5 Reasons A Consultant Should Do Your Feasibility Study Interviews

Every fundraising campaign starts with an idea—something that goes far beyond your annual operations, something that could transform the future of your organization.

This is a moment when anything is possible.

You might be considering a new building or a major renovation. Maybe you want to expand your program or create a permanent endowment that reshapes your budget. Whatever it looks like, you’re finding a new way to advance your mission and have a greater impact on the communities you serve.

But big ambitions need careful planning.

That’s where a campaign feasibility study comes in.

A good feasibility study should answer the question of how much you can raise and who you should ask. A great study gives you a clear action plan for the weeks, months and years ahead. It gives you a tested message, a comprehensive assessment of your donor prospects. It outlines your timeline, identifies leaders, and evaluates the systems and processes that will keep your campaign moving forward.

A great feasibility study is also grounded in data, research, and insightful conversations with your top supporters.

Yes, donor interviews are a chance to gauge a prospect’s interest and capacity to give—but that’s just the beginning.

When done well, these early conversations will introduce your campaign plans to your closest supporters before everything is finalized. You can find out which aspects are especially motivating and uncover questions or concerns that might be holding them back. This gives you time to recalibrate and make your plans even stronger based on feedback.

And when you launch the campaign, you’ll already have a groundswell of influential voices whose enthusiasm will inspire their personal gifts and encourage others to follow their lead.

There’s been a lot of debate about who should conduct feasibility study interviews—and I’m firmly in the consultant camp. Here’s why the Heller Fundraising Group believes you will be best served by having consultants interview your donors.

1. People are much more likely to open up to a stranger. You might assume that donors are more honest with someone they already know, but several research studies suggest otherwise. For instance, the social psychologist Zick Rubin calls it the “stranger-on-a-train” phenomenon. During his studies in bus terminals and airport lounges, he found that the potential risks and consequences of being honest are lower when talking to someone you might never see again.

   Candid conversations are crucial to getting the most of your feasibility study. Consultants are better positioned to draw out real answers—especially when the donor’s response isn’t so glowing.

2. We’re deeply entrenched in the process. As consultants, feasibility studies aren’t something we tackle once every decade or so. At the Heller Fundraising Group, we lead many studies every year and our understanding of how campaigns unfold is highly tuned. All studies have elements that are consistent and similar, yet each one has unique qualities that require the level of expertise that can spot nuances. Put simply, we have more experience intuiting what a donor is thinking and know how to get them to say more.

3. Donors know the meeting won’t end with a solicitation. Your internal staff has an established relationship dynamic with your donors. When a staff member interviews a donor, it’s hard to avoid the psychological leap to the giving conversation, even if there isn’t an explicit solicitation. With a consultant, any giving discussions are theoretical. It’s a different dynamic and it doesn’t move the donor’s decision-making in the same way. This allows time for the donor to contemplate the campaign, learn more, and be challenged for a stretch gift when the actual solicitation comes. Spoiler alert: A donor’s suggested gift in an interview is almost always smaller than the amount they end up giving.

4. We don’t feel pressured to make something work. As an outsider, it’s easier for us to step back and assess when a campaign needs a significant change of course. When all evidence points in another direction, we’re comfortable seeing where that leads—and speaking up about it.

5. A consultantremoves the element of bias. This is my final—but maybe most important—point. No one knows your organization better than your internal team. That knowledge is critically important to feasibility study interviews. It can also get in your way. That’s why we suggest that you brief us and then we do the interview. You can’t help but bring your preconceived notions about donors: how to approach them, how they’ll respond, what their giving capacity is. We cut through the bias.

As staff members, you can certainly do the interviews yourself. You’ll have inspiring conversations. You’ll get results. You may even have a good campaign. But will you find the clues that lead to transformational gifts? Will you uncover the unstated donor roadblocks that create a successful campaign that reaches its goal? Many nonprofits come to us after they haven’t succeeded at raising the money they need.

It’s completely natural to let your experiences—with both your organization and your donors— shape how you approach your study interviews. As consultants, we want to hear your preconceptions, but we’re more open to pushing past those limiting ideas and bringing the conversation into new territory. We’re in the best position to conduct productive and unbiased feasibility interviews.

Make the most of your feasibility study.

A comprehensive feasibility study is the first step toward a transformational campaign—one that can redefine how your organization operates and strengthen the impact it has on your community. It’s a chance to shake things up. That means being open to new ideas, from your supporters and even from outside, impartial consultants who can help you see your organization in a new light.

If you want to talk about how the Heller Fundraising Group can help you lay the groundwork for your next campaign, let’s talk.