Organization is often the key to success of such an initiative. For starters, your organization will have to develop a campaign statement, a budget, a sufficient donor base and gift acceptance policies. Once these items have been approved, you can establish a time frame for the entire project.

Next, you might develop a “gift-range chart” to help you achieve your objectives. The chart is predicated on data from previous fund-raisers. For instance, you might note that the average size of gifts in grass-roots campaigns tends to be smaller than the gifts normally received in a capital campaign. With a capital campaign, you can meet your goals by arranging sizeable gifts by several well-heeled donors.

Keeping this in mind, estimate the number of gifts of varying size required for the campaign. To figure out how many people you must target, be aware that about half will not give any gifts. Of those who donate, many will make gifts smaller than the amount requested. Therefore, at the top of the gift chart, you must identify more potential donors—maybe, four to five times as many—than the number you actually need.

Although some of these targets will give smaller gifts, this can help “fill in” the bottom of the gift chart. Accordingly, you may need to contact only two to three times the number of people at the lowest level.

Key point: Identifying prospects at the top of the chart is critical. In addition to your own organization’s records, you may have to access public records. Make a thorough compilation and analysis.

To determine which prospects are most viable, ask the following questions:

*Has the prospect ever contributed a capital gift before? If so, how much and for what purpose?

*Does this person possess assets that could be used in furtherance of the campaign?

*Will the prospect be receptive to naming opportunities or other honors or memorials?

*Does your organization represent a favorite cause of the prospect?

*Are any family members involved with your organization?

*Does the prospect support the principles relating to the campaign?

Finally, you must develop a timeline for your grass-roots campaign. Generally, you will want to raise at least 25% of the total needed before the campaign has been formally announced to the public. This “quiet phase” will enable you to judge the reaction to the campaign, learn what questions are likely to be raised and train your volunteers.