From: "Jim Hahn" <jhahn@wchsm.org> Date: Wed, 2 Dec 2009 08:30:30 -0800 Subject: RE: Fundraising Message-ID: <A2C2F0AA32B02243B731BEC62DBF7453046F5663B3@EX-BE-015-SFO.shared.themessagecenter.com>
Don is right. This is a capital campaign for you and based on your e-mail q
uestions, I'd STRONGLY recommend you consider hiring a consultant and add i
t to the project budget.
DO NOT announce your campaign!! Capital campaigns begin with a "silent pha
se" where AT LEAST 50% of the total is raised BEFORE any public phase begin
s (ideally the number would be closer to 60%). This is based on best pract
ice in the fundraising profession and is critical to reach your goal.
Feel free to email me personally if you'd like to talk one-on-one. I can al
so recommend a very good consultant for you to at least have a preliminary
conversation with about your project.
- Jim Hahn, CFRE
Director of Development & Marketing
Waukesha County Historical Society & Museum
101 W Main Street / Waukesha, WI 53186
(262) 521-2859 x 228
(412) 716-1880 cell
jhahn@wchsm.org
________________________________
From: localhistory-request@listserve.uwec.edu [mailto:localhistory-request@
listserve.uwec.edu] On Behalf Of Don Jensen
Sent: Tuesday, December 01, 2009 6:20 PM
To: localhistory@listserve.uwec.edu
Subject: Re: Fundraising
I do not claim to know much about major fundraising. But I know a little,
based upon what I have been told by some people who do have this knowledge.
First, if you are aiming for $2 million,
you had better figure that something like 80 percent will come from a half
dozen or ten major donors, and the remaining 20 percent from small givers.
For a local historical society, major donors will have to be from your comm
unity, wealthy individuals or corporate donors. Personal contacts -- people
who "know" people -- will be key. Likely major donors need to be specific
ally identified and then properly approached. Likely, to a large extent, t
his major fund drive will have to be one-on-one long before a public drive
kicks off.
The big money has to be in place before one really goes public with a drive
.
There are, certainly, fundraising specialists that guide non-profits throug
h the process. Unfortunately, their services don't come cheaply and this r
equires an upfront commitment of an amount that we, in our penury, can only
gasp at... the notion of raising $20,000 to get the services of a professi
onal for a $2 million campaign may be shocking!. Geez, we'd rather have t
hat $20,000 as a donation toward the $2 million. But it costs money to rai
se money.
Doubtless there are other ways, and surely, among us there will be some who
have ideas or experience that have worked. I don't have that knowledge or
expertise and have nothing useful to offer on that point.
What I am saying, though, is I think it is a mistake to announce the beginn
ing of a fund raising campaign (in January) without having the detailed roa
dmap already in hand. It is my opinion that a campaign begun without the d
etails on just how to do it is doomed to failure, and that the campaign sho
uld be postponed until you have a good idea of just HOW you are going to do
it.
Don Jensen
BoD, Kenosha History Center
----- Original Message -----
From: Kathleen Hart<mailto:harthouse9@yahoo.com>
To: localhistory@listserve.uwec.edu<mailto:localhistory@listserve.uwec.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, December 01, 2009 2:37 PM
Subject: Fundraising
The Greendale Historical Society is undertaking a fundraising campaign
beginning in January,2010. We need to raise at least $2,000,000. Has
anyone done this before? We have been writing grant proposals and have
received a few bucks. The Major Donor campaign will start in January
but how do you find the major donors? Can they be found on the internet
and how would that be done. We want to talk to these people in person.
Let me know if you know. Kathleen Hart