Media and Newsletter Ideas for March 2023

    Mixed Links: News and Tips for Nonprofit Marketers – February 24, 2023

    Mixed Links: News and Tips for Nonprofit Marketers – February 24, 2023

    Trending Tags

    • Flat Earth
    • Sillicon Valley
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Golden Globes
    • Future of News
  • Organization & Strategy
  • Resources
No Result
View All Result
Charity Racers
Advertisement
  • Home
  • Charity News
  • Give & Care
    The 5 Best Fundraising Ideas for Your School’s PTA

    The 5 Best Fundraising Ideas for Your School’s PTA

    Lenten Pastoral Notes For Better Engagement

    Lenten Pastoral Notes For Better Engagement

    Appuntamento Evaluation

    Top Fundraising Platforms for Catholic Organizations

    Top Fundraising Platforms for Catholic Organizations

    10 Unique Nonprofit Fundraising Ideas for a Productive 2023

    10 Unique Nonprofit Fundraising Ideas for a Productive 2023

    How to Create Successful Nonprofit Fundraising Videos

    How to Create Successful Nonprofit Fundraising Videos

    Taking Nonprofit Email Marketing a Step Further: 6 Tips

    Taking Nonprofit Email Marketing a Step Further: 6 Tips

    4 Fundraising Delusions That Nonprofits Go Through

    4 Fundraising Delusions That Nonprofits Go Through

    3 Ways You’re Holding Your Campaign Back Without Knowing It

    Transform Your Giving & Engagement With GCSmart Tools

    Transform Your Giving & Engagement With GCSmart Tools

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Climate Change
    • Flat Earth
  • Management
    Engaging Millennials and Gen Z by ChatGPT – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Engaging Millennials and Gen Z by ChatGPT – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Nonprofit Tweets of the Week – 3/17/23 – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Nonprofit Tweets of the Week – 3/17/23 – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Nonprofit Law 201 for Journalists – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Nonprofit Law 201 for Journalists – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Nonprofit Tweets of the Week – 3/10/23 – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Nonprofit Tweets of the Week – 3/10/23 – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Nonprofit Tweets of the Week – 3/3/23 – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Nonprofit Tweets of the Week – 3/3/23 – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Is Fiscal Sponsorship a Service Provided for a Fee? Why it isn’t and why it matters. – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Is Fiscal Sponsorship a Service Provided for a Fee? Why it isn’t and why it matters. – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Scholarships to NCPGC 30th Annual Planned Giving Conference – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Scholarships to NCPGC 30th Annual Planned Giving Conference – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Nonprofit Tweets of the Week – 2/24/23 – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Nonprofit Tweets of the Week – 2/24/23 – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Highlights from the ABA Exempt Organizations Subcommittee Meetings 2/10/23 – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Highlights from the ABA Exempt Organizations Subcommittee Meetings 2/10/23 – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Nonprofit Tweets of the Week – 2/17/23 – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Nonprofit Tweets of the Week – 2/17/23 – Nonprofit Law Blog

    Trending Tags

    • Donald Trump
    • Future of News
    • Climate Change
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
    • Flat Earth
  • Marketing
    Workaholic and Caretaker: Two Patterns That Make Saying No Hard

    Workaholic and Caretaker: Two Patterns That Make Saying No Hard

    How to Make Your Social Media Updates (Among Other Things) More Relevant

    How to Make Your Social Media Updates (Among Other Things) More Relevant

    Mixed Links: News and Tips for Nonprofit Marketers – March 10, 2023

    Mixed Links: News and Tips for Nonprofit Marketers – March 10, 2023

    Unlocking the Power of AI for Nonprofit Communications

    Unlocking the Power of AI for Nonprofit Communications

    Why Saying No at Work is Hard for Nonprofit Communicators

    Why Saying No at Work is Hard for Nonprofit Communicators

    Social Media Demographics Nonprofit Communicators Need to Know in 2023

    Social Media Demographics Nonprofit Communicators Need to Know in 2023

    Mixed Links: News and Tips for Nonprofit Marketers – March 3, 2023

    Mixed Links: News and Tips for Nonprofit Marketers – March 3, 2023

    Kivi and Farra Talking Trends

    Kivi and Farra Talking Trends

    Nonprofit Social Media and Newsletter Ideas for March 2023

    Nonprofit Social Media and Newsletter Ideas for March 2023

    Mixed Links: News and Tips for Nonprofit Marketers – February 24, 2023

    Mixed Links: News and Tips for Nonprofit Marketers – February 24, 2023

    Trending Tags

    • Flat Earth
    • Sillicon Valley
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Golden Globes
    • Future of News
  • Organization & Strategy
  • Resources
No Result
View All Result
Charity Racers
No Result
View All Result
Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement
Home Resources

Capital Campaigns 101: What are Feasibility Studies?

by brookridgearcadia
September 27, 2022
in Resources
0
Capital Campaigns 101: What are Feasibility Studies?
491
SHARES
1.4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
ADVERTISEMENT


Big investments should be approached carefully. Most people wouldn’t buy a new house or car sight unseen. The same is true for your nonprofit as it weighs a major fundraising campaign. 

Capital campaigns represent significant investments of your organization’s time, resources, and energy. If all goes according to plan, you’ll reap the benefits of raising funding for a major capacity-building initiative, expanding your fundraising capacity, and teaching your team valuable fundraising and stewardship lessons along the way. 

So, how should you begin carefully approaching this kind of major investment? With plenty of planning and a feasibility study.

What are feasibility studies? How do they work, and what are their outcomes? In this crash course, we’ll cover everything growing nonprofits need to know about this critical first step of a capital campaign.

What are feasibility studies?

A feasibility study consists of a series of interviews and discussions with the key stakeholders of a capital campaign. The stakeholders involved in a feasibility study then typically include:

  • Your nonprofit’s leaders
  • Key external partners and funders
  • Major donors
  • Community philanthropic leaders
  • Other key constituents with funding capacity

During these interviews, you or a fundraising consultant will gauge your stakeholder’s thoughts and opinions on your initial campaign plans. What do they think of its objectives and preliminary fundraising goal? Do they think your organization can feasibly reach that goal to accomplish the objectives? Do they have other concerns? Are they excited about the prospect of your nonprofit reaching the next level of impact and capacity?

The findings from your feasibility study interviews are then compiled and presented to your board to help them make a decision about moving forward with your campaign. In some cases, the study findings will trigger a reexamination of your campaign plans in keeping with the recommendations of the study.

What is the purpose of a feasibility study?

A feasibility study will safeguard your nonprofit’s time, resources, and energy and keep you from conducting a campaign that isn’t likely to be successful.

The interviews show you early on if the campaign’s key donors are truly interested in the campaign and up to the task of helping you drive it to success. 

Think of it this way—you don’t want to commit years of hard work to a campaign if you already know that your stakeholders don’t believe in your plan and aren’t likely to give at the levels necessary for success. Alternately, if you find that key supporters think you can and should go even higher with your working goal, you don’t want to stick with the smaller goal when you can realistically raise even more money than you thought possible.  

Your feasibility study tests your plans and will give you concrete information that will help you decide if you should go full steam ahead with your current plans or revise the campaign’s scope by raising or lowering its goal.

When should you conduct a campaign feasibility study?

As mentioned above, a feasibility study tests a plan and a fundraising goal. But it should happen before you officially begin raising money for the campaign and long before you announce the campaign publicly. 

You’ll need to have a clear idea of your campaign’s objectives—what you want to accomplish, purchase, or build with the funds raised—and an initial financial goal—the amount you’ll need to reach those objectives. 

What are the most effective ways to conduct feasibility studies? There are two different models or approaches for conducting feasibility studies. These approaches include:

  • The consultant-led approach. An outside fundraising consultant conducts the study for your nonprofit from start to finish. They’ll conduct confidential interviews with your campaign stakeholders and report back to you with their findings and recommendations.
  • The guided approach. With a guided feasibility study, a fundraising consultant, guide, or coach shows you the ropes, and your leadership conducts the interviews themselves. Then, you’ll work together to review the findings, write the recommendations, and present them to your board.  

Which model is the most effective? Each model can be a good choice depending on your nonprofit’s size, bandwidth, and experience. For maximum, long-term value, we recommend guided feasibility studies.

This is because a hands-on approach plus the support of a campaign expert gives you the interview findings you need to move forward and direct experience and confidence to carry forward into your campaign. These are some of the key benefits of this approach that we’ve seen:

  • Hands-on interviews enable active participation and learning for your nonprofit.
  • Being interviewed by your director or other leader strengthens the relationships between the organization and the donors. 
  • This personal touch can generate more buy-in from prospects and often leads more directly to a campaign gift. 
  • Directly interviewing stakeholders gives you clearer insights into all the responses and findings that come out of the process, not just those a consultant deems relevant.

These benefits all spring from the fact that a guided feasibility study’s stakeholder interviews are not confidential. Confidential interviews are the classic approach. The rationale is that donors and team members are more likely to honestly speak their minds about your nonprofit’s leadership and plans when interviewed by a consultant behind closed doors. 

However, we haven’t seen this rationale hold up across the board. Many donors (especially loyal, high-value donors whose relationships are the most important for your nonprofit) would rather talk directly with your leadership. If asked, they will be happy to discuss their ideas and concerns directly.

Relying on a third party to conduct the interviews the leadership doesn’t allow your team to actively learn from the experience, and they miss insights and context that direct conversations will yield. And, if a major donor’s concerns can be dealt with directly.  

Whichever model you choose, your feasibility study will be an invaluable opportunity for your nonprofit to get important feedback from your most influential donors and constituents. 


Capital Campaign Readiness Assessment

Is your organization ready for a capital campaign? This simple assessment tool will help you find out. You’ll assess six key areas of your organization. Take this free assessment now and find out if you’re truly ready for a campaign.

About the Authors

Amy Eisenstein, ACFRE, and Andrea Kihlstedt are co-founders of the Capital Campaign Toolkit (CCT), a virtual support system for nonprofit leaders running successful campaigns. The Toolkit provides all the tools, templates, and guidance you need — without breaking the bank.



Source link

Share196Tweet123Share49
brookridgearcadia

brookridgearcadia

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
New Members Elected to CalNonprofits Board

New Members Elected to CalNonprofits Board

Update on Sick Leave Relief for Nonprofits

Update on Sick Leave Relief for Nonprofits

Check out these upcoming events

Check out these upcoming events

The Three Layers of A Person and Your Fundraising Story – Agitator

The Three Layers of A Person and Your Fundraising Story – Agitator

March 20, 2023
Engaging Millennials and Gen Z by ChatGPT – Nonprofit Law Blog

Engaging Millennials and Gen Z by ChatGPT – Nonprofit Law Blog

March 18, 2023
The 5 Best Fundraising Ideas for Your School’s PTA

The 5 Best Fundraising Ideas for Your School’s PTA

March 18, 2023

Advertisment

Charity Racers

Copyright © 2020 Crarity Racers All Rights Reserved

Navigate Site

  • Home
  • About
  • Disclosure
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Advertise
  • Contact

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Charity News
  • Give & Care
  • Organization & Strategy
  • Marketing
  • Management
  • Resources

Copyright © 2020 Crarity Racers All Rights Reserved

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT