Capital campaigns are a mainstay in nonprofit fundraising. There’s something special about a time-limited, specific goal like a capital campaign. It gets us motivated to give generously and accomplishes results we can see and touch. But things are changing. For...
Capital campaigns are both wonderful and stressful times in a nonprofit. Here are six lessons I’ve learned after 30 years on the capital campaign trail. 1. It’s About the Vision—Not The Money While preparing for a fundraising campaign can be a daunting...
Recently, I’ve been getting a lot of questions about capital campaigns. Some nonprofits are going into them wisely, knowing that they have one-time additional costs to be able to better fulfill their mission. Others are looking at a campaign like a “Hail...
Have you ever asked someone trying to sell you a product if they use it themselves? It can be pretty illuminating. After all, if they don’t use the product, perhaps it’s not a good one for you to use either. So too with fundraising. If you’re asking for money, be sure...
Here’s a great question I got today: Hi, Marc! I’ve got a question for you…. Normally, I think it’s best for a third party (read, consultant) to conduct a feasibility study. However, right now we don’t have enough of a donor base to...