An email indicated that “Our capital campaign has concluded. We’ve reached our goal, but we still have some prospects that have not been met/solicited and we have identified additional capital needs. We’re also looking at creation of a major gifts program.”
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If you’ve just declared success/completion of the campaign, I assume that:
• Your major donors have gotten good visibility;
• All donors have been thanked/treated well;
• You have engendered lots of good feeling among staff and volunteers; and,
• The success of the campaign and the resulting benefit to your organization
and its constituents has gotten some good press.
If my assumptions are correct, this would be a good time to institute a series of small (non-announced/non-public) mini-capital campaigns.
Target a small number of prospects for each capital need. Use a small number of volunteers — hopefully those who have achieved some success working for the just concluded campaign — or some of those who were major donors to that campaign. And, define a limited timeframe for each mini-campaign.
Give the appropriate publicity/thanks/stewardship to the leaders of and donors to each of those mini-efforts, at the completion of each.
Immediate prospects would be the folks who were identified as likely major donors to the capital campaign but who either couldn’t commit at the time or were not solicited for the campaign.
Since the people who were major donors to the campaign will likely be paying off their campaign commitment over a number of years, that will get many of them in the habit of giving more, on a regular basis, than they did before the campaign.
Then, once they’ve completed their pledge payments, and they’ve gotten comfortable with the concept of making major gifts, there’s a good chance they can be “encouraged” to continue giving at the “campaign” level.
Another part of the preparation for a capital campaign is the design/creation of a program for the recognition of the leaders of and donors to the campaign. A similar effort must precede a major gifts program.
A major gifts program is based upon some considerations/factors that are different from those of a capital campaign. And, the transition from a capital campaign to a major gifts program is not as smooth as it might appear on the surface.
Another part of the preparation for a capital campaign is the design/creation of a program for the recognition of the leaders of and donors to the campaign. A similar effort must precede a major gifts program.
(See: Fundraising For Nonprofits: Major Gifts)
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Have a comment or a question about starting, evaluating or expanding your fundraising program? With over 30 years of counseling in major gifts, capital campaigns, bequest programs and the planning studies to precede these three, I’ll be pleased to answer your questions. Contact me at AskHank@Major-Capital-Giving.com
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Have you seen The Fundraising Series of ebooks ??
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Hank Lewis with Development Consultant Associates has over thirty years as a fundraising consultant and is a specialist in Board and Leadership Development, Capital Campaign, Bequest Program and Major Gifts.