Capital campaign what is it

The Toolkit breaks capital campaigns down into seven phases, from pre-campaign planning to post-campaign analysis. Organizational resources. Access to templates, checklists, assessments, and worksheets that guide your organization through each essential step along the way. Nothing falls through the cracks with these resources. Expert capital campaign advising. For organizations without extensive campaign experience, these experts are an invaluable resource.

How do you approach the creation of a capital campaign? Let us know in the comments below. Successfully planning and executing your capital campaign needs to start with the right donor management software. Check out our guide to choosing the best nonprofit CRM for your constituency.

Want to get more out of your donor database software? Measure these insightful metrics with your CRM so your team can implement a data-driven capital campaign plan.

Ready to start planning your capital campaign? Bio Latest Posts. Linda Lysakowski Author, Editor, Consultant. She has over 20 years experience as a philanthropic consultant and is one of fewer than professionals worldwide to hold the Advanced Certified Fund Raising Executive designation. Latest posts by Linda Lysakowski see all. Donna Starr December 5, at pm - Reply. Hi Linda, How can I find a professional to discuss working for our non-profit. Thank you,. Many nonprofits hire consultants who work solely on capital campaigns to support your team and stretch your bandwidth.

There are many benefits to this kind of large-scale fundraising drive. Those benefits include things like:. First, you need to decide what your objective is, how much money you need to fund that objective, and how long you think it will take to raise the funds. After you lay out that blueprint, you need to assemble the team and resources, kick off your campaign, publicly launch the campaign, and then evaluate the campaign results.

This figure will vary depending on the size, scale, location, and action plan for your campaign. What will this money mean for your organization? What kind of help do you need? For example, a consultant can: Create a fundraising strategy.

Train your leadership team. Write a case for support. And much more! What kind of relationship is important to you? Learn more about hiring a capital campaign consultant.

Perform a Capital Campaign Feasibility Study. What is a feasibility study? How do you conduct a feasibility study? A feasibility study can help you answer the following questions:.

Do I have a large enough donor base to support my goal? Does the project make sense and offer a concrete solution? Do I have the support of my board of directors? How much should we expect to raise? Is now the right time to host a capital campaign? What questions do potential donors have about the project?

Learn more on feasibility studies. Capital Campaign Team Members. Board Members What is their role? Staff What is their role? Volunteers What is their role? Campaign Chair s What is their role? Planning Committee What is their role? Steering Committee What is their role? Learn more about training your capital campaign team.

Communications for Capital Campaigns. Capital Campaign Case for Support. Why is a case for support so important?

How is a case for support used? Capital Campaign Branding. Why is branding important? Branding Example: St. Ursula Academy Hero image featuring a student St.

Ursula Academy logo Effect: Anyone who sees this cover page of the St. Capital Campaign Communication Plan. Communications During the Quiet Phase. Communications During the Public Phase. Other Capital Campaign Marketing Materials. Pledge Cards What are they for? Case for support brochures What are they for? Website What is it for? Capital Campaign Best Practices.

Major Gift Donors. Regular Contributors. First-Time Supporters. A Step-by-Step Guide. Donor FAQs. Your Case for Support. End the Capital Campaign with Donor Stewardship.

Additional Capital Campaign Resources. There are a few things to know before your nonprofit gets started on its next capital campaign. While your campaign is ongoing, this is a powerful way to show individuals that other donors believe in your cause.

Over time, this will also help grow your baseline fundraising goals for capital campaigns as it will help build a pattern of success for your nonprofit. If you want your capital campaign to be a huge success, your team will need to take a look at your solicitation and cultivation strategy. After all, your supporters want to feel that your nonprofit truly appreciates and needs their support.

Keep in mind these best practices to increase gifts to your capital campaign:. This means the more personalized your cultivation efforts and solicitations are, the better! One way to ensure that your interactions with supporters are tailored to each individual is by using the data stored in your nonprofit CRM or constituent management software to create strategic solicitation plans that match up with your supporters. Capital Campaign Best Practice When reaching out to secure a capital campaign gift, a personalized fundraising letter can go a long way.

A typical capital campaign lasts between three and five years. However, depending on when you reach your goal, this timeline can be shortened or expanded. The only question you should ask yourself is this: how much money do you want to leave on the table? However, if you find your campaign is petering out, ending it early can benefit your nonprofit by giving your team a chance to start preparing for your next campaign, this time equipped with knowledge gained during your most recent one.

Similarly, if you extend your fundraising deadline, you may lose valuable time you could be spending preparing for your next major fundraising campaign. On the other hand, if your campaign is in full swing when the deadline rolls by, why end it arbitrarily? As long as you have fundraising momentum, your nonprofit may as well keep it going.

Visit DonorSearch for their in-depth guide to executing an efficient capital campaign timeline. Capital Campaign Best Practice However long your campaign shapes out to be, always budget a few years in between capital campaigns. This way, you can spend the time needed to steward prospects for future campaigns. The truth is that a capital campaign requires a dedicated leader to oversee the project from the top down.

While the different departments of your nonprofit should all be involved in the campaign process, one individual should take the project on as their sole focus. Individual supporters with a personal connection to your organization are the most obvious choice for prospects for your capital campaign.

But with a little help from you, your supporters can double or even triple the impact that their gift has for your nonprofit! With a matching gifts program, an employer will give to an organization that their employee has also given to, up to a certain dollar amount. Did you know that the following companies all have exceptional matching gifts programs?