By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on February 18, 2016
I got a note, recently, from a retired friend/colleague, as follows: Our Retirement Community’s leadership has put out several RFPs to local consultants for a planned Capital Campaign Feasibility Study. The “cattle call” will be one day in March when the consultants will make pitches to several Community officials, none having much knowledge of capital […]
By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on February 3, 2016
By definition, a Capital Campaign is an intense effort to acquire sufficient commitments to add up to a specific large sum, for a specific valid/urgent purpose. The word “Capital” refers to the money needed to erect/expand/renovate a building, the funding needed for the purchase/installation/overhaul of (major) equipment and the funding to create/expand an endowment. The […]
By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on December 23, 2015
This is a three-part story of a small Historical Society that embarked upon a Capital Campaign at the urging of their current President and her husband, who donated $1M for a major project. The campaign was undertaken without a Planning Study; and, in their second year of fundraising only $156,000 has been raised… $100,000 of […]
By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on December 16, 2015
This is a three-part story of a small Historical Society that embarked upon a Capital Campaign at the urging of their current President and her husband, who donated $1M for a major project. The campaign was undertaken without a Planning Study; and, in their second year of fundraising only $156,000 has been raised… $100,000 of […]
By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on December 9, 2015
(This is an email I’d received, with my comments in bold.) We are a small Historical Society that backed into a Capital Campaign when our current President and her husband donated $1M for a new vault and study center. A design and build Contractor on our Board did the best he could, without plans and […]
By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on October 21, 2015
A couple of weeks ago, in response to the posting “comparing” a Capital Campaign to the Annual Fund, I received the following, multi-part question: I am part of a capital campaign now and we had a donor ask why the gift table does not change for a gift that comes in that is not listed […]
By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on September 30, 2015
That was the first part of a question … that continued to ask: “I believe the answer to be a hard drive at research of prospective large gift donors, cultivating these prospects and obtaining a commitment or large gift. Where do general corporate and community direct mail efforts come in? Are there specific procedures for […]
By Two Blog Contributors on July 23, 2014
1. Is There A Role for Direct Mail in a Capital Campaign? by Hank Lewis First, a quick look at Direct Mail. But, since The Fundraising Blog currently has a Direct Mail Expert addressing that topic, I’ll be very general in my observations. Direct Mail is the tried and tested tool for Donor Acquisition – […]
By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on June 11, 2014
June 18: Reason and Emotion in Grant Proposals – Part I: Reason by Lynn deLearie Successful grant proposals are often carefully crafted using both reason and emotion. On one hand, proposals must, logically, show how non-profits will use grant funds to effectively…. June 18: The U.S.-Style of Fundraising Can Work in Other Countries – […]
By Hank Lewis, MA, CFRM on July 17, 2012
We are preparing to enter into a capital campaign for a Christian Camp. We do not have a budget for a feasibility study, but we do have some capable people. What resources or materials can you recommend for us to do a feasibility study ourselves? ======================================== I have two immediate/automatic reactions to that question: 1. […]
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. [Read more ...]