The Hidden Campaign Challenge Nobody Talks About (And How to Solve It)

Ahead of our Association for Healthcare Philanthropy presentation on campaign message mastery, we’re exploring why the real work of campaign success happens inside your organization.

You’ve seen the polished campaign materials. The beautiful brochures, compelling videos, and pristine donor presentations that make every campaign look effortlessly successful.

But behind those glossy exteriors lies a reality most fundraising professionals know but rarely discuss: the internal chaos that can make or break your campaign before it even reaches donors.

The Split-Screen Reality

Picture this split screen: On the left, your external campaign materials look perfect — unified, compelling, ready to inspire major gifts. On the right? Your internal reality might include competing departmental priorities, misaligned messaging, and stakeholders pulling your message in different directions — all friction points that can slow and limit campaign success – and all of which can be brought into alignment by a strong, cross-department approach to campaign communications.

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. At this week’s AHP conference, we’ll be sharing how Henry Ford Health transformed this internal chaos into organizational alignment that didn’t just meet their fundraising goals — it fundamentally changed the culture of philanthropy for teams in every corner of the hospital.

Why Internal Alignment Isn’t Just Nice-to-Have

Here’s what we’ve learned from working with organizations across the country: the campaigns that achieve transformational success aren’t just those with the best external messaging —they’re the ones that achieve true message fluency across all departments.

When your development team, marketing communications, and leadership are all fluent in your campaign’s core rationale, something powerful happens:

• Gift officers become more confident and effective in donor conversations.
• Marketing materials naturally align with fundraising priorities.
• Leadership feels equipped to champion the campaign authentically.
• The campaign becomes the institution’s cause, not just the advancement team’s project.

The Fluency Gap Most Organizations Don’t See

Most organizations assume that distributing talking points or holding a kickoff presentation will create message alignment. But true campaign fluency requires something deeper: the ability to adapt your overarching campaign rationale to bring relevance to any specific funding priority, and individualize that priority to any specific donor’s motivations.

It’s a tall order. Static materials like elevator speeches and brochures can’t do this work. Instead, it requires systematic development of what we call “message mastery”— and most importantly, it requires treating your internal team as the primary audience for campaign communications.

What We’ll Share at AHP

In our session “Driving Campaign Success: Message Mastery for Fluent Fundraising Organizations,” Lis Mirer, Senior Director, Communications & Campaign from Henry Ford Health, and I will walk through:

The real story behind transformation: How the same organization that struggled with departmental silos and competing priorities became a model of cross-departmental collaboration.

Practical strategies for building fluency: Specific approaches for working with gift officers, marketing teams, and leadership to create authentic alignment.

The tools that make it sustainable: Including a comprehensive cross-departmental audit that helps organizations assess their readiness for unified messaging.

The Bigger Picture

Here’s what might surprise you: this work isn’t just about improving your current campaign. When done right, message fluency creates organizational capacity that outlasts any single fundraising initiative. It builds the cultural foundation for stronger donor relationships, more effective stewardship, and even more successful future campaigns.

At Henry Ford Health, the marketing director now co-chairs their internal giving campaign. Department heads who used to compete for donor attention now collaborate on integrated approaches. The “campaign culture” has become their operational culture.

Your Pre-Conference Challenge

Before you arrive at AHP, try this quick assessment:

Ask three people from different departments: “A donor asks what our campaign is really about. You have 60 seconds and no materials. Go.”

If their answers sound like they’re describing completely different campaigns, you’re not alone— and you’ll definitely want to join our session.

The deeper question: How much of your campaign energy goes toward managing internal complexity instead of inspiring external support?

If the answer is “too much,” we’ve got strategies that can help.

Join Us at AHP

We’ll be presenting “Driving Campaign Success: Message Mastery for Fluent Fundraising Organizations” on Friday, October 24. Come ready to think differently about where campaign success really begins — and leave with practical tools you can implement immediately.

See you there.

And, if this conference is not on your calendar, drop me a line. I’d be happy to share our slides and have a discussion about what we’re covering and how it might apply to your team.