Planning an annual campaign means clear thinking and clear goal setting, but it also means sitting down to make the right decisions. That requires looking at the possible campaign activities and going ahead with them.

During the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Fundraising Day In New York 2016, marketing specialist Guy Kawasaki emphasized the need to assess possible campaign activities for their effectiveness. That means looking how they will pay off in return for what is put into them.

One overarching idea is that activities need to speak to the constituencies where the organization has the most reach. Further, the final decision will likely be a mix of the following approaches:

• Most To Least Touch: Personal asks to close contacts who have shared interests (e.g., board, friends, foundations, corporations); Proposals to qualified foundations or corporations; Special events; Social media; and, Direct response.
• Least To Most Time Consuming: Meetings or visits; Social media; Proposals’ Direct response; and, Events.
• Least To Most Expensive: Proposals (they take time and effort, but they have minimal overhead); Meetings or visits (depending on the locale, of course); Direct response (production, processing); and, Events (to include the space or venue, catering, mailings, etc.).