Capital Campaigns

During a recent client coaching session, we spent an hour talking about the reasons why it’s so important to hire a capital campaign consultant. Yes, we’ve covered this topic before, but the question keeps coming up. Besides, we thought of even more reasons that hiring a consultant is such a good idea. Why? Because any nonprofit that’s planning a capital campaign should really make the oh-so-worthwhile expense of hiring a consultant a budget priority!...

The idea of capital campaigns is alluring, but can seem daunting, can’t they? While it’s a wonderful thought to raise hundreds of millions of dollars for your nonprofit organization’s mission and cause, it’s like looking up at a skyscraper. How do we get there?...

When people are too timid, they propose fundraising goals that won’t cover the essentials. Because they are afraid they’ll fail, they pick a low goal and risk raising the money, but not being able to fund the entire project...

The University of Delaware is embarking on an ambitious $750 million capital campaign, university officials announced Thursday. The fundraising effort will go toward a variety of projects, including the recently created Biden Institute, additions to the STAR Campus and long-awaited upgrades to Delaware Stadium. "This campaign is about a comprehensive and bold vision for the…

If you are in a capital campaign, you’ve got to have some prospective donors who are likely to give really big gifts. If your campaign goal is $5 million, for example, you’ll likely need a gift of $1 million or more to anchor your campaign. If your goal is $3 million, you’ll need a gift of between $500,000 and $750,000...

Once you recruit powerful volunteers to serve in leadership positions of your capital campaign, you have an obligation to make sure they succeed. Period! The leaders and philanthropists of your community put their reputations on the line when they agree to serve on your campaign committees or in leadership positions. To let them down and embarrass them by letting a campaign fail will have serious negative consequences for years to come. So, don’t make failure an option...

As you get ready to ask people for gifts, you will certainly wonder how much to ask them for. Sometimes you’ll know enough to have a sense of what’s appropriate. You can look at their giving history to your organization. You might also find out about other gifts they’ve made to comparable projects. Giving, like many other activities, has a large element of habit...

People listen differently when stories are told. Just watch a toddler listen to their favorite book over and over again to know this is true. At the end of your workday, you likely share short glimpses into your day with the stories you tell your family or friends. A well-constructed story is one of the most effective fundraising tools simply because our brains love and need stories to process what we are thinking...

Most people hesitate to give criticism or honest feedback. I’ve done it myself—sugarcoating my comments rather than telling someone what I really think. Unless someone asks me specifically what I really think, probing in various specific areas, I’m more inclined to give positive feedback...

Why do organizations mount major gift or capital campaigns? Hopefully the answer is to reach strategic objectives that expand their mission, that add new and improved programs or services, or that uniquely address significant needs of those they serve. In other words, campaigns are about change...