The Nature Conservancy (Maine)

Partnering for Unprecedented Success

Background: With a mission of protecting lands and waters, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in Maine sought help to prepare for a possible campaign. Known for bold, risk-taking projects, the organization had conducted three successful campaigns between 1998 and 2013. After a hiatus and a leadership change, they looked for outside expertise to ensure TNC Maine was positioned for success for its next endeavor.

Solution: The Compass Group conducted a Planning Study which laid the groundwork for a $130 million campaign. While many of TNC Maine’s past campaigns were focused on major projects, insights from the Planning Study inspired a broader focus on climate action. TNC Maine was one of the first chapters to rally around this nontraditional theme with its “Join Maine” campaign. Compass was then retained for Campaign Management. In addition to training staff and board and bringing discipline and accountability to the campaign, Compass served as a thought partner to help the organization strategize and adapt plans and approaches to fundraising during the pandemic.

Success: Through its five-year partnership with Compass, TNC Maine was committed to investing in getting the campaign right from start to finish. Early campaign success allowed the team to focus on an unprecedented amount of public funding. It exceeded its initial goal of $130 million and capitalized on its momentum to increase the campaign goal to $200 million. Now in its capstone phase, TNC Maine is thoughtfully concluding its campaign by celebrating and thanking all donors and partners; engaging new potential donors; and broadly marketing successes to build private, public and partner support for the future.