Step 7: Organize the Fundraising Timetable
It is important to construct a fundraising schedule or timetable, and it is equally important to remember that you will likely make several schedule adjustments as the campaign unfolds. However, the committee should expect to spend from three to eighteen months on the preparation, cultivation, and solicitation phases of the campaign, while allowing pledge payments to be made over a period of two to three years. Depending upon the size of the gift, some pledge payments could take up to five years. Of course, circumstances within individual churches, such as the overall goal and the number of prospective donors, require shorter or longer periods. A quick campaign could be completed within six months; a moderate campaign usually takes from twelve to twenty-four months; a long-term campaign could stretch out for four or five years.
A campaign timetable checklist reflects the following phases:
Phase 1: Preparation (4-6 months)
- Establish the nature and scope of the campaign
- Determine the overall goal for the campaign
- Relate the organ project to the general church budget
- Explore monthly payments to possible lenders
- Determine amount to come from gift income
- Decide what the organ fundraising campaign will cost
- Prepare a campaign budget
- Draft the case for support
- Establish the organ fundraising committee
- Identify and evaluate the prospects
- Develop the cultivation plans for prospects
Phase 2: Cultivation and Solicitation (6-8 months)
- Cultivation
- Presentation Meetings
- Brochures
- Concerts
- Worship Bulletins
- Direct Mail
- Solicitation
- Chair and Members of Organ Fundraising Committee
- Key Prospects for Leadership Gifts
- Challenge Gift
- Individual Solicitations
- Direct Mail Solicitations
- Telephone Solicitations
- Grant Proposals
- Acknowledgements
- Thank-you Letters
- Order Plaques
- Compile Recognition Opportunities
- Plan Campaign Celebration Service
