On October 29, ICMA launched the Value of the Profession campaign among ICMA members. In your capacity as state, affiliate, or assistant association leadership, we first told you about this initiative earlier in the year when we approached your associations for assistance in funding our work with advertising agency GMMB to develop the campaign’s theme, creative concepts, and strategy.
The response to our initial request of your associations was tremendous—twenty-three associations (listed here) pledged or contributed a total of $60,450, just a few thousand dollars shy of our initial $65,000 goal. The ICMA Fund for Professional Management provided the additional $65,000 needed to finance the advertising agency’s work.
With each step of the campaign’s development, we have gotten more excited about this effort. The email message to our members last week explained the campaign by highlighting its importance, what has happened in its development to date, and how they can get involved. It also included a link to icma.org/lifewellrun, a new site that hosts both background information and the latest news on the campaign. In the eight days since the campaign launched, we’ve raised $36,860 in pledges and donations from 93 individuals—and the gifts keep coming in.
As you may recall from our earlier conversations, the estimated cost to implement the campaign is $3-$5 million. This funding will come primarily from two sources: major donors (foundations, corporations, or wealthy individuals) and people like us, who understand the importance of educating citizens about the role and benefit of professional local government management. While major donors will provide a substantial portion of the funding, it’s essential that we demonstrate internal support from among the local government community. In fact, we’ve established the goal of raising $1 million from members (both ICMA’s and yours) and associations by ICMA’s 100th anniversary in 2014. It’s ambitious, but achievable.
Obviously, this will be a sustained, long-term fundraising effort. Many of your associations have given to the campaign already and we are grateful for your leadership in quickly offering your support. Of course, as we move forward, additional contributions will be appreciated. But, what we really need right now is your help emphasizing the importance of this campaign among your members. Encourage them to make their own contribution using one of the easy methods listed below. For people who aren’t members of ICMA but would like to contribute online, it’s as easy as creating an account on icma.org and then following the directions below.
Around the end of the year—just in time for state meeting season—we will be providing you with a comprehensive toolkit to help you promote the campaign to your members. In the meantime, please consider sending the direct them to icma.org/lifewellrun for more information or have them contact us at fund@icma.org.
How to Contribute to the Campaign:
- Make a 5-year commitment—lasting through ICMA’s 100th anniversary in 2014—at icma.org/donate/pledge. Select “Value of the Profession Campaign” under “Pledge Information” and we will send you a reminder before each installment date.
- Earmark a single gift for the campaign here or by visiting icma.org/donate and selecting the option for “Value of the Profession Campaign.”
- Have a recurring contribution automatically drafted from your bank account. This is a secure option administered by SunTrust (ICMA’s bank) that eases the financial impact of a single gift and avoids the need to coordinate ongoing payments.
- Send in a donation by mail and write “Value of the Profession Campaign” on your check or this form.
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