What Do Capital Campaigns And the Movie ‘Wicked’ Have in Common?

For many decades, capital campaign consultants have operated much like the Wizard of Oz during feasibility studies and even throughout campaigns. They stay behind a curtain of secrecy, pulling levers and pushing buttons, dolling out bits of information as you need it.

Capital Campaign Consultants Are Like the Wizard in Wicked and The Wizard of Oz

After a campaign consultant has worked behind the scenes, confidentially and anonymously interviewing your best donors during a feasibility study, out pops a goal for your campaign.

You’re not quite sure how they got to the number or what went into the formula, but you trust them because they are an all-knowing, great and powerful campaign consultant.

But much like in The Wizard of Oz, when the curtain is pulled back, the truth is revealed — the power always lay with the protagonists:

Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Lion had what they needed all along; they just needed guidance to discover it for themselves.

Capital Campaign Pro is proud of having pulled back the curtain on the secrecy surrounding capital campaign consulting practices since we developed the capital campaign toolkit back in 2017.

Pulling Back the Curtain on Feasibility Studies

We aimed to take the mystery out of capital campaigns and capital campaign consulting to empower development directors and other nonprofit leaders. (A good campaign consultant does a bit more than that, but you get the idea.)

While campaigns may not be as simple as clicking your shiny red heals together, you can lead a successful capital campaign. You simply need to:

1. Follow the path laid out before you (capital campaign strategy and best practices).
2. Find the right partners to join you on your journey (capital campaign consultants / advisors who empower you and your team).
3. And as cliché as it sounds, believe in yourself (more on this below).

Feasibility Studies — with the Curtain Pulled Back

In the old model of feasibility study, nonprofit leaders would hire a consultant to interview their best donors confidentially and anonymously. This was problematic for many reasons:

• Donors were not nearly as open and honest as consultants led you to believe.
• There was no recourse to follow up with donors who were unhappy or had questions.
• Consultants who didn’t get gift indications were left to guess at an appropriate goal.

In our new model — a Guided Feasibility Study — you interview your donors instead of a consultant.

You and your team work closely with a consultant as a partner through the feasibility study. The consultant prepares you and your leadership team with the materials, information, skills, and the confidence you need to speak strategically with your organization’s donors about the campaign and collect the information necessary for data-driven results.

3 Benefits of Pulling Back the Curtain on Feasibility Studies

The benefits of the new model are threefold, and all are related to pulling back the proverbial curtain:

1. Open, honest conversations with donors, which leads to building relationships.
2. Nonprofit leaders know exactly who said what and goal-setting is clear and logical.
3. Feasibility conversations pave the way to solicitations as pre-ask cultivation.

There’s no question that pulling back the curtain leads to stronger, more confident fundraisers, relationships builders, and askers for your nonprofit.

The Curtain Pulled Back: Beyond Campaign Feasibility

Beyond the feasibility study, when you work with Capital Campaign Pro, you will benefit from a curtain-pulled-back approach to campaign consulting. Here are a few key ways you and your team benefit (and are empowered) from an open approach to your campaign:

• 24-7 access to a curated library of templates and samples on day one of your campaign. No dolling out materials in dribs and drabs so you can’t look ahead.
• Weekly opportunity to meet and learn from peers going through campaigns. (Most campaign consultants don’t encourage clients to meet regularly and compare notes. We not only encourage it but facilitate the meetings.)
• Regular training for your entire team, including campaign volunteers, board members, and staff, so your team learns to be better fundraisers during and after the campaign.

Campaigns may not be as simple as clicking a pair of ruby-red slippers together, but you do become a lot more powerful with the curtain pulled back. The knowledge shared with you and your team can empower your fundraising during the campaign — and well into the future.

Now, that’s a horse of a different color!