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.
Andrea Kihlstedt
If you’re getting ready for a capital campaign, there is something important you need to know. And it may be the difference between a successful campaign and one that falls short of its goal.
In the capital campaign business, the focus is on raising a great deal of money from a relatively few donors. And it’s all too common for staff members and volunteers to focus their attention exclusively on getting those major gifts.
Are you completely buried in spreadsheets and committees, and your case for support? Are you so stuck in the weeds that you don’t have enough time to actually contact your donors? The same donors who will make or break your capital campaign? Are you even sure who to contact?
Some people worry that major gifts will suffer in the years after a capital campaign. But it’s simply not true! Remember, very few things move in simple straight lines. That’s true of human motivation, growth patterns and, yes, even the way people give.
Have you ever wondered how capital campaign consultants figure out how much money your organization can raise for your campaign? Do you ever wonder if their assessments are wrong? Let me tell you a dirty little secret...
Are you stuck in the mud, tired of looking at spreadsheets, organizing committees and writing your case for support? Does it feel like there’s never enough time to actually contact your donors? Do you feel like you’re not ready enough? Like you don’t have enough time? Like you’re not even sure who to contact?...
Birds of a feather flock together… but when it comes to your capital campaign, they’ll only flock well with successful leadership. Your capital campaign committee chairs must be well-organized and maintain excellent communication...
Over the last few decades, I’ve spoken with hundreds of people about their biggest fears of getting ready for a capital campaign. While I could make a list of campaign anxieties longer than your arm, three concerns come up again and again...
Heading into a capital campaign? Not sure if you have strong connections to the people who can make those top gifts? Here are five questions to help you attract major gift donors...
Having conversations about core values will help shape the future of your organization. And publicly posting what you come up with will help keep your organization’s values alive—even if that just means putting some Post-Its on the wall!...
The capital campaign industry has been operating more or less the same way for nearly a century. But now, fueled by the Internet, the traditional models are being replaced by new, more efficient systems and practices...
Complex capital campaign meetings are the new normal. In fact, it’s becoming rare to be part of a meeting where everyone is sitting around the same table. Some people attend in person. Others phone in. And yet, others attend via video conference.
When you think about the case for support, do you immediately think “brochure?” Do you imagine a beautiful, glossy multipage piece with wonderful images of the families you serve or the animals you save? Perhaps you imagine a donor reading it and being moved to write a big check...
If one of your largest donors asked you what would transform your organization—what would “take it to the moon” in terms of helping more people and having more impact—would you have an answer? Though capital campaigns are usually more practically focused than that, if you’re in a capital campaign, you ought to have an answer to the question…
