Seize the Moment

When is the best time for an organization to begin a capital campaign? The truth is, it’s best to seize the moment and begin now! Read on to learn why, and be sure to check out Your Capital Campaign Timeline for even more on this topic. When Will You Be Ready? Most of our work…

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Fundraising Campaign Success: Making the Calls

Everyone starts their campaigns with high hopes for success; no one designs their campaign with failure in mind. So why do as many as 40% of capital campaigns fail? The number one reason why campaigns fail to reach their goals and their potential is that they simply did not make enough calls. They did not…

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A Couple of Heartwarming Fundraising Stories

Fundraising can become such a mechanical process, in which we focus on rating prospects, writing proposals and scheduling logistics. This is never truer than in the midst of a capital campaign, when the pace of activity must be very high and everyone is focused on the bottom line of the campaign’s financial goal. In these…

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Benefits of a Capital Campaign

What does it mean to have a successful capital campaign? Clearly, reaching or exceeding the dollar goal is a significant and meaningful measure. Winning campaigns, however, create, multiple and diverse ripples of activity throughout an organization which help it become stronger and better able to fulfill its mission.

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Fighting a Campaign Slowdown

As much as we plan, plan, plan, there inevitably comes a time in most capital campaigns when activity slows dramatically. This is known as a campaign slowdown. There are few things more frustrating in a capital campaign than losing valuable momentum. Capital Campaign Momentum Properly planned campaigns get off to a quick start because of…

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How to Be an Agent of Change

I was surprised to see in recent weeks that a six-year-old book remains on the New York Times Best Seller List, recently at #3 among nonfiction paperbacks. The book is The Tipping Point:  How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell. It seems as though it has become its own best promoter, demonstrating what happens when…

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Overcome the Emotional Costs of Paying for Fundraising

Few Board Members would argue with the adage “You have to spend money to make money.” Yet campus leaders often quibble about how much to spend to raise money or what funds to use to finance campaign costs. Perhaps a more pertinent expression when it comes to paying for fund-raising is “Everybody wants to go…

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Manage Your Time During a Capital Campaign

How to Manage Your Time During a Capital Campaign Recruit a Campaign Director One of the major benefits of retaining a full-time resident fundraising consulting firm to direct a capital campaign is that the group gains a seasoned campaign director. This person orchestrates all of the campaign activities in the most efficient manner and streamlines…

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