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Development
Services
Endowment Campaign Counsel
Endowment
fund raising is unique and necessitates a highly nuanced approach
to its execution. In general, endowment campaigns require more
time, expertise, targeted solicitation strategies, and patience
than any other type of fund raising.
This means that a for-impact organization would greatly benefit
from access to a seasoned professional who guides strategy and
solicitation execution.
Before
you begin an endowment campaign, please consider:
- Not
every endowment gift is a planned gift, but each gift to an
endowment fund tends to be distinct. Most often, large gifts
gravitate toward highly unique and personalized planned giving
techniques. So, although fewer donors on average give to endowment
campaigns, the time and energy spent on each solicitation is
often much greater than other gifts. Experienced counsel will
make the process easier and less complicated.
- With
increasing frequency, i team recommends a multi-tiered approach
to solicitation that includes annual, capital, and planned gifts.
Although the vast majority of planned gifts come in the form
of bequests, there are
many other options for your donors. The language, tax benefits,
and priorities for solicitation change often. Are you up-to-date
on planned giving techniques and how they fit into the mix?
- Endowment
donors are more sophisticated donors. They ask tough questions.
They are savvy philanthropists. They are making an investment
and think like investors. The i team principals can help prepare
solicitors for sophisticated cultivation activities.
- Endowment
fund management requires long-term and high levels of commitment,
financial planning, and leadership from the board. There are
no quick, easy answers in endowment fund raising. For many i
team clients, gift acceptance and investment policy creation,
board development, and long-term strategic planning are among
the first steps in endowment campaign preparation.
- Prospects
will need to know the entire endowment plan. Endowment donors
want to find out about the number of prospects, how the money
will be invested, by whom it will be managed, and how the fund
raising plan will be executed. i team consultants will help
create high-level, detailed case for support tools that drive
the cultivation process and provide legitimacy to the endowment
campaign.
If
properly planned and executed, an endowment campaign will not
only increase the opportunity for a specific group of donors to
give highly unique gifts, but will also create a sense of urgency
among other donors. An endowment success
will help create a new level of sustainability and permanence,
which must be shared with your annual donors who will be more
likely to increase their level of support. In other words, you
benefit from the rising tide mentality. Are your
marketing and solicitation messages tailored to reflect the most
timely cultivation strategies?
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