A fundraising campaign brochure can be an important tool for communicating the worth of a campaign to a targeted audience, as well as for making an organization’s “family” more knowledgeable about their organization and the purpose and structure of the campaign.
Often, when the subject of a campaign brochure publication comes up, it is greeted with an exclamation that goes something like this: “A brochure won’t raise a nickel !!” That response is far too dismissive and, if left unaddressed, could result in a disregard for what is actually a key fundraising tool … particularly for capital and endowment campaigns.
True, “People raise money, publications don’t,” but people can be more effective in raising money if they are given the resources that can help establish the best possible climate for a solicitation.
Having an official brochure in hand is essential in establishing the perception in the minds of some potential donors that the campaign is structured and is being conducted in a professional manner. It is also a necessity for some volunteer leaders and solicitors as a bolster to their levels of comfort/confidence.
Hand some people a brand new, “off the press” publication and watch their faces brighten and eyes spark with interest. Just the feel of the publication in-hand often works wonders.
Too Many Cooks (Writers/Designers/Editors) Can Doom A Campaign Brochure
On this subject, I have seen campaigns languish and die because the organization could not agree on the text, design, length, graphics, etc. of the brochure.
Typically, this impasse occurs more often in capital and endowment campaigns than in annual fundraising efforts because campaigns, which are (by definition) of limited duration, are viewed as special events.
Because they are not repeated every year, a previous brochure is not there to serve as a comfortable model. Faced with the prospect of creating a document from scratch, everyone on the campaign committee seems to be magically transformed into a writer or creative artist.
In their need to feel adequately prepared for success, volunteer leaders often have the tendency to become inordinately involved with the actual nuts and bolts of developing the campaign brochure.
Therefore, the campaign management professionals, guided by the expertise of communications specialists, should make decisions about the brochure and other related materials … and stick to those decisions.
Accept the fact that it will be impossible to obtain the complete agreement of everyone involved on each and every point, so don’t set up a situation where you have to ultimately disregard some campaign leader’s stated preference about a favorite color or treasured phrase.
While consensus is important in fundraising, it does not mean that you must arm every member of your campaign committee with veto power….
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Have a question or comment about the above posting?
You can Ask Tony.
There is also a lot of good fundraising information on his website:
Raise-Funds.com
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Hank Lewis with Development Consultant Associates has over thirty years as a fundraising consultant and is a specialist in Board and Leadership Development, Capital Campaign, Bequest Program and Major Gifts.