Program Information and Requirements | 2021 Greater Minnesota Cohort

The application period for this cohort closed on Friday, April 2.

Below, read more about the Campaign Institute, including information about the program and what participating nonprofits will gain, and requirements based on organization size, geography, and what is expected of participants.

This information is also available as a three-page PDF.

Go back to the Applications homepage.

About the Campaign Institute

Since 2015, GiveMN staff have researched the ability for small and medium-sized nonprofits to build sustainable culture, strategies, and infrastructure around their overall fundraising needs. We surveyed hundreds of Minnesota nonprofits, finding 40% of organizations relied on volunteers alone to fundraise and an additional 32% had only one staff member responsible for raising money. Overall, 69% of respondents said they were not confident that their current fundraising strategy met the demands of their mission.

The Campaign Institute is not a one-size-fits-all program; instead, the Campaign Institute assists nonprofits in building their overall capacity for fundraising, building sustainable individual giving infrastructure based on the specific needs of each organization. We strive to give each nonprofit we work with a custom coaching experience, fully focused on the issues they bring forward throughout our work together.

We operate on a set of three core principles:

· Organizations are the experts on their work and their people: We start every relationship from scratch, taking a deeply collaborative approach that co-creates solutions uniquely tailored to your work, your capacity, and your audience.
· We coach and teach fundraising that centers on the well-being of your staff, board and volunteers: We focus on fundraising that is deeply honest, authentic, transparent, and relational; fundraising that builds a donor base to which you want to be accountable; and fundraising that mobilizes the resources you need for your work without compromising your values.
· We coach for sustainability: Our goal is to build your organization’s internal fundraising expertise, so you can replicate your success long after our partnership is over. We leave participants with more knowledge, added skills, stronger fundraising infrastructure, and deeper donor relationships.

The Campaign Institute partnership results in an individual giving campaign, co-created by each organization and their coach, that allows participants to use new skills, strategies, and tools with the guidance of RaiseMN, and are eligible for a challenge grant of up to $5,000.

Institute Selection Process

Selection of seven organizations for the RaiseMN Campaign Institute 2021 Greater Minnesota Cohort will take place in five distinct rounds:

1. Application period: Applications will be open to all eligible organizations beginning on March 2 and must be submitted to RaiseMN by April 2 at 5:00 pm CDT.

2. Interview period, if needed: A selection of organizations may be invited to take part in follow-up conversations with RaiseMN, if needed, between April 26 and May 7.

3. Participant notification: During the week of May 17, RaiseMN will notify up to 14 participant organizations that will take part in the assessment round.

4. Assessment round (Round 1): Up to 14 finalists will take part in three months of expert fundraising assessment and coaching from RaiseMN. In late September 2021, RaiseMN will select the final seven organizations to take part in the full RaiseMN Campaign Institute (Round 2).

5. RaiseMN Campaign Institute (Round 2): Seven organizations will receive continued coaching and campaign execution assistance through December 17, 2021, and will be eligible for a challenge grant of up to $5,000.

Benefits to Participating Organizations

Working directly with their coach, participants in the RaiseMN Campaign Institute will build the fundraising capacity of their organization and will increase overall fundraising knowledge, infrastructure, and culture.

Fourteen participant organizations will receive three months of initial assessment and coaching with RaiseMN to identify areas of strength, processes that could be improved, and leave with a framework for future fundraising.

After this capacity assessment is conducted, seven selected organizations will continue to attend coaching sessions approximately once per month to develop their fundraising. Plans will be individualized to the strengths and needs of each organization.

In addition to individualized planning, participating organizations will also participate in group training opportunities tailored to fit the needs of the participating organizations.

The seven organizations selected for the full Campaign Institute will take part in the following:

• You will participate in assessing the fundraising capacity of your organization.

• You will receive support for the duration of the Institute from a designated fundraising coach.

• You will develop strategies and infrastructure that will have lasting impact, improving overall fundraising strategies while reducing reliance on institutional funding.

• You will participate in several training sessions over the course of six months in one-on-one sessions. The trainings will focus on increasing the fundraising abilities of your organization. Topics covered could include:
  o  Fundamentals of campaign fundraising
  o  Board involvement in fundraising activities
  o  Pros and cons of special campaigns
  o  Using social media in fundraising
  o  How to approach and cultivate donors
  o  Donor stewardship, including recognition and retention

• You will create a plan to implement a new campaign or improve an existing campaign, with a target of raising up to $5,000.

• You will be a part of a cohort that will engage and share mutual issues and interests, resulting in the emergence of new views, ideas, and strategies for fundraising.

Minimal Cost to Selected Participants

• Each organization’s application must identify the three participants who are committed to attending all sessions and meetings for the duration of the program.
  o  Because RaiseMN seeks to transform the organization's overall fundraising knowledge, infrastructure, and culture, the Institute requires three people, representing both board and staff, to be involved in all coaching meetings.
  o  Staff participants should be in leadership and fundraising roles in the organization. One participant must be a board member, not staff. If your organization only has one paid staff member, two of the participants may be board members.
  o  We will ask your three-person team to find a time bi-weekly (every other week) that you could meet for one hour with your RaiseMN coach. These meetings may be held virtually via Zoom video conferencing or over the phone.

• Must be able and willing to commit organizational resources of time and funding to the fundraising plan.

• Must be committed to improving the organization’s overall individual giving strategies and capacity.

• Institute organizations must complete the following to receive a challenge grant of up to $5,000:
  o  Make a 6-month commitment to the Institute.
  o  Must be willing to try new things, and be vulnerable and open to new ideas.
  o  Meet approximately twice per month with designated coach.
  o  Attend RaiseMN learning sessions with other Institute participants. The schedule of these sessions will be announced later, and they may take place either virtually or in-person, in accordance with the latest guidelines provided by the Minnesota Department of Health.
  o  Create an annual development plan for your upcoming fiscal year that includes learnings from your Institute-designed fundraising campaign.
  o  Active participation: RaiseMN staff and coaches will be accountable and responsive to you, and we expect participants to be accountable and responsive to us. Your team must have the capacity to fully participate in this program.
  o  Participate in a RaiseMN fundraising capacity assessment.
  o  Meet Institute program deadlines to be established with individual organizations.
  o  Raise at least $5,000 through a fundraising campaign to meet the challenge grant offering.
  o  Active participation in ongoing Institute program evaluation by completing surveys in a timely manner.
  o Create an annual development plan for your upcoming fiscal year that includes learnings from your Institute-designed fundraising campaign.
  o  Hold two meetings of the full board of directors: an introduction and a conclusion to the Institute to inform and encourage board members to participate in the Institute alongside staff.

Go back to the Applications homepage.