PLANNING THE BEFORE AND AFTER OF A SUCCESSFUL ENDOWMENT CAMPAIGN NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF BAR FOUNDATIONS MID-YEAR MEETING ATLANTA, GEORGIA DAVID A. BLANER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ALLEGHENY COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION 1

PLANNING THE BEFORE AND AFTER OF A SUCCESSFUL ENDOWMENT CAMPAIGN FORM A DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE – SELECT LEADERS WHO ARE WELL-KNOWN AND HAVE A PROVEN HISTORY OF RAISING FUNDS – FOUNDATION MANAGEMENT SHOULD SERVE ON THE COMMITTEE 2

PLANNING THE BEFORE AND AFTER OF A SUCCESSFUL ENDOWMENT CAMPAIGN DEVELOP MARKETING MATERIALS THAT EFFECTIVELY TELLS YOUR STORY – TALKING POINTS – POWERPOINT PRESENTATION – COMMITTEE LETTERHEAD – WEB PAGE THAT HIGHLIGHTS YOUR CAMPAIGN – PREPARE A LIST OF THE TEN MOST ASKED QUESTIONS AND PROVIDE ANSWERS 3

PLANNING THE BEFORE AND AFTER OF A SUCCESSFUL ENDOWMENT CAMPAIGN DEFINE WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO ACCOMPLISH WITH YOUR ENDOWMENT CAMPAIGN – RAISE $XXX DOLLARS FOR THE FOLLOWING PURPOSES, PRO BONO, PUBLIC EDUCATION, ETC. – WHO CONTROLS THE FUNDS? – WHY ARE THE FUNDS NEEDED BY A CERTAIN DATE? – FUNDS ARE RESTRICTED FOR THE FOLLOWING PURPOSE 4

PLANNING THE BEFORE AND AFTER OF A SUCCESSFUL ENDOWMENT CAMPAIGN TEST YOUR ORGANIZATION’S ABILITY TO RUN A SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN – HOLD FOCUS GROUP MEETINGS WITH LEADERS AND POTENTIAL DONORS – REVIEW PREVIOUS FUNDRAISING EFFORTS – INVESTIGATE OTHER SIMILARLY SIZED ORGANIZATION’S FUNDRAISING EFFORTS TO DETERMINE FEASIBLITY TO RAISE FUNDS 5

PLANNING THE BEFORE AND AFTER OF A SUCCESSFUL ENDOWMENT CAMPAIGN DEVELOP A LIST OF POTENTIAL DONORS – PREPARE DONOR LEVELS AND ASSIGN POTENTIAL DONORS TO THE LIST – ASSIGN COMMITTEE MEMBERS TO CONTACT SELECTED DONORS BASED UPON RELATIONSHIPS – MAKE REQUESTS AS A TEAM RATHER THAN INDIVIDUALLY … STRENGTH IN NUMBERS! 6

PLANNING THE BEFORE AND AFTER OF A SUCCESSFUL ENDOWMENT CAMPAIGN BEGIN YOUR CAMPAIGN WITH A “QUITE PHASE” – CONTACT HIGH LEVEL DONORS AND LEADERS WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION TO MAKE A PITCH FOR A DONATION – LOOK FOR KEY LAW FIRMS, LAWYERS, OR ORGANIZATIONS WHICH MIGHT MAKE A SIZABLE PLEDGE TO GET THE CAMPAIGN OFF THE GROUND – SET A GOAL TO RAISE 50 PERCENT OF THE FUNDS DURING THE “QUITE PHASE” 7

PLANNING THE BEFORE AND AFTER OF A SUCCESSFUL ENDOWMENT CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCE THE PUBLIC CAMPAIGN WITH A MEDIA BLITZ TO YOUR MEMBERS – ARTICLES IN PUBLICATIONS – WEB PAGE ANNOUNCEMENTS – DIRECT MAIL CAMPAIGN – PRESENTATIONS TO COMMITTEES, SECTIONS, & DIVISIONS – PRESENTATION TO LAWYERS AND LAW FIRMS – REQUESTS TO OTHER FOUNDATIONS 8

PLANNING THE BEFORE AND AFTER OF A SUCCESSFUL ENDOWMENT CAMPAIGN FOLLOW-UP – RAISE MORE MONEY THAN YOU NEED --- SOME GROUPS WILL MAY NOT FULFILL THEIR PLEDGE – SEND THANK YOU LETTERS – TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS AND PUBLISH ARTICLES ABOUT DONORS – MONITOR COLLECTIONS AND SET-UP COLLECTION SCHEDULES AND REMINDER DATES – CELEBRATE YOUR SUCCESS 9