Field entries autosave privately in this browser after changes. Wait for the “Saved locally” confirmation before closing the page.
Free preservation tool
Preservation Campaign Planner
Define exactly what a preservation campaign will protect, who controls the work, what it costs, what donors are promised, and how progress will be reported.
PlannerPreservation & stewardship25–40 min
Illustrated step-by-step guide · Campaign planner
How to use this tool
Define what will be preserved, who controls the work, what it costs, what can be promised, and how progress will be reported.
1Why: Use this before public fundraising, sponsorship outreach, grant applications, or preservation claims begin.
2Steps: 6 illustrated directions using this tool’s actual fields and controls.
3Finish: Print / Save PDF and Save / export.
Why use it
Use this before public fundraising, sponsorship outreach, grant applications, or preservation claims begin.
It forces the campaign to identify ownership, scope, approvals, financial controls, risks, and the difference between a goal and a guaranteed outcome.
Have these ready
- Ownership and control records
- Project scope and exclusions
- Professional and permit requirements
- Preliminary budget and ongoing costs
- Potential funding sources
- Documented public claims
- Milestones, owners, and reporting rules
- Known legal, financial, cultural, and sustainability risks
Follow these steps
1 Define the preservation objective
Name exactly what will be protected and what success would look like.
2 Establish control and scope
Identify ownership, final authority, included work, exclusions, approvals, and dependencies.
3 Build the financial plan
List budget categories, contingency, target, restrictions, and ongoing operating costs.
4 Plan funding and public claims
Separate confirmed facts from claims that cannot be made yet, and identify realistic funding sources.
5 Assign milestones and controls
Give each milestone an owner, deadline, proof of completion, donor reporting rule, and change process.
6 Review risks, save, and circulate
Wait for “Saved locally,” then create a controlled document or PDF for professional review and circulation.
Everything this tool can do
- Define the place, use, collection, tradition, or capacity being preserved
- Explain urgency, beneficiaries, included voices, ownership, control, and decision authority
- Set scope, exclusions, professional requirements, approvals, dependencies, and milestones
- Build budget categories, fundraising targets, contingency, restricted-fund rules, and ongoing-cost assumptions
- Map donors, grants, sponsors, lenders, public partners, volunteers, and in-kind support
- Control public claims, donor promises, recognition, reporting, scope changes, and risks
- Save a browser draft and create a professional planning document or PDF
- Reopen the saved field entries on the same browser and device, then review or regenerate the finished result
Common mistakes to avoid
- Fundraising before ownership and authority are clear.
- Promising designation, tax treatment, ownership, or completion.
- Ignoring ongoing operating costs after the campaign.
- Publishing claims that cannot be documented.
- Failing to define how restricted funds or scope changes will be handled.
How saving, reopening, exporting, and printing work
Reopen this tool on the same browser and device through Saved Work. Browser drafts are not automatically synchronized to another phone or computer.
Opens the polished print workflow. In the browser print window, choose Save as PDF or select a printer.
Creates a separate portable completed copy through the browser or device save workflow. The exported copy will not update when the browser draft changes.
Removes or resets working entries. Save, export, copy, or print the current work before using this control.
Tool-specific note: The draft saves in this browser as you type. Reopen the planner on the same device to continue. The confirmation checkboxes are part of the completed work, while the separate legal acknowledgment is not retained. Save a portable document or PDF before circulating the plan for review.
What the browser draft keeps: the entries in the tool fields. A generated calculation, preview, copied summary, exported file, or PDF is a separate result and may need to be reviewed or regenerated after reopening.
After reopening: review the restored fields, confirm dates and assumptions are still current, and regenerate or recheck the finished result before using it.
Browser-local drafts remain on this browser and device unless a separate synchronization feature explicitly says otherwise. Do not place sensitive or confidential information in a shared browser.
Before you print or use this Tool
Step 1
Complete the preservation record
Work from observation and documented sources. Label memories, estimates, and unresolved questions clearly.
Finished?
Print or save this form
From the Preservation Field Center
Use the complete field method.
This practical form belongs to the selective Preservation Toolkit. Review the field center for oral history, evidence, rights, safety, stewardship, and responsible storytelling context.
Permitted use
You may complete, print, and use this tool for your own venue, act, teaching practice, organization, or personal planning. Free access does not place the content in the public domain. Do not resell, republish, scrape, or distribute the blank templates as your own product.