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Do We Keep Going With Our Campaign Right Now?
- Frances Roen
- Feb 5
- 4 min read
You may have heard this from a board member (or felt it yourself):
“How do we keep going with our campaign right now?”
“Should we pause?”
“Is now really the right time to start?”
If you’re asking these questions, you’re not doing something wrong. You’re paying attention. You’re human. And you’re trying to lead with integrity.
Our team has been having a lot of conversations about this—especially here in Minnesota, where “the world” isn’t an abstract idea. It’s our neighbors. Our communities. Our staff. Our donors.
Here’s what we keep coming back to:
This is an incredibly difficult time.
And campaigns can—and do—succeed during difficult times (pandemics, recessions, organizational crises, tumultuous election years… the list is long).
But success in a hard season doesn’t come from pretending things are normal. It comes from staying steady in your purpose and being honest in your conversations.
So let’s talk about the big three questions: How do we keep going? Should we pause? Is now the right time to start?
How Do We Keep Going?
Mostly… the same way you were before.
Your work doesn’t change. Your conversations might.
Campaigns are built on relationships, clarity, trust, and follow-through. Those foundations don’t disappear just because the news cycle is heavy. If anything, they matter more.
What does change is how you enter the conversation:
You lead with care.
You name reality without dramatizing it.
You give donors room to be honest.
You stay anchored in why this work is needed—especially now.
A simple (and powerful) way to keep moving forward is to name it with care:
“I was hoping to talk with you about a gift to the campaign. Does this feel like the right time? If not, what timing would feel better?”
That one sentence does a lot:
It respects the donor’s reality.
It shows emotional intelligence.
It keeps momentum without forcing urgency.
And don’t underestimate the power of reaching out without an agenda:
“How are you doing, really?”
Sometimes the most strategic thing you can do in a campaign is show up like a human being.
Should We Pause?
We rarely recommend pausing. Not because we’re rigid—but because we’ve seen what happens after a pause.
Pauses tend to do three things:
1) They quietly drain momentum
Momentum is fragile. Once your campaign rhythm breaks—committee meetings, outreach cadence, donor follow-up—it’s surprisingly hard to restart without losing energy, confidence, and clarity.
2) They can create uncertainty in the donor’s mind
Even if you don’t mean it, the message donors may hear is:
“We’re not sure this will happen.”
Most donors don’t want to invest in uncertainty. They want to invest in leadership, confidence, and follow-through.
3) They delay learning and relationship-building
Campaigns are long. What’s happening today won’t be what’s happening a year from now. But the relationships you build now—and the trust you earn now—carry forward.
If you’re uncomfortable, that’s not always a sign you should pause. Sometimes it’s a sign you should adjust your approach:
“What needs to change in how we’re doing this, so we can keep going with integrity?”
Is Now the Right Time to Start?
Here’s the part I wish more boards understood:
Internal readiness matters more than external factors.
The make-or-break factors in a campaign are usually internal:
Capacity (Do we have enough staff/volunteer bandwidth to do this well?)
Clarity (Is the case compelling? Is the vision crisp? Is the goal credible?)
Alignment (Are leadership and board truly on the same page?)
Policies and process (Do we know how we’ll handle pledges, naming, reporting, follow-up?)
Skills (Can we have donor conversations that are warm, confident, and clear?)
A real plan (not “we’ll figure it out,” but a timeline, roles, and next steps)
When those pieces are strong, you can navigate a lot—even in messy times.
External conditions matter, of course. But they’re rarely the true reason a campaign stalls.
Often, external chaos simply amplifies internal gaps:
unclear messaging,
shaky confidence,
unresolved leadership tension,
overreliance on a few people,
or a plan that isn’t realistic.
If you want a steadier campaign, don’t start by trying to predict the world. Start by strengthening what you can control.
Not Every Organization Should “Push Forward” the Same Way
Continuing doesn’t always mean asking the same way, at the same pace, with the same tone.
For some organizations, this is exactly the right moment to ask for support—because the need is urgent and directly connected to what’s happening.
For others, the campaign purpose might feel less aligned with the moment (for example, a facility project that isn’t directly tied to current events). But that doesn’t mean you stop. It means you continue honestly.
A campaign can keep moving through:
cultivation,
listening,
stewardship,
and gentle readiness-building…
…even if you temporarily slow the ask cadence for certain donors.
The Bottom Line
Your communities need you. Your mission still matters. And your work is often more important when people are hurting.
Hard seasons don’t mean you stop. They mean you lead differently:
with more humanity,
more listening,
more clarity,
and more steadiness.
And if you’re feeling uncertain, don’t start by asking, “What’s happening in the world?”
Start here:
Are we internally ready to lead this well—no matter what the world is doing?
Because when your internal readiness is strong, you can navigate a lot.
And when you keep showing up with integrity, donors can feel it.
Frances Roen is the Founder of Fundraising Sol and a fundraising consultant with two decades of experience. She is deeply passionate about relationship building, individual donor work, and supporting nonprofit professionals’ health and wellness to enable them to deliver their best work.
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