Capital Campaigns

Let’s explore strategies to integrate capital campaigns into your fundraising.

A Guide to Planning, Preparing and Executing Successful Capital Campaigns

Advice to Accidental Campaign Directors

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

One of the strongest indicators of whether a capital campaign to fund a large project will be successful is the nonprofit organization’s history of successful annual fundraising.

As nonprofits need to be good stewards of the funds from their donors, consulting companies also must do the same with the resources of their clients. A capital campaign is the easy answer, but there are other ways of accomplishing the goals you seek to achieve.

Capital campaigns are one of the most effective ways to galvanize transformational support for a nonprofit’s community. They build energy around a bold vision for the future, engage leaders and key stakeholders in fundraising activity, and grow a strong culture of major giving.

Tackling a large capital campaign initiative is daunting under any circumstances. But if you can find strategic partners that understand philanthropy, your mission and your unique circumstances, leveraging their expertise and folding them into your processes can make even seemingly insurmountable goals achievable.

As I reflect on the successes of our campaign — my first as Healing Transitions’ executive director and the organization’s third in its history — I’d like to share several lessons I learned that may help you as you consider leading your organization into a major fundraising campaign.

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.