Capital Campaign Coaching & Advising
You’re about to raise more money than your organization has ever raised.
You shouldn’t have to figure it out alone.
Capital campaigns are thrilling. A building project, an expansion, a vision that’s finally ready to become real. Someone may have already stepped forward with a lead gift. The energy is high. The stakes are higher.
And that’s exactly when things go sideways.
The excitement of a capital campaign can cause well-intentioned leaders to move too fast, ask too soon, or skip the quiet discipline that separates campaigns that succeed from campaigns that stall. Without structure, even the best intentions produce expensive mistakes.
You don’t need to learn this the hard way. Marc has been involved in more than 23 capital campaigns — from a $1 million nursing home project to a $140 million university campaign. He’s helped leaders prepare for and secure lead gifts, build campaign steering committees, create compelling cases for support, and navigate the emotional ups and downs that every campaign brings.
He’s seen what works. More importantly, he’s seen where campaigns get stuck — and how to keep yours moving.
Capital campaign coaching — not traditional consulting
Traditional capital campaign counsel is a significant investment. Firms typically charge $25,000 to $30,000 per month plus travel expenses for on-site work. For many organizations, that level of spend isn’t realistic — especially early in a campaign.
Capital campaign coaching gives you the same depth of expertise at a fraction of that cost. Instead of paying for someone to do the work for you, you’re building the capacity to lead the campaign yourself — with an experienced guide who’s been through this 23 times, available when you need him.
The difference isn’t quality. It’s model. You get Marc’s direct involvement, his campaign toolkit, and his strategic thinking — without the traditional consulting price tag.
What Capital Campaign Coaching Includes
Regular coaching calls. Twice a month, you’ll speak with Marc for 45 minutes. Every call is focused on your campaign: where you are, what’s next, and how to approach your most important prospects and decisions.
Direct access between calls. Capital campaigns don’t wait for your next appointment. You have direct access to Marc by phone, email, WhatsApp, and text. When a donor presents themselves, when you need a solicitation letter reviewed before you send it, when you’re not sure how to handle a board conversation — you reach out. It’s included. And encouraged.
A complete campaign toolkit. You’ll have access to templates and tools Marc has developed and refined over 23 campaigns: case statement frameworks, gift charts, feasibility interview guides, donor cultivation plans, campaign reporting systems, and volunteer recruitment materials.
A gift chart from day one. On your first call, Marc will help you create a detailed gift chart showing exactly how many gifts at each level your campaign needs to succeed. This becomes the map you work from for the life of the campaign.
A donor dashboard. A system to track and strategize for each major donor prospect — so nothing falls through the cracks and every prospect has a plan.
Campaign material review. Marc reviews and edits your solicitation letters, case statements, appeal copy, and donor communications. You don’t send anything important without a second set of experienced eyes on it.
Who Capital Campaign Coaching is for
Executive directors and development directors leading a capital campaign for the first time — or leading one that’s bigger or more complex than anything they’ve done before. You know how to fundraise. You’ve never done it at this scale, with this much at stake. Coaching gives you the structure and the strategic partnership to lead with confidence.
Board chairs and campaign steering committees who need clarity on their role in the campaign. Marc helps volunteer leaders understand the three phases of a capital campaign, what to expect at each stage, and how to participate in fundraising without being turned into salespeople.
Organizations that don’t need traditional consulting — but do need more than a book and a webinar. Your campaign may not require a full feasibility study or on-site counsel four days a month. But you do need someone who’s been through this before, who can help you avoid the mistakes that stall campaigns, and who’s available when the real decisions are happening.
What happens when you stop carrying it alone
Marc has guided organizations through campaigns ranging from $1 million to $140 million, including helping leaders prepare for and close seven-figure lead gifts.
“I am often pulled into many different directions and Marc has helped me to grow in so many ways. His business coaching is straightforward and tailored to your needs and time. The investment has made a tremendous difference in EdConnect, particularly managing them through this transition of strategic change and leadership.”
“With his genuine interest in people, and in helping them become more effective promoting their charitable causes, Marc has been a tremendous support to me and my efforts. He keeps me focused and on task, he reinforces what he teaches with literature and fundraising resources, and anytime I email him with questions, he promptly replies with creative and insightful suggestions. The most important lesson I have learned from Marc is to put people first, and my nonprofit work second.”
Two ways to work together
Capital Campaign Coaching — $3,000/month
For organizations that want structured, ongoing support through their campaign.
- Twice-monthly 45-minute coaching calls
- Direct access between calls by phone, email, WhatsApp, and text
- Complete campaign toolkit with templates for every phase
- Gift chart, donor dashboard, and campaign tracking systems
- Campaign material review and editing
- Quarterly campaign progress assessment and course correction
This engagement is designed for 12 months. Clients who pay in advance receive a 10% discount.
Capital Campaign Advising — $6,000/month
Everything in the coaching engagement, with substantially more flexibility.
- No limit on call length or frequency — the relationship flexes around the campaign’s needs
- Quarterly training sessions for staff, board, campaign steering committee, or donor solicitors (travel fee applies for on-site sessions)
- Month-to-month commitment with 30-day notice from either party
For organizations with larger campaigns, more complex donor landscapes, or leadership teams that need hands-on strategic partnership at a pace that matches the campaign.
All coaching and advising clients also receive
- Ask Without Fear!® newsletter (every other Tuesday)
- Fundraising Kick coaching emails with specific tactics for major gift meetings
- #FollowUpFriday reminders to maintain momentum and discipline
- 24/7 access to The Nonprofit Academy with over 100 trainings, tools, and templates
- Capital Campaign Resources folder with done-for-you templates for each campaign stage
Why coaching instead of traditional consulting?
A rule of thumb in capital campaigns is to invest about 10% of the total goal in running the campaign — materials, events, counsel, technology. Traditional consulting firms can take a large portion of that budget.
Capital campaign coaching comes in well below that threshold while giving you something traditional consulting often doesn’t: your own capacity to lead the campaign. Marc isn’t doing the work for you. He’s making sure you know what to do, when to do it, and how to do it well.
The organizations Marc coaches don’t just finish their campaigns. They build fundraising skills and systems that serve them long after the last gift comes in.
A campaign is more than a fundraising project
One of the things Marc’s clients say most often is that they came for the capital campaign help and found they also got leadership coaching. That’s by design.
Capital campaigns surface everything — board dynamics, staff tensions, donor relationships, organizational culture, your own confidence as a leader. Coaching that only addresses the mechanics of asking would miss the point.
Marc is also CEO of Concord Leadership Group, where he coaches CEOs and senior leaders across sectors. That same depth of leadership expertise is built into every capital campaign engagement. You don’t have to choose between a fundraising strategist and a leadership coach. You get both.
Ready to talk about your campaign?
The first conversation is free. We’ll talk about where your campaign is, what you’re working with, and whether coaching or advising is the right fit.
No pitch. No pressure. Just a real conversation about your campaign and what it needs.
Proud member of the
