the messy middle—the part of the campaign most consultants don’t tell you about.

You’re sitting in a board meeting, and someone says it: “So… our goal is to raise this money by next June, right?” Heads nod. People are energized. The timeline sounds bold and inspiring. And in your gut, you know: There is no way. This is one of the most common campaign tensions I see: a timeline that looks great on a slide, but doesn’t match your donor pipeline, internal capacity, or external realities. The good news? You don’t have to choose between being the “no” person a