The Readiness Gap: a free class for executive directors, Tuesday, November 17

A free one-hour class on Zoom with Emily Bocking, CFRE. The eight things a major donor checks before giving to a capital campaign, with one question for each. Tuesday, November 17, 10:30 am Saskatchewan time. Replay for everyone who registers.

Free class: The Readiness Gap

Your board said "campaign." See if you're ready before you say yes.

Emily Bocking shows you what has to be in place before you spend a dollar on a feasibility study.

Tuesday, November 17

10:30 am Saskatchewan time (CST)

One hour on Zoom

Same-day replay

Is this you?

Then everyone at the table looked at you.

Fundraising came with the job. Your board thinks it's all about asking.

20 years in, I can tell you asking is the easy part.

I know we're not ready, but nobody's going to listen to me.
How am I supposed to do this off the side of my desk?
Great. Throw another thing on the fire and let me fail at this too.
I should really know if we can pull this off.

In the hour

Where campaigns fail, and how to spot it early.

The quiet phase

Campaigns that fail usually fail here, months before anyone goes public.

The four phases

Start to finish, plainly.

What a major donor checks

Eight things, one question each.

One real organization, read live

Where it's ready and where it isn't.

Yours to keep

Eight questions for your next board meeting.

Answer them before a donor asks.

Plus the replay, and the free Campaign Readiness Assessment.

Vision. If a major donor asked "why now, and why you?", what would you actually say?

Board. Has your board formally endorsed this, and does every member know that includes giving?

Case for support. Have three people in your organization ever told the campaign story the same way?

Budget. Do you have a project budget, an operating budget and a campaign budget, or just a construction number?

Infrastructure. Can you pull a clean donor report in under an hour?

Donor base. Do you know your top ten donors' capacity, or are you guessing?

Reputation. What does a prospective major donor find when they Google you tonight?

Mindset. Is fundraising a team sport here, or one person's job?

Taught by Emily Bocking

I've done lots of things. And I mean lots.

Cowboys and cattle. Engineers. Saved a lake, built a trail, helped addictions orgs and ran a giant capital campaign for a performing arts org.

20 years in fundraising

CFRE, the international fundraising credential

Running a $220 million campaign right now

Fair questions

Talking yourself out of it?

We're nowhere near ready.

Good. Finding out now is free. A feasibility study costs about $50,000.

I don't have time.

One hour, and a same-day replay.

But I'm not a fundraiser.

It's about your organization, and you know it best.

Are we too small?

Weighing $1 million to $20 million? You're the right size.

Should my board chair come?

Yes. Some things land better from someone who isn't you.

Is this a pitch?

The last five minutes are about my eight-week program, said once. Then your questions.

Save your seat

Grab a seat. It's two boxes.

Tuesday, November 17, 10:30 to 11:30 am Saskatchewan time (CST). That's 11:30 Eastern, 9:30 Mountain, 8:30 Pacific.

One email from emily@brazenfundraising.com to confirm your seat. Click it, and your Zoom link follows.

Send this page to your board chair.

The replay that afternoon.

Next time your board says "campaign," you'll know what to ask.

One free hour.