Andrea Kihlstedt

If you’re planning a capital campaign, challenge gifts are the perfect way to reenergize your community of stakeholders and donors. 

Capital campaigns have some inherent risk, but there are plenty of ways to reduce risk and boost your chances for success. Here are two top strategies.

Explore three considerations to create (or revise) your capital campaign plan.

You may think that with everyone navigating a new reality, you shouldn’t ask people to help you with your capital campaign.

The more attention you pay to other people, the more you notice about what they do and why they do it — the better your life is likely to be. In fundraising, that kind of careful attention and interest in what your donors love may well lead to some large, unexpected gifts.

It’s quite common for an organization that raises $1 million for operating support each year to set a campaign goal of $10 million +.

Before setting a fundraising goal for your capital campaign, you have to test your plans with your largest donors.

In capital campaign fundraising, excited, engaged volunteers are the fuel for success.

I can make a list of capital campaign anxieties longer than your leg.

People don’t give because they have money — they give because they’re committed to your mission, and they believe in what you’re trying to accomplish. So, it stands to reason that you should never ask anyone for a big gift until they know your mission.