Be The light! To Empower and Educate, A New Campus

HHWT is taking the time to share our organization’s case for support with our closest stakeholders is crucial to the success of our campaign. But as we know well, it can be difficult to convince our board or our marketing team that the quiet phase is necessary. They want to share the big news. It’s understandable. However, the quiet phase of a campaign is a vital stage prior to a public phase when the majority of fundraising will happen. Quiet phases, when deployed effectively, can create a sense of belonging, build confidence in your project, and promote deep understanding of why your project is worthy of support.

The truth is, when nonprofits launch capital campaigns, one of the first questions we hear is: “When can we announce this publicly?” The easy answer: The public phase should begin when you’ve raised 60% of your fundraising goal. But it is more than that. Just because HHWT is not putting out a press release doesn’t mean we should hold back from talking about your priorities (e.g. capital project, endowment need, etc.). In fact, it’s critical to share the message about the campaign within our community during your quiet phase.

Here is why you should think critically about your quiet phase:

Early gifts build confidence for the subsequent phases

Leading change is not easy. And most often, that’s what you’re doing in a major fundraising campaign. Strong leadership, strategic planning, and HHWT’s clear value proposition can help, but even in near-perfect circumstances, HHWT may still find opposition. Even in the best circumstances, you still need to convince your closest supporters that this is the right path forward. And that success begets further success – as those early supporters come on board, they create a network effect.

Early feedback helps to create a bulletproof case for capital campaign.

Thank you for supporting our capital campaign during the quiet Phrase.