The Situation:
Forward Sioux Falls had recently hired a new program director to oversee the programs and the campaign. After eight previous campaigns with another campaign consultant, Forward Sioux Falls decided to use RDG, a Convergent Company, to assist with their campaign. Their goal was to raise $18 million to expand current economic development and talent-attraction initiatives, expand workforce training support, and implement a new housing initiative. At the campaign launch, the new program director announced a planned 10-week maternity leave mid-campaign. With that announcement, campaign leaders wanted reassurance that the campaign would not lose momentum in her absence.
Project Goals:
- Increase the number of new investors
- Engage at least 25 young leaders under the age of 40 on the campaign cabinet
- Better defined key performance indicators by initiative
The Challenges:
Economic uncertainty due to tariffs
The impact of the state’s lack of support for infrastructure on local companies
RDG’s Plan for Forward Sioux Falls:
Forward Sioux Falls has always received strong community backing and the support of the area’s most influential leadership. The organization is also known to deliver on job growth and investment. However, like many long-running campaigns, Forward Sioux Falls wanted to try new approaches to both its plan and its fundraising.
Clear KPIs
RDG worked closely with the staff to develop key performance indicators (KPIs) for each of the plan’s pillars, along with the overall goals of job creation and investment. In each prospect meeting, the Forward Sioux Falls team committed to providing an annual update to investors and community stakeholders on the status of the KPIs and the plan goals.
Investment Levels
Investment levels were introduced in the Forward Sioux Falls IX campaign, providing potential investors with an idea of where their peers were investing. Seeing this information led many investors to increase their commitment from previous levels, and new investors to not only pledge but also consider higher levels.
Up-and-Coming Leaders Engagement
Forward Sioux Falls has concerns about the average age of its leadership and took steps to actively recruit young people with the potential to become the next generation of community leaders. A third of the campaign cabinet were under 40 and tasked with engaging the public in the campaign and public phase. While their work was fruitful, having young leaders engaged from the beginning of the campaign will be the strategy for Forward Sioux Falls IX.
Staying on Track
While the Forward Sioux Falls campaign director was on maternity leave, the RDG team leveraged technology, staff support, and volunteers to stay on track to reach goal.
The Results:
The Forward Sioux Falls IX campaign exceeded its goal, raising nearly $19M. The amount of funds from more than 75 new investors exceeded $1.4M.
