Measure Twice, Cut Once
by Dan Schipp
“Measure twice, cut once.” That phrase seemed to be Ted Grossnickle’s mantra during the years he served as counsel for a $40 million campaign at Saint Meinrad Archabbey and Seminary when I was vice president for development there. In fact, if I had collected a dollar from him every time I heard that admonition, I would have accumulated the lead gift for our campaign!
Ted was (and still is) a stickler for good, solid planning. Under his and Angela White’s guidance, Saint Meinrad spent more than a year putting together a detailed plan for our campaign, including a case for support, five-year financial model, timetable, campaign structure, volunteer role descriptions, communications plan, budget, financing policy, gift table, gift acceptance and recognition policies, and criteria for judging the success of the campaign. We involved volunteers, Saint Meinrad leadership, and development staff in this extensive planning process.
At the end of our successful campaign, we conducted a formal evaluation of it. We sought to learn what we did well and what we could have done better.
Our volunteers told us that our in-depth planning was key to building their confidence in Saint Meinrad and in their ability to succeed in the campaign. They said it was an aid to them when we encountered some rough spots in the campaign – 9/11 (just two months after launching the campaign), the drastic downturn in the economy, the sex scandals in the Roman Catholic Church, and the suicide of one of the Seminary’s top administrators. The volunteers said our planning gave them something to fall back on during these tough times. It steadied them. It reassured them.
Although our pre-campaign planning involved a considerable investment of time and resources, it certainly paid dividends for us. Planning well and executing the plan enabled us to achieve a level of philanthropic investment that more than a few people considered unlikely prior to the campaign.
As you go about preparations for your campaign, are you “measuring twice and cutting once”?
Let Dan know how helpful Meaure Twice, Cut Once is for your organization and share your results by posting in the JGA comments section below.
June 21st, 2010 at 10:06 am
I enjoyed your article, Dan. Thorough, in-depth planning is necessary to obtain the best results for any project.
June 22nd, 2010 at 4:43 pm
So true. I’ve worked with non-profits who seem to think the mantra is “Guess Twice, Cut Until You Get It Right.” But to avoid guessing, everyone needs a little help – like having someone like you on board who actually has access to a measuring tape.