Fundraising and Football Part 4: Keeping Score and Winning Teams

Last week, we discussed campaigns being a rallying call and the benefits of utilizing people in their most effective roles in part three of this fundraising and football series. (Parts one, two.) This week, we’re covering two more things fundraisers can learn from the game.

7. You keep score.

You keep score in the game, and you keep a lot of statistics—possessions, completions and more—just like in a campaign, where you keep track of goal attainment, the number of gifts at the needed levels, the number of asks or cultivation visits made, the numbers of volunteers recruited, etc.

A development or campaign plan should have goals and timelines so you know where you are headed and you can benchmark progress. It is important to keep score to help drive you to campaign success, and also to know when to adjust the strategy.

8. People want to be a part of a winning team.

Success does beget success. We do want to be a part of a meaningful cause.

Longtime NFL quarterback Brett Favre said, “I've seen a lot of people jump on and off my bandwagon.”

The bandwagon effect is a psychological theory, validated in research, that people are influenced by the actions and opinions of others. Strategy in a fundraising campaign is essential to build momentum, and early gifts and early influencers make a difference. This is where an appropriately implemented quiet phase of a major campaign can be a big plus.

Likewise, a campaign that appears to languish can begin to have a detrimental impact of the campaign’s success and the image of the organization.