Campaign Readiness Assessment for Zero Waste Washington

8/14/2019 Campaign Readiness Assessment for Zero Waste Washington

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Campaign Readiness Assessment for Zero Waste Washington

Part I- Campaign Readiness Score

1) A clear statement of mission, vision, and values- 4/5

2) An agreed upon statement of campaign objectives- 5/5

3) An informed constituency- 3/5

4) An awareness of the organization’s niche- 5/5

5) A prospect development plan and research system- 1/5

6) An efficient record keeping and information system- 3/5

7) A creative, effective communication plan- 3/5

8) A history of gift support- 6/10

9) A sound strategic plan for the future- 10/10

10) Competent staff with adequate time and training- 5/10

11) An involved, contributing governing board- 12/15

12) Qualified potential lead-gift contributors- 9/15

13) Capable fundraising leadership- 10/15

Total score: 78/110

Assessment: Zero Waste Washington is in a building period and not ready to launch a campaign

at this time

Part II – Organization’s Culture of Philanthropy

1) Does your organization feel welcoming to someone who walks in the door?



Yes! The Zero Waste Washington is cozy and intimate. When you walk in, you see

campaign literature, our project manager Eva’s desk, and a plush couch. There is

wonderful natural lighting from a skylight in the ceiling.

2) Does the receptionist know the mission of the organization? Can s/he summarize it

in a way that makes you know that s/he believes in it?

There isn’t a receptionist per say, but Eva’s desk is right next to the front door. She has

been with the organization for six years, knows our campaigns inside and out, and is

wondering about giving elevator pitches on each of our programs.

3)

Are the donor plaques your organization displays from prior fundraising initiatives

well displayed ad well cared for? OR are they tarnished, hanging at odd angles, or

tucked away in back corners?

We do not have any plaques. The organization has just started to prioritize fundraising

over the last year.

4) How long does it take for a donor to receive a thank-you note after sending a

contribution? Are the notes warm and personal or pro forma and impersonal?

All thank-you notes are sent within 5 business days of receiving a contribution, and tax

receipts are mailed out on January 15th of the next year. Thank you notes are form, but we

always hand-write a personal message in the card.

5) How many times in the course of one day do you say or hear negative phrases abut

fundraising in your office?

Never! The staff and the new board are very supportive of all fundraising efforts.

6) How much nonmeeting time do development staff members spend getting to know

what is going on in the organization’s programs?





legislation or news trends they have been following. We log all this information in our

database, as well as in paper files in the office.

9) Does the board view fundraising as an important part of their work? Are they

invited to have a role in fundraising? Expected to? Required to?

As I previously stated, the board of Zero Waste Washington has gone through a missive

sea change in the past year. Before I came onto the board, there was no emphasis on

individual gift fundraising. The program director and the project manager sent out the

same form letter to the same appeal list every year, cashed any checks that came in, and

wrote grant applications to hopefully cover everything else. The board started the

conversation that maybe they should get more serious about fundraising when the loss of

one grant put the organization in terrible economic standings. This was when I was

approached about joining. Since I joined the board, developed the fundraising committee,

and became the treasurer, I have done multiple presentations on the importance of

increasing our individual gift efforts, and the basics of fundraising. Somewhere along the

way, a light came on for our board members and everyone started to increase their own

individual gifts to the organization, and they became hungry to learn about fundraising

skills and practices. Fundraising is not something that is required or expected of our

board, but it is something that all board members help with out of a desire to help build

the organization.

10) Does your organization regularly invite major donors to come to see the outcomes

of their contributions?

Since the majority of our organization’s efforts are policy based, and outreach efforts

surrounding producer responsibility, we do not have a tangible product to show off to



donors. What we do instead is take our major donors to lunch or coffee and discuss recent

accomplishments and legislative progress.

11) Do the executive director and the board chair play an active and willing role in the

development process?

Our board chair and program director are always eager to help in any way that they can.

Whether this means calling donors, writing letters, or reaching out into their social

networks to help the organization make an appeal goal, they are always on board to help.

12) Are key volunteers, staff, and donors meaningfully involved in shaping the

organization’s future?

Yes. We recently went through a strategic planning process that involved the entire

board, staff, and a handful of key donors and volunteers to decide what our organizational

and program goals will be for the next five years. Everyone had an equal voice in this

process and wonderful conclusions were reached.

Part III- Is the organization ready for a capital campaign? What are the organization ’s

strengths and weaknesses? What are specific areas of concern?

At this point, Zero Waste Washington is not ready for a capital campaign. The spirit of the

organization is willing, but we do not have the organizational capacity to take on such a large

task successfully. Recently, when the organization when through our strategic planning process,

the decision was made that our organizational goal was to be ready to launch a capital campaign

to purchase an office space in five years. This means we have to bring our staff up to capacity,

and develop our annual fund to a healthy level in the next five years.

Our first step in the process is bringing on a part time fundraising manger, and adding non-board

members onto the fundraising committee. Once these two things are accomplished, we will be





challenges. Once we bring on a solid fundraising manager, and bring more money in the door,

we will be able to expand staff hours and thus expand our capacity to handle a capital campaign.

Additionally, I feel that with the proper training, and the proper harnessing of their excitement

and ambition, the board of Zero Waste Washington would be able to take on the additional

responsibility of a capital campaign with finesse and expertise.

Documents

Campaign Readiness Assessment for Zero Waste Washington