Capital Campaigns

Once the leaves begin changing colors, we know that we’re entering the fall season, which also means we’re at the cusp of the most exciting—and generous—time of the year. The holiday season is kicked off with the most playful of them all: Halloween, where children, and adults alike, engage in ghoulish activities...

Do the wealthiest people in your community seem beyond your reach? Perhaps there’s a business person in your city who seems to have her fingers in most everything. She is the developer of the town’s most prestigious residential community...

What’s the first thing you think of when you think “capital campaign?” I’ll bet it’s buildings. Most people believe that capital campaigns raise money for new buildings. In fact, many people think that donors like to give big gifts for buildings...

Your capital campaign’s success depends heavily on the work of volunteers. The right sort of highly capable campaign volunteers add a breadth and depth to your campaign that your staff simply can’t replace. Volunteers won’t just open doors, solicit gifts and help with all sorts of tasks, but they’ll also be generous donors to your campaign...

Everyone loves getting free swag, particularly if it is unique and useful. Fundraisers are an essential way for organizations to raise money for their cause, and swag bags are critical to getting donors to the table and interested in your event...

U.S. point-of-sale fundraising campaigns raised over $441 million in 2016—a 4.5 percent increase from 2014. In total, these campaigns have raised over $4.1 billion within the past three decades, according to Engage for Good’s “2017 America’s Charity Checkout Champions” report...

Have you ever wondered what the ideal number of people is to solicit a gift? Is a one-on-one meeting best? Perhaps you should bring two people—your president and campaign chair? Or perhaps three people would be even better—president, campaign chair and board member. Sounds reasonable, right? Get a power team to solicit a power gift! But here’s a story that will set you straight...

To achieve victory, a capital campaign must be won on paper before launched on the streets. Hiring fundraising counsel to conduct a campaign feasibility study is a proven and prudent way to ensure campaign success...

What percentage of your campaign goal should your board members give to your capital campaign? Twenty-five percent? Forty percent? Ten percent? Again and again, I’ve seen board members stumble over this question. They want to do what’s right; but really, they have no idea what’s appropriate or more importantly, what’s possible...

Have you hit anyone up this week? Have you twisted arms? Have you called in the big guns to help you lean on your best targets? Do those words make you cringe? I sure hope so. Because if they don’t, then you’ve got some serious work to do to reshape the way you think about fundraising...