Campaign Readiness Checklist

Are you campaign ready? 

No matter the goal, if you're looking to dive into a campaign to help you expand, we applaud you! But do you have everything in place to begin? Ensuring campaign readiness will help you to prevent any setbacks during your campaign. 

As you prepare for a capital campaign, there are a few criteria you want to be sure you meet before you dive in. Use the checklist below to help you determine if you're ready for a campaign.

Are You Ready for a Campaign? 

1. Your CEO has been in place long enough to know key prospects and be known by them.
2. A strategic plan, focused on outcomes, is in place.
3. Your organization is known for offering quality programs.
4. Preliminary campaign goals are based on established plans and needs of the organization.
5. You've solidified your goals and decided between a capital campaign and a comprehensive campaign. 
6. Fundraising staff understands campaigning and is ready for the challenge.
7. Key donors and board members are ready to make leadership commitments.
8. You've identified candidates for strong, committed campaign leadership. 
9. A donor constituency large enough to support the campaign is available.
10. A compelling case for support has been written. 
11. Your organization’s visibility in its community is positive.
12. Your organization has had campaign success before.
13. There are few directly competitive campaigns occurring at the same time.

We're Ready! What's Next?  

If you have eight or more of these elements in place, congratulations! You're ready to take the next steps in pursuing a campaign! Before you get the ball rolling, we recommend seeking counsel to help your organization conduct a feasibility study or otherwise help you set challenging campaign goals that your organization can achieve.