Announcing a milestone in the development of the Boise River Recreation Park
This is a tremendous step in the life of a campaign. It is also sometimes a struggle for people to recognize that it is not the FIRST step in a campaign.
At the outset of such an effort, there are always those who are anxious to get the news out, to “start a drum beat,” as it were, and then sit back and let the magic happen.
A general rule of thumb that’s good to remember: the media doesn’t make the news, it reports it. Forget this at your peril. Reporters don’t like being duped into reporting “news” as a form of free advertising unless it’s also news. I know of several outreach efforts that have thus tried to utilize media visibility and have been informally boycotted or worse, openly disparaged by a media personality.
Ribbon Cutting at the Julia Davis Park Agriculture Plaza and Pavilion
Why let your message get out of your hands?
If you decide to skip ahead anyway, what’s the harm? Say your organization does get a reporter to go full tilt with a story announcing that your organization is embarking on a campaign. Remember that reporters ask who, what, where, when and why. Will your answers will be satisfactory when filtered through the lens of television or newspaper story?
Who is supporting this endeavor? Early on, probably only a handful of people. Empty thermometers don’t inspire other people to give. It’s like betting on a horse race after looking at the track rather than examining the horses. Depending upon the reporter, that lack of support may become the story.
What exactly is being done? In a quiet campaign it’s possible to get things moving without full construction documentation, permits and community feedback. These things come as the project develops. Early investors are often visionaries, who’ll quietly sign on to the concept without all the details, if they trust the leadership of the organization. But vague concepts don’t play as well in a newspaper article. The general public wants to see plans, budgets and anticipated impact.
Where? When? The where is sometimes not a foregone conclusion for a capital project. Imagine what happens when the neighbors get wind of the big stadium lights you’re putting up next to their subdivision. And how long is this project going to take? It’s hard to tell at the outset, when fundraising capability is still a big question mark.
Board President Ted Koch announcing the kickoff of the Harrison Hollow Campaign for the Land Trust of the Treasure Valley
Finally, why is this project needed? In sharing your message discretely through a series of one-on-one conversations, you can pick up compelling stories from various points of view. This is an important step in a campaign. Often, those closest to a project don’t represent all perspectives.
Collecting stories from prospective donors along the way that bolster your case for support is a big bonus of a quiet fundraising effort.
In a one-on-one interview, you can address each question as it comes up. If you find you don’t have all the answers, you have a good idea of what holes you need to fill in. You can gauge how your prospective donor responds, and make an ask if it’s appropriate. You completely relinquish this opportunity by going to the media first.
Social media and the “Quiet Campaign”
All of the above applies to print and broadcast media. What about social media? When you explore a new capital project, your enthusiastic inner circle are going to start spreading the word weather you like it or not.
This presents a different situation. First, your social media supporters are revealing themselves to you and your other supporters, sharing what they like or don’t like about the project and giving you an avenue to contact them for their support, feedback, volunteer time, whatever. You’re also able to track the conversation, and further understand the possible response to your case once it goes public. This is great news.
At the same time, the existence of social media also requires that you’re careful with whom you share information at the outset of campaign development. Be discrete, as always, about your prospective donor list. Make sure your board has a confidentiality agreement in place. Don’t share donor lists or other confidential information electronically.
Don’t worry too much about conversations in the social media that speculate “wouldn’t it be great if?” or otherwise address your project in such a public forum. Occasionally these social media conversations will come to the attention of a reporter. If so, and a reporter contacts you, let them know you’re at a sensitive place in developing a potential campaign, and coming out with a media announcement right now would be premature. I’ve spoken candidly with members of the media before. They appreciated being brought the inner circle (to a certain degree) and also appreciated what a premature announcement could do to the effort. They were much more excited about collaborating with the leaders of the organization (with maybe a promise of an exclusive opportunity once a public announcement is made), than prematurely publishing speculative information for which they would be unable to confirm on the record with the organization.
Bottom line, there is a place for media in a campaign effort. The timing of such is usually well into the campaign’s leadership and major gifts phase. This timing takes into account other factors too: the time of year, an opportunity to piggy-back on another visibility opportunity, and particulars relating to the project. Most experts recommend that a campaign have raised 60 to 75 percent of the total funds before announcing anything at all. This strategy is a catalyst for momentum, whereas prematurely announcing a campaign before you have any idea of its likelihood of success, could have very negative effects.