I know what it’s like…
You’re brainstorming with your team. All ideas are on the table – full of innovative blue-sky thinking…
But how do you sift through the good (and bad) ideas to find the best one?
I think the first thing to consider is:
Why do you need an innovative new campaign?
Don’t misunderstand me – there are great reasons to consider a new campaign. Just make sure it’s not because you’re bored or craving change.
One of the most common fundraising mistakes is to let your own preferences or opinions determine the fundraising approaches you take.
A good fundraising campaign doesn’t mean you necessarily need to love it. How your donors respond to it is more important than your personal preferences.
We’ve seen too many creative and innovative ideas draw people away from the fundraising fundamentals – the consistent basics that we know work.
It can be hard to evaluate your own ideas while reducing risk and keeping your team happy.
So, here are some questions to help you decide if your great new idea has wings to fly:
First, ask yourself…
• Are you doing the fundamentals of fundraising well?
Then ask yourself, is your fundraising idea…
• Based on a fundraising outcome, rather than a creative statement? (Is your creative serving your fundraising, or is your fundraising serving your creative?)
• A data decision rather than a personal opinion? (Who is your audience and how are your donors actually responding?)
• Clear enough to be explained in just a few seconds?
• Complementary to your vision, mission, and brand?
And finally…
• Have you handed it over to God in prayer?
• Can you realistically execute the idea well? (Do you have the staff, budget, skills to make it work to its full potential?)
• Can you implement this new idea without impacting your existing fundamental fundraising activities?
If you answered “No” to any of the above, then it’s likely that the idea isn’t heading in the right direction to get you the best-practice fundraising results.
Can you rework the idea so your answers to the above questions are all “Yes”?
And if you’d like to bounce some ideas around with our team, feel free to get in touch today.
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