Capital Campaign Checklist

Entering a capital campaign is a big commitment for any nonprofit organization. If a nonprofit is considering a capital project, its leadership should make sure to take the proper steps prior to launching a campaign. Beginning a campaign before an organization is ready can cause major complications along the way. That’s why Cogeo has created this capital campaign checklist -- things to consider before launching your campaign.

Campaign Feasibility

• Have you already identified a proper footprint? If so, does your organization have:

  • A scope of costs

  • A timeline

You will need to know what the cost and timeline of your project will be early on. This information will guide the feasibility study and will be the center of your collateral material. It promotes transparency to donors and will be demanded by corporations and foundations.

• Have you performed a feasibility study? What were the results?

In most cases, you should complete a feasibility study before launching a capital campaign to learn if your community is supportive of  the project. Gathering data on the community’s opinions of the project and their potential to contribute financially will tell you whether or not you are ready for a campaign. 

A feasibility study may show that more preparation (i.e. board development, community engagement) is needed before entering into a campaign. Launching a capital campaign before your organization is ready may not only jeopardize the future of your campaign, but can also affect your organization’s reputation as a whole.

Collateral

• Do you have a website that clearly describes who you are as an organization?

• Have you or do you currently have an annual case statement?

A case statement is a helpful tool you will use to make the case for your campaign. It will provide a summary of your organization, its mission and history, as well as provide an outline of the project and the exact dollar amount needed to reach your goal. You will use this continuously in meetings with major donors and when engaging with foundations outreach and corporations/businesses.

• Do you have a rendering or drawing of what the build-out will look like?

This material will benefit you greatly, especially as the campaign continues to take shape. Allowing prospective donors to visualize what their donation will go to will increase your chances to receive high-dollar pledges. 

• If the project involves a new facility, do you have one or a few potential location(s) identified?

Leadership

• Who is on the board? What are their roles?

• What sub-committees currently exist? 

  • Sample Subcommittees: 

    • Executive Committee: Executive Director/CEO, Board Pres, VP, Treasurer, Secretary

    • Development Committee

    • Finance Committee

    • Facilities Committee (during capital campaign) - will turn into a standing committee to maintain the facility once it is built/renovated

• Are you currently recruiting any specific individuals to be on the board?

• Are there past Board members that could be leveraged?

It’s important to take an in-depth look at who is on your Board of Directors early on. Knowing who will contribute financially, connectively, and energetically will help you get a leg up at the beginning of your campaign. If you can tap these people early on, you’ll be able to grow your network efficiently and effectively.

• Which key community leaders need to be engaged?

  • EX: City Council, Mayor, heads of foundations, business leaders, prominent long-standing community leaders (i.e. multi-generational families)

• Who will lead your campaign? Do they have capital campaign experience?

Whomever has been asked to lead your campaign -- whether it be an Executive Director, a Director of Development, a Board Member or a volunteer -- needs to have enough time in their week to manage or delegate campaign tasks, track data, run communications, and meet with prospective donors. Another very important note: If this person has not led a capital campaign previously, you will want to get outside guidance. We’re happy to help!

Qualified Prospects

• Do you use a CRM?

A Customer Relationship Manager database is an organizational system that will track your leads, donors, contacts, partners -- anyone individual or entity worth noting. This will help you maintain consistent outreach to prospects and steward donors effortlessly. A polished CRM will help you avoid leaving any money on the table.

• Individuals

  • How many entities do you have in your CRM?

  • Who can be wealth screened?

All of the individuals within your community could be prospective donors in your capital campaign. The majority of your membership will be invited to donate to the capital campaign through mass appeal, but those with high affinity and capacity may be considering a more sizable contribution and therefore require a special approach. In order to determine who these individuals are and make your outreach tactical and scientific, you should put your database through a wealth screening. To learn more about wealth screenings, chat with Cogeo.

• Corporations

  • C corps

  • S corps

  • LLCs

  • LLPs

Keep in mind that there will be different amounts/types of decision makers before supporting your campaign.

When approaching corporations to support your campaign, keep in mind the different types of corporate/business structure. For instance, C corps have many decision makers and have many strict guidelines around their ability to donate or sponsor a capital project, while LLCs have one or two decision makers that are easier to get a hold of and more leeway when it comes to who they support.

• Foundations

  • What are the current relationships with local and national foundations?

  • Have you researched which foundations/grants are applicable to your capital campaign?

When it comes to foundations and the grantmaking process, it’s important to know who within your community has connections to the decision-makers. There may be individuals in your network that are part of or connected to a foundation’s board -- they can be very helpful in offering guidance and even stewarding your application. 

However, it’s also important to know all of your options. Heavily researching the foundations and grants applicable to your organization and capital campaign is a crucial part of the process. To learn more about this research, chat with Cogeo.

Campaign Structure

• What resources internally are available at your organization to operate a capital campaign?

  • ED

  • DoD

  • Campaign Manager

  • Grant writer

  • Database manager

  • Researcher

  • Designer

  • Marketing expert

• Are there internal committees meeting specifically to address the capital campaign?

Who will play a role in your campaign? Knowing who will offer their time, energy, and talent/skills to the project will help you get organized quickly. By assigning campaign tasks early on, you’ll be able to plan and maintain a steady outreach and donation strategy. This will help you avoid donation gaps or lulls throughout the campaign.

• What is the current overall strategy for organizational and campaign success?

Gather data around your project. Figure out who will support you financially, with time, with connections, and with unique skills. Know where there are opportunities for funding. Prepare yourself as much as possible then make an execution plan.

Other

• Are there any other organization-specific parameters, timelines, needs, etc. that you should be aware of pertaining to either your agency’s personnel, annual development, or capital campaign?

• Are there competing campaigns to consider that might adversely impact your organization’s campaign?

Think outside of your organization and consider what else you need before you proceed. These questions can often be answered by connecting with a wide range of members from your community, either from a feasibility study or a simple conversation with the people around you (and not around you -- get creative!).