25
Strategies for Supporting Fundraising Reporting for Fundraising SupportingAdvancement.com [email protected] © SupportingAdvancement.com. All rights reserved. Permission to use this information granted, provided that the SupportingAdvancement.com copyright notice and permission appears in all copies and use of information is for informational and non-commercial or personal use only and that no modification of the information is made. The Final Campaign Report A complex report requiring special considerations.

Strategies for Supporting Fundraising Reporting for ... · The Final Campaign Report ... ideas to management on the format and structure, ... How has the fundraising organization

  • Upload
    vohuong

  • View
    220

  • Download
    4

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: Strategies for Supporting Fundraising Reporting for ... · The Final Campaign Report ... ideas to management on the format and structure, ... How has the fundraising organization

Strategies for Supporting Fundraising

Reporting for Fundraising

SupportingAdvancement.com [email protected]

© SupportingAdvancement.com. All rights reserved.

Permission to use this information granted, provided that the SupportingAdvancement.com copyright notice and permission appears in all copies and use of information is for informational and non-commercial or

personal use only and that no modification of the information is made.

The Final Campaign Report

A complex report requiring special considerations.

Page 2: Strategies for Supporting Fundraising Reporting for ... · The Final Campaign Report ... ideas to management on the format and structure, ... How has the fundraising organization

Reports and Reporting

http://SupportingAdvancement.com | 2

[email protected]

What’s On! The Final Campaign Report ............................................................................................................ 3 Purposes for the Report: ................................................................................................................. 3 Things to Remember When Getting Started ................................................................................... 4 Executive Summary ......................................................................................................................... 5 Campaign Timeline and Overview ................................................................................................... 5 Campaign Financial Results ............................................................................................................ 7 Deferred Gifts .................................................................................................................................. 8 Government Grants, Sponsorships, Events, Non-Philanthropic Revenue ...................................... 9 Pledges .......................................................................................................................................... 11 Results by Constituent and Stakeholder Groups .......................................................................... 13 Additional Performance Measures Associated with the Campaign ............................................... 15 Prospecting, Major Gifts and Volunteers ....................................................................................... 16 Research ....................................................................................................................................... 16 Stewardship and Events ................................................................................................................ 16 Alumni and/or other Membership Association ............................................................................... 17 Annual Fund .................................................................................................................................. 17 Affinity Programs ........................................................................................................................... 17 Statistics on Support Services and other Projects Completed ...................................................... 19 Communications and Public Affairs ............................................................................................... 19 Advancement/Development Services/Operations ......................................................................... 19 Other Projects Completed During the Campaign .......................................................................... 20 Positioning for the Future .............................................................................................................. 23 Lessons Learned During the Campaign ........................................................................................ 23 Cost Benefit Analysis ..................................................................................................................... 23 Presentation of the Final Campaign Report and Follow Up .......................................................... 24 About the Author ............................................................................................................................ 25 About SupportingAdvancement.Com ............................................................................................ 25 

Page 3: Strategies for Supporting Fundraising Reporting for ... · The Final Campaign Report ... ideas to management on the format and structure, ... How has the fundraising organization

Reports and Reporting

http://SupportingAdvancement.com | 3

[email protected]

The Final Campaign Report Final campaign reports require a number of special considerations. By providing direction and ideas to management on the format and structure, you can help plan the development and implementation of these important strategic documents. Campaign reports require a significant amount of data collection and analysis. Advance planning helps make you much more efficient at producing these and helping position the fundraising organization with its stakeholders. Purposes for the Report:

Conveyance of the success of the campaign and all related projects. The flip side – helping set the stage for projects that may require additional fundraising.

Provision of a current and historical context for fundraising within the context of the larger organization or stakeholder group.

Demonstration of how the organization has positioned itself for future fundraising success. How has the fundraising organization grown and how has its capabilities increased during the campaign?

Delineation of ongoing and future budgetary requirements for fundraising such as cost per dollar raised. The report can help position current and future funding models.

Establishment of a conceptual framework and strategic overview for the next campaign. History can provide one of the best contexts to plan for the future.

Production of a sound education piece for both current and future leadership including boards and other governance groups. We often assume that these groups are knowledgeable about fundraising and this is not always the case.

Articulation of the de-facto history of a campaign. This is very important for the future when planning for the next campaign.

Strategic outlining and detailed span of all services that fundraising provides to the stakeholders and organization.

Construction of framework from which to develop ongoing fundraising performance measurement and score carding.

Documentation of campaign information that will be available to the public.

Page 4: Strategies for Supporting Fundraising Reporting for ... · The Final Campaign Report ... ideas to management on the format and structure, ... How has the fundraising organization

Reports and Reporting

http://SupportingAdvancement.com | 4

[email protected]

Things to Remember When Getting Started Focus on important numbers and summaries with expanded detail provided as supplementary material. Graphical representations and visualizations of key concepts are good. A picture tells a story Language and terminology should be kept neutral and effort made to avoid fundraising jargon while focusing on clear presentation. Plan to balance the cost and effort of compiling the report against the value the final document provides. Keep in mind, however, that data and staff tend to be fluid and it’s not long before the important historical context of a campaign can be lost. Words are interpreted differently over time – build and include a glossary at the onset. Though it may be long after your time, these reports can be extremely valuable in planning the next campaign. Some organizations may have very limited systems for data collection and should consider the preparation of this report as a means to help leverage the case for systems and data management improvements. The bottom line: The final campaign report is a great opportunity to inform, educate, motivate and set the stage for the future of your organization’s fundraising and engagement.

An executive will typically spend an average of roughly 90 seconds on reviewing a report or piece of paper according to a survey on information presentation. Clarity is critical.

Page 5: Strategies for Supporting Fundraising Reporting for ... · The Final Campaign Report ... ideas to management on the format and structure, ... How has the fundraising organization

Reports and Reporting

http://SupportingAdvancement.com | 5

[email protected]

Executive Summary

General introduction.

Outline of major achievements.

Testimonials from key donors, board members, volunteers and staff.

Acknowledgment and appreciation given to all participating and current executives.

A good strategy here is to get the executive to be engaged early on in the process in helping to craft the summary. The summary is a good place to include the “swell”, or in other words the marketing words to talk about and celebrate success. Campaign Timeline and Overview

A brief history of the organization including details about how it has changed over the campaign (ex., number of students then and now, grateful patients then and now, market share political landscape, changes in institution’s leadership, environmental cleanup projects completed). A discussion of the economy depending on the timing of upturns and downturns.

Discussion of how campaigns work generally and what the typical expectations of a successful campaign might be. Ex. Sustained level of increase in an annual giving program as a result of a campaign. Increase in the number of realized bequests. If the target audience includes some of those typically not involved in fundraising, inclusion of standard items such as a gift/donor pyramid may be useful. Remember the glossary.

Pre-campaign landscape and a history of any previous campaigns with totals and comparisons to current campaign - ideally these could be restated in current dollars.

Alumni and/or organizational related foundation positions in relation to development at the start of the campaign (i.e. was the Alumni Association independent, did a Foundation

In this day and age, elements like video testimonials, more interactive online presentations and similar concepts should be part of the plan for the report. By thinking “outside the box”, you can create some very interesting historical context pieces - which can really help engage and motivate the next campaign cabinet, volunteers –you’re your future fundraisers.

Page 6: Strategies for Supporting Fundraising Reporting for ... · The Final Campaign Report ... ideas to management on the format and structure, ... How has the fundraising organization

Reports and Reporting

http://SupportingAdvancement.com | 6

[email protected]

exist, were either organization - if existing - involved in fundraising). Where there any significant cooperative or joint ventures that resulted as part of the campaign? A campaign can help with cross organizational projects such as cross-disciplinary centers of excellence.

The campaign planning process and an explanation of how the campaign planning tied into the mission of the organization.

Synopsis of the feasibility study including number of participating individuals, what the projected likelihood of success was and also the estimated campaign achievement.

Quiet phase statistics including pre-announcement totals.

Public announcement and official campaign start dates.

Goal adjustments (increases and/or decreases) during the campaign. “In YYYY, the goal was increased to $9,999 because of the great success.”

Notation of campaign extensions or whether the campaign finished early/late.

Overview of the competitive landscape during the campaign and how this may have changed. A market share analysis is a useful exercise.

And just to remind once again …

An executive will typically spend an average of roughly 90 seconds on reviewing a report or piece of paper according to a survey on information presentation. Clarity is critical.

Page 7: Strategies for Supporting Fundraising Reporting for ... · The Final Campaign Report ... ideas to management on the format and structure, ... How has the fundraising organization

Reports and Reporting

http://SupportingAdvancement.com | 7

[email protected]

Campaign Financial Results Show trends over the period of the campaign rather than just snapshots at the end. Growth and trends are more revealing than just the final totals. Major gift fundraising tends to be a “lumpy” business and not as predictable as a business selling widgets. Ups and downs help educate readers as to the variability of the business. Cumulative graphs have their place, but it’s a good idea to show multiple views. Include donor and gift counts and make certain the distinction between donor counts and gift counts is clear (i.e., distinct donor or distinct gift counts). Have clear definitions and notes so your audience knows exactly what the numbers mean (ex., a discussion of the gift counting and recording policies – did we mention the glossary?). Note that it may be important to both correlate and differentiate what differences may be relationships between the organizations audited financial statements and campaign totals. Board finance committees tend to focus on the former – you need to get them to understand the latter. Try and always focus on fundraising first. Campaign reports do not typically match the audited financial statements due to inclusion of items such as deferred and in-kind gifts and pledges that may be recognized much differently for campaigns compared to audited financial statements.

Final totals.

Gift and donor pyramids for the campaign. Both counts and dollars. Counts in particular help educate as to the activity levels required for major gift and other fundraising.

Growth in endowments (held investments) over the campaign period including payout information on endowments which demonstrates the benefits of the gifts received.

Count and total financial support of endowed chairs or other significant projects.

Segmented totals by unique campaign purposes ( i.e. medical equipment, scholarships, restricted, unrestricted; much of this can be done using the standard industry reporting formats).

Totals by campaign priority or project (include a list of top projects).

Totals by campaign marketing messages (ex., Great Minds, Great Places, other themes).

Page 8: Strategies for Supporting Fundraising Reporting for ... · The Final Campaign Report ... ideas to management on the format and structure, ... How has the fundraising organization

Reports and Reporting

http://SupportingAdvancement.com | 8

[email protected]

Totals by division, program, college, school or other business unit profile.

Totals by cash, gifts in kind, and other tender types reflecting the different payment vehicles. (Growth in online giving may be a useful statistic.)

Totals for capital projects and some detail on capital projects completed as a result of the campaign.

Pre- and post-campaign comparisons on average, median and other meaningful gift statistics.

Discussion of externally managed funds from which the organization derives benefit such as donor advised funds.

Discussion of money managed by affiliated foundations.

Detailed balance outlines of any remaining unfunded campaign priorities.

Benchmarking against peer organizations or peer campaigns. Total campaign, giving by market segment.

Transitional and other unusual gifts received during the campaign. i.e. Major donors, large software gifts, large challenge gifts, collection loans, contributed services, etc.

Community related giving such as successful fundraisers held by other organizations where the proceeds were part of the campaign donations. (Only if material.)

Changes in annual giving and a clear distinction between annual giving and annual fund. Relationship of annual giving to major giving. Discuss the dual ask. Number of donors moved from annual to major donors.

Correlation of campaign giving with other leading economic indicators (ex., stock market).

Counts and dollars for multiple donors, consecutive donors, average and median gifts.

Count and dollars for donors moved into cumulative giving societies.

In a number of these examples (in addition to totals), show pre- and post-campaign changes and have lists of top items such as top donors, top projects etc. Deferred Gifts The total for deferred gifts can be a significant part of the total and these are often counted in a variety of ways. The methods of counting these are not always understood. Readers of the report may not understand terms like Charitable Remainder Trusts.

Page 9: Strategies for Supporting Fundraising Reporting for ... · The Final Campaign Report ... ideas to management on the format and structure, ... How has the fundraising organization

Reports and Reporting

http://SupportingAdvancement.com | 9

[email protected]

This is an example of where we really need to move beyond our “internal” understanding of what these terms mean and think about the knowledge of our external audience – where we often assume that they know what we’re talking about. The education component here is a great opportunity to talk up the value of a well established and functioning planned giving program. Provide a summary of the campaign counting policy established for deferred gifts (in terms of unrealized vs. realized) so the target report audiences understand what is being counted; include implied interest rates used for net present value calculations.

Realized by gift type (annuity, trust, bequests, insurance, retirement accounts, etc.)

Unrealized by gift type and - if possible - a projected future cash inflow from these gifts.

Relationship of deferred giving realized to total amount of money raised during the campaign.

Not that you also need to be cautious here and rather rigorous as to how these counting standards are applied. An example would be the total for unrealized future bequests. Make sure you’re reporting on these based on whether they are revocable or not. Government Grants, Sponsorships, Events, Non-Philanthropic Revenue There are many other sources of revenue associated with a campaign that are often related to a campaign but may or may not be counted within a campaign, or may be counted in different ways. Some organizations may count revenue as net rather than gross and expenses because to do the former can “lower” the cost per dollar raised. Some organizations do lottery and other types of non-philanthropic fundraising that they net out for their financial statements. Some organizations count the total revenue in, particularly if their revenue mix is a blend from unrestricted, a tax on gifts, and other sources. In order to remain “pure” a good concept is above and below the line.

Above the Line Cash Received Stock Received Gift in Kind Received Irrevocable Deferred Gifts Received Etc.

Below the Line Government Grants or Other Significant Funding Sponsored Research Lottery Fundraising Etc.

Page 10: Strategies for Supporting Fundraising Reporting for ... · The Final Campaign Report ... ideas to management on the format and structure, ... How has the fundraising organization

Reports and Reporting

http://SupportingAdvancement.com | 10

[email protected]

The following is an example of a complex funding model, with various revenue sources that will eventually tie into a 5 year campaign that helps to fund the organization. In this case, both the campaign planning and the campaign reporting to some extent will need to reinforce these types of models – which are very often more common in stand-alone non-profits where the need to fund the very existence of the organization is integrated into the campaign report.

Page 11: Strategies for Supporting Fundraising Reporting for ... · The Final Campaign Report ... ideas to management on the format and structure, ... How has the fundraising organization

Reports and Reporting

http://SupportingAdvancement.com | 11

[email protected]

Pledges On all pledge and deferred gift reporting, be certain your analysis is thorough and that aging calculations are accurate so the amounts you are reporting will be realized. It’s important not to overstate the amount of pledge receivables as the fundraising organization will be held accountable for the collections.

Outstanding pledges and future projected cash flow.

Pledge fulfillment rates during the campaign.

Pledge write-offs during the campaign (optional: this may or may not be a useful statistic), but if you’re in a continuous campaign mode this can be a useful pledge collection performance metric.

Pledge totals for capital projects are an additional consideration. Your capital projects or similar committee should be well versed in the fact that these pledges may not always materialize in terms of timing with the exact capital needs of a project – such as when a donor has to sell stock to make the pledge payment. If an alternative source of funds has not been negotiated in advance to cash flow a project, the project can get in trouble quickly. The following example is a pledge report showing totals, aging of outstanding amounts and expected counts of what some future activities surrounding collection might be.

Page 12: Strategies for Supporting Fundraising Reporting for ... · The Final Campaign Report ... ideas to management on the format and structure, ... How has the fundraising organization

Reports and Reporting

http://SupportingAdvancement.com | 12

[email protected]

This next example shows new pledges received by fiscal year, which is a good indication of the new commitments received each year.

It may not be necessary to include a lot of additional granular pledge detail information, and a list of the most significant pledges and a comment about the expectation of collection may be enough. Bottom line, make sure that certainty for collection is very high.

Page 13: Strategies for Supporting Fundraising Reporting for ... · The Final Campaign Report ... ideas to management on the format and structure, ... How has the fundraising organization

Reports and Reporting

http://SupportingAdvancement.com | 13

[email protected]

Results by Constituent and Stakeholder Groups In many or all of these groups you may wish to have top donor reports or at a minimum, a top donor report for the overall campaign. Make sure these are presented in a way that avoids double counting. i.e. Faculty staff who are also alumni, grateful patients who are hospital employees, volunteers and board. If each group is significant you should have separate statistics so the distinctions and counting are clear. Some of these examples can be presented as explanatory notes or as part of the written portions of the report.

Alumni or groups such as students who may not have graduated.

Friends.

Legacy status (Parents, Grandparents, children or other significant relationship related giving).

Staff and other internally related giving groups. Note that employment related campaigns such as United Way may have separate reporting needs.

Grateful patients.

Members (with comparison totals between non-member contributors).

Totals and ratios from organization vs. individual giving.

Corporations and organizations (with segmentation or comparison potential for those companies with significant concentrations of alumni employees and matching gift total comparisons between corporations and employee/stakeholder/donors).

Foundations (Family, Community, Donor Advised Funds or other).

Giving by peripheral or related constituents (ex., a campus radio station or other ancillary entity where fundraising efforts were associated with the campaign, but for which gifts are not counted as part of the campaign totals).

Board, trustee and other giving from governance and executives.

Domestic vs. international totals and other geographically related information on giving.

Research grants, government funding, sponsorships and other funding that may have been received as a direct result of the campaign.

Total amounts and counts of funded naming/endowed opportunities by constituency type (ex., professorships, scholarships, buildings, research etc).

Page 14: Strategies for Supporting Fundraising Reporting for ... · The Final Campaign Report ... ideas to management on the format and structure, ... How has the fundraising organization

Reports and Reporting

http://SupportingAdvancement.com | 14

[email protected]

Family household giving trends.

Changes in gift club levels, lifetime giving societies and other recognition vehicles.

Memorial tribute gifts and the relation of in-memory contributions to overall giving (typically of greater measurement potential in association with hospitals and healthcare organizations as opposed to purely academic institutions).

Competing campaigns within the institution (ex., United Way)

Reporting by constituent groups could include even more breakdowns, but focus on the groups that are most important to the organization. You can have additional statistics and breakdowns as appendixes or “in your back pocket” for in-person presentations. Good definitions of these groups are an important part of the archive as the definitions may change over time. Ex. Board giving may include current board members only, but in future may include current and past. You may need special explanations for groups like giving from donor advised funds. For campaign counting do you include them under organizations or do you want to include them under the constituent group that is the primary influencer of the giving decision?

Page 15: Strategies for Supporting Fundraising Reporting for ... · The Final Campaign Report ... ideas to management on the format and structure, ... How has the fundraising organization

Reports and Reporting

http://SupportingAdvancement.com | 15

[email protected]

Additional Performance Measures Associated with the Campaign It’s not just about dollars. Activity measures help to educate everyone as to the complexity and efforts required to manage a fundraising program. As an example, many of the Ivy League schools manage thousands of volunteers, which the activity of doing so is not necessarily reflect in campaign totals. Fundraising is an activity driven business and activity drives investment. The relationship between dollars and activity are often statistically valid, but not always well represented in a final campaign report.

Page 16: Strategies for Supporting Fundraising Reporting for ... · The Final Campaign Report ... ideas to management on the format and structure, ... How has the fundraising organization

Reports and Reporting

http://SupportingAdvancement.com | 16

[email protected]

Prospecting, Major Gifts and Volunteers

The actual yield on major gifts versus the level at which the donors were rated.

Number of contacts assigned to staff and volunteers.

Number of prospecting trips by defined campaign area - local, regional, national and international.

Volunteer management/engagement strategy (both before and after the campaign). Volunteer involvement statistics.

Number and dollar amounts of proposals submitted to prospects and the subsequent results of those solicitations.

Number of open unfunded proposals in the “pipeline” at the end of the campaign and the likelihood that they will be funded. As with pledges and deferred gifts make sure that these are realistic and have a good chance of being realized. If you do report these include a clear explanatory note that these are proposals in various stages of solicitation and some may not be realized.

Outline of fundraising units that met their goals; if the goal was exceeded detail by how much.

Both initially projected and also subsequently actual donor ratings. Were there any significant prospect screening programs done or developed as part of the campaign?

Research

Methods of research employed during the campaign.

Number of prospects identified and rated during the campaign.

Number of prospects in the pool before and after the campaign. Stewardship and Events

Number of stewardship reports distributed on an annual basis.

Number of donor and stewardship events during the campaign. Special discussion of kick off and campaign finale events - including international vs. local.

Attendance statistics and trends for key institutional events such as ground-breakings or reunions.

Page 17: Strategies for Supporting Fundraising Reporting for ... · The Final Campaign Report ... ideas to management on the format and structure, ... How has the fundraising organization

Reports and Reporting

http://SupportingAdvancement.com | 17

[email protected]

Counts of special stewardship letters from the institutional CEO broken down into major gifts, condolence, congratulatory, thank you and others sent from the principle executives involved in advancement activities.

Alumni and/or other Membership Association

Number of members and dollar and number growth in membership.

Number of association events and attendance with comparisons by international vs. local.

Discussion of other association activities during the campaign with emphasis on volume statistics and new programs.

Branch, region or chapter statistics. Annual Fund

Clear definition of annual fund vs. annual giving and why these two definitions are distinct.

New annual fund programs initiated during the campaign.

Growth in telemarketing and other established annual fund programs.

Gift counts and averages over the campaign period.

Counts of number of solicitations through the annual fund programs and success within the various constituent areas.

Growth in on-line giving and other methods of payment initiated by annual fund such as electronic fund transfers and credit card gifts.

Faculty staff automatic payroll deduction giving.

Donor retention statistics.

Consecutive giving statistics.

Number and dollar amounts of annual fund donors moved to major gift donors during the campaign.

Affinity Programs

Revenues generated over the campaign period.

Counts of membership equivalents such as institutional credit card holders.

Page 18: Strategies for Supporting Fundraising Reporting for ... · The Final Campaign Report ... ideas to management on the format and structure, ... How has the fundraising organization

Reports and Reporting

http://SupportingAdvancement.com | 18

[email protected]

New affinity partnerships brokered during the campaign. Off the wall items – did the campaign result in any “Green” or significant environmental improvements or enhancement to the organization or its programs? Think creatively here and try to capitalize on some of the upcoming trends – again – a way to help position the current fundraising strategy for the future.

Page 19: Strategies for Supporting Fundraising Reporting for ... · The Final Campaign Report ... ideas to management on the format and structure, ... How has the fundraising organization

Reports and Reporting

http://SupportingAdvancement.com | 19

[email protected]

Statistics on Support Services and other Projects Completed Infrastructure is 50% of the battle, and your back room and related activities need to be recognized as a critical piece of the success of a campaign. Again, activity metrics are a great way to educate and train on the complexities of a fundraising program. Communications and Public Affairs

Number of magazines or other periodicals published.

New publications.

Number of specialty campaign publications.

Number of donor recognition publications.

Number of issues managed.

Comparisons of media penetration and awareness before and after the campaign and discussion of the change in the profile of the institution.

Institutional branding success.

Number of publication and other communication awards achieved. In fact any “external” recognition or awards really helps reinforce what has been your fundraising organization’s good works.

Advancement/Development Services/Operations

Detailed counts of constituent groups.

The growth in the database size over the campaign period (ex,. 99,999 new graduates of the institution, 22,222 new grateful patients, 55,555 new members.

Changes in contactable rates and a statement of address accuracy with comparison details of contactable rates.

Changes in number of records with current employment information. Pick your most relevant and critical data elements and demonstrate how the quality may have changed as a result of the campaign. Perhaps there were additional data sources that were integrated with your database.

Number of pledges/gifts processed with segmenting of matching gifts.

Number of biographical and other records changes made.

Number of pledge reminders, receipts and other letters sent regarding gifts and pledges.

Page 20: Strategies for Supporting Fundraising Reporting for ... · The Final Campaign Report ... ideas to management on the format and structure, ... How has the fundraising organization

Reports and Reporting

http://SupportingAdvancement.com | 20

[email protected]

Average time taken to issue a receipt once gift has been received.

Strategies implemented to improve data quality. The following statistics indicate the increase in workload and compare it to the investment and staff and budget. Obviously - too complex for a final campaign report but the concepts are useful in positioning for future budget based on measureable activity.

Again, you probably don’t need to go to this level of detail in a final report, but as an appendix it can be a good education of how back room efforts contribute to results. This is important – if you think it’s tough to understand the fundraising part of the organization – the back room can be even more difficult. As an example, many of us have battled to retain responsibilities for gift processing in our areas because we understand the complexity and all that’s required to process gifts. A person in the financial area may have a very “external” simplified view of the same task. Other Projects Completed During the Campaign

System projects and changes completed/started during/because of the campaign.

Page 21: Strategies for Supporting Fundraising Reporting for ... · The Final Campaign Report ... ideas to management on the format and structure, ... How has the fundraising organization

Reports and Reporting

http://SupportingAdvancement.com | 21

[email protected]

Changes in the advancement web presence including traffic statistics and growth in traffic over the campaign period.

Number and amounts of online gifts, registrations and other online interaction by constituents. Maybe there was an online community set up during the campaign.

Number of emails broadcasted with read message and click through rates.

Institutional policies or procedures formulated and adopted as a result of the campaign. How these policies were deployed.

Institutional liaison activities, committee participation and other internal responsibilities taken on and managed.

Example of good combination of email statistics related to content and donors.

Page 22: Strategies for Supporting Fundraising Reporting for ... · The Final Campaign Report ... ideas to management on the format and structure, ... How has the fundraising organization

Reports and Reporting

http://SupportingAdvancement.com | 22

[email protected]

It sounds like a broken record; you may not need these levels of details. Focus on the most significant improvements or activities.

Page 23: Strategies for Supporting Fundraising Reporting for ... · The Final Campaign Report ... ideas to management on the format and structure, ... How has the fundraising organization

Reports and Reporting

http://SupportingAdvancement.com | 23

[email protected]

Positioning for the Future Lessons Learned During the Campaign A successful campaign can and should change the nature and face of an organization. The final campaign report is a dynamic opportunity to chronicle lessons learned not only within fundraising but across the organization as a whole; it can help plant the seeds of change and a true movement of an organization towards a more comprehensive culture of philanthropy. Cost Benefit Analysis One of the great opportunities for the report is to help educate as to how the campaign was funded and to reinforce the positive benefits of investing in fundraising and fundraising infrastructure.

Average and annual costs to raise a dollar. There is never a “right” answer for cost per dollar raised but board and other governance groups often focus on it.

Discussion of campaign budgets. Was there one-time or special funding for the campaign? How will the base funding need to increase to sustain future fundraising?

Return on investment. More organizations are taking a business view on ROI. While it can often be flawed for fundraising, particularly when considering the longer cultivation cycles for major gifts – you may need to be ready to answer questions on ROI.

Net financial impact of the campaign on the institution.

Discussion of campaign funding models and which may be appropriate. "Holdbacks" on donations or similar constructs may have been conceived at times of higher investment returns and such models may no longer provide the necessary funding for advancement.

Discussion and analysis of the level of investment which may be required to sustain the ongoing level of fundraising achievement.

If you need to do cooperative budgets with schools or divisions it can be useful to highlight the model you need to move towards in a post campaign environment.

Current staffing and organization chart of the program areas in advancement.

Tentative plans for post-campaign volunteer engagement.

Incorporate a comprehensive review of what worked well in your fundraising infrastructure and what will likely require additional investment in the future.

Positioning for the future can include a strategic overview of fundraising in the post campaign environment, the transition period and the current thinking for the timing of the next campaign.

Page 24: Strategies for Supporting Fundraising Reporting for ... · The Final Campaign Report ... ideas to management on the format and structure, ... How has the fundraising organization

Reports and Reporting

http://SupportingAdvancement.com | 24

[email protected]

Presentation of the Final Campaign Report and Follow Up Schedule a meeting and send out the final report in advance so the target audience has time to review the details; make certain to include a discussion of confidentiality in the cover letter or memo. Schedule a presentation by the chief fundraising officer; for critical impact, if possible then arrange the meeting in a facility which construction or dynamic enhancement was the result of a campaign donation; incorporate original campaign video to help provide a backdrop for the success story. The final report presentation should be both an overview of the key elements and also reference the details. Presentations can be produced and shared by program area though this may create an uncomfortably lengthy presentation. The wealth of backup details can be noted for additional reference beyond the scope of an hour presentation (recommended session length). In the form of media packets, be prepared to distribute additional materials at the meeting of the information that was presented to the public such as the honor roll listing, public articles and similar pieces. Be prepared to take questions during the meeting and to make revisions to the both the format and the numbers in the format; any revised report can be distributed at group or individual follow-up meetings. Don’t forget online. There are a number of software packages where you can create a very interactive presentation with audio and videos incorporated into the metaphor of a book. There’s a short video on YouTube showing an example of a more interactive style annual report – which could be used to present a final campaign report.

Page 25: Strategies for Supporting Fundraising Reporting for ... · The Final Campaign Report ... ideas to management on the format and structure, ... How has the fundraising organization

Reports and Reporting

http://SupportingAdvancement.com | 25

[email protected]

About the Author Brian Dowling has worked at a number of non-profit and higher education organizations in both the United States and Canada where he gained understanding, knowledge and perspectives of managing in small, medium and large shops. This experience included multiple system conversions, web site development, budgetary and financial responsibilities, operations management and more. He has consulted in the United States, Canada and Australia, written numerous articles and presents regularly at conferences. He invests his spare time in SupportingAdvancement.Com and is an amateur musician. About SupportingAdvancement.Com SupportingAdvancement.Com is a high traffic web property with the mission of providing free resources of interest to those working in the fundraising profession. Efficiency is crossing the bridge quickly. Effectiveness is deciding if you need to cross at all. Hopefully, you'll find some resources and ideas here to help you be more efficient and effective. Under the reporting and systems pages you’ll find additional information on reporting, data warehouses, business intelligence and related links. http://www.supportingadvancement.com.