Unstoppable Success
In 2022 and 2023, Weiswood Strategies partnered with Lipton Strategies to support a comprehensive campaign for Lambda Legal, an organization with a long history of defending and winning new rights for the LGBTQ+ community.
The initial feasibility study suggested that the organization could raise $30 million. In June 2025, Lambda announced they had raised $285 million, a nearly tenfold increase.
Weiswood was one of many actors playing a role in the success of this campaign at a moment of profound upheaval for LGBTQ+ rights in the United States. We are incredibly grateful to have been part of this effort and find inspiration in its runaway success.
We conceived and wrote the case by following the same methodology that we always use: engaging in a comprehensive discovery process; interviewing stakeholders; answering the 10 Questions for a Case for Support; and refining the case through donor testing. In other words, there was no ‘secret sauce’ in the creation of this case.
At the same time, we believe that the points below are worth keeping in mind as you develop communications for your next high-stakes campaign or fundraising effort.
Simplicity
Campaign materials avoided complex language and made points simply and clearly. Likewise, the design was modern, clean, and avoided showy flourishes. The focus was on making a forceful and compelling argument, as well as arming gift officers and volunteers with the tools they needed to fundraise.
Digital
This was a digital-first campaign, matching the pace at which donors learned about new developments in LGBTQ+ rights and enabling gift officers to respond quickly to requests for materials.
Donor Insights
Lambda Legal already had a strong understanding of their donor audiences, as well as the differences and similarities between them. This deeply informed the formation of the case pillars so that certain priorities would resonate strongly with specific groups.
Campaign Communications Toolkit
Different audiences require a variety of tools, so we designed the case for growth as the primary tool within a larger toolkit. Proposal templates, a multipurpose case one-sheet, and a streamlined pitch deck accompanied the case in a campaign communications toolkit.
We are in an era of seismic shifts to civil rights in the United States. Much remains uncertain, but the success of Lambda Legal’s Unstoppable Future campaign demonstrates that donors with means will support the causes they care about when they are given ways to do so.
While some of the old rules about what makes a campaign successful (fancy launch parties, elaborate print pieces, etc.) may no longer apply across the board, many foundational building blocks remain. Chief among these must be:
a commitment to listening deeply to your donors,
understanding what motivates them,
and giving them the right opportunities—through carefully crafted communications—to create the change they want to see.
Taking the time to understand your audience and test fundraising language are necessary steps. You may be compelled to rush past these in times of stress, but that is likely chasing a smaller short-term gain rather than the longer-term payoff. And as we’ve seen with Lambda Legal, that payoff can exceed all initial expectations.