Inside a Campaign: The Practitioner's Playbook
Running a campaign portfolio, staffing volunteer solicitors, campaign stewardship, and the reporting rhythm between phases. For the fundraiser who carries part of the gift table and all of the follow-through.
Through the K-12 Schools lens
The portfolio is usually small and personal, a short list of known parent and alumni families, and volunteer solicitors are often fellow board members or parents who need the same briefing discipline the module describes for any campaign. The stewardship calendar over the pledge years matters because families cycle out as children graduate, making the transition conversation the moment that decides whether the relationship survives past enrollment.
Continuing education
1.00 points
Securing the Gift · Volunteer Involvement
Learning objectives
- Manage a campaign portfolio of major-gift households through the phases, with invitations sequenced by readiness rather than the campaign calendar.
- Staff volunteer solicitors as a campaign partner: preparation, pairing, report-back, and the follow-through that stays with staff.
- Run campaign stewardship so that every commitment is thanked, reported on, and kept, and every campaign donor remains an annual donor.
- Keep a reporting rhythm between phases that tells the campaign leadership the truth about pace, pipeline, and the annual fund.
Designed for CFRE continuing education. Not yet accepted; no CFRE points can be claimed.
Lessons
- 20 min
Video lesson
Running a campaign portfolio
III Discern · Securing the Gift
- 18 min
Field guide· PDF
Staffing volunteer solicitors and campaign stewardship
IV Invite · Volunteer Involvement
- 20 min
Template· DOCX
Campaign portfolio plan and the phase reporting rhythm
VI Accompany · Securing the Gift
- 16 min
Case study· PDF
Case study: the practitioner who kept the annual fund whole
VI Accompany · Securing the Gift
This is members-only material.
Members get every lesson, template, and worksheet in all eight tracks, plus the support to put them to work in your shop.
More in this stage
Major & Principal Gifts
Building a Major Gifts Portfolio
Move from reactive asks to a managed portfolio: qualification, moves management, and a caseload you can defend.
Donor Communications & Stewardship
The Case for Support That Writes Itself
One master case document that powers every appeal, proposal, and conversation, built from your mission's real evidence.
Annual Giving & Direct Response
Annual Giving Systems: Calendar & Segmentation
Graduate from one-off appeals to a segmented, scheduled program with lapsed-donor recovery built in.