Capital Campaigns

The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center has completed its largest fundraising campaign ever. Thanks to the generosity of supporters across the globe, Making Cancer History®: The Campaign to Transform Cancer Care has raised $1.215 billion.

The campaign reached its original $1 billion mark in August 2010, more than two years ahead of schedule. To fund still-unmet needs, a 19-member campaign executive committee chaired by Harry J. Longwell of Dallas recommended increasing the goal to $1.2 billion, with a shortened target date of Dec. 31, 2011.

A pretty amazing thing happened when the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund regrouped and re-energized its efforts 10 years after it completed its original mission: People remembered. Even after a decade of relative inactivity, the organization's original donors and even their children were ready to help it fund this new mission.

The ACLU's Leading Freedom Forward campaign transformed the organization's mind-set and major- and planned-giving strategies.

In their presentation held on July 28 at the 2010 Bridge Conference in National Harbor, Md., "Marketing and Fundraising for Campaigns, Special Initiatives and Anniversary Celebrations," Jeanne G. Jacob, executive director of Goodwin House Foundation, and Barbara Ciconte, senior vice president of Donor Strategies, offered some great tips for successful fundraising. Here are some highlights.

This FundRaising Success whitepaper will:

• guide you through the crucial feasibility study process
• help you decide who your best prospects are
• introduce you to 10 important factors to consider before embarking on a capital campaign

November 18, 2009, The New & Advance — The Virginia University of Lynchburg is launching the biggest fundraising effort in its history Thursday in support of the ongoing restoration of its campus.

October 9, 2009, Bloomberg — The price of immortality is cheaper these days in the wake of the financial crisis.

Launching a capital campaign, even in the best of times, is something that requires a good deal of courage and conviction. If you've ever been through one, you know what we're talking about! Given the current financial situation, it's not surprising then that many nonprofits are shelving their big fundraising plans in anticipation of the happier, more stable financial times that are surely coming … at some point in the future.

PALO ALTO, Calif., June 9, 2009 — Canary Foundation, a nonprofit organization that funds research in early cancer detection, and Stanford University School of Medicine announced their commitment of $20 million to create the Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection, a world-class research center dedicated to improving cancer early detection.

June 2, 2009, The Fresno Bee — California State University, Fresno, has launched the public phase of an ambitious $200 million fundraising campaign -- the largest formal effort in university history.