Preparing Your Capital Campaign

by Bancel, Marilyn

• ISBN13: 9780787952471
• ISBN10: 0787952478
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-09-29
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass

Summary

"Marilyn Bancel has written a highly accessible, readable guide to a very complex process, which is no mean feat. Even if you have been through a capital campaign before and think you're ready-and especially if you're new to the capital campaign process-read it! Preparing Your Capital Campaign provides valuable insights and practical planning tools that will bolster your capacity to take on a campaign's challenge." --Clara Miller, president, Nonprofit Finance Fund In this hands-on workbook, fund raising expert Marilyn Bancel shows you how to prepare your organization to embark on a successful capital campaign, detailing each step that must be taken before the launch. Preparing Your Capital Campaign--part of the Excellence in Fund Raising Workbook Series--breaks down the preparation stage into practical, manageable parts, outlining in straightforward language such essentials as creating a campaign timetable, setting up the campaign committee, determining a campaign goal, and getting the whole organization ready for a fund raising drive. Packed with useful resources, this nuts-and-bolts workbook includes a campaign skills checklist, strategies for estimating fund raising costs, a sample campaign budget, and a list of Web sites tailored to the specific needs of fund raisers. If you are brand-new to fund raising, the book offers a concise introductory chapter that lays out the basics and answers the key questions about capital campaigns. More experienced fund raisers will benefit from a wealth of reminders for avoiding common mistakes and a framework for staying focused on the factors that are most important for success. Preparing Your Capital Campaign will show you how to make the most of this critical fund raising strategy.

Author Biography

MARILYN BANCEL, CFRE, is vice president of the Oram Group, Inc., a national fund raising and nonprofit consulting firm serving philanthropic organizations since 1940. In addition to consulting, she is adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco's Institute of Nonprofit Management, where she teaches Capital Campaigns and Major Gifts. She frequently conducts fundraising seminars and conference workshops, and is the recipient of the Hank Rosso Outstanding Fundraising Executive Award, 2002.

Table of Contents

Preface	xv
The Author	xix
Introduction: Why Take the Time to Prepare?	1	(4)
Understanding the Capital Campaign	5	(12)
What Is a Capital Campaign?	5	(1)
Forms of Capital Campaigns	5	(1)
Examples of Capital Projects	6	(1)
The Stages of a Campaign	7	(1)
Do You Really Need a Capital Campaign?	7	(2)
When Should Your Organization Undertake a Capital Campaign?	9	(3)
What's in a Goal?	12	(1)
Does Your Organization Cope Well with Risk?	13	(4)
Getting the Organization Ready	17	(46)
Telling Your Story	17	(3)
Putting Strong Volunteer Leadership in Place	20	(7)
Evaluating Your Donor and Prospect Base	27	(16)
Preparing Your Institutional Plan	43	(4)
Getting Professional Support in Place	47	(4)
Establishing Effective Communications Channels	51	(7)
Establishing Visibility	58	(2)
Paying for Building Your Organization's Capacity	60	(3)
Launching the Project	63	(16)
Testing for Project Readiness	63	(2)
Developing a Rationale for the Project	65	(2)
Getting Buy-In and Commitment from Internal Constituencies	67	(2)
Getting Ready for a Bricks-and-Mortar Project	69	(1)
What Costs Will We Encounter and When?	70	(3)
Obtaining Up-Front Planning Costs	73	(1)
Answering Important Questions	74	(3)
Understanding the Role of In-Kind Donations	77	(2)
Conducting a Feasibility Study	79	(20)
What Is a Feasibility Study?	80	(1)
Do You Need a Study?	80	(2)
What You Can Learn from a Study	82	(1)
How to Get Ready for a Feasibility Study	83	(7)
How to Time the Study	90	(1)
How to Find the Right Consultant	91	(2)
Cost of a Feasibility Study	93	(1)
Risks of Not Undertaking a Study	94	(1)
Alternatives to a Feasibility Study	95	(4)
Building the Campaign Framework	99	(12)
Responding to the Results of the Feasibility Study	99	(1)
Deciding Next Steps	100	(1)
Setting a Campaign Goal	101	(2)
Preparing the Case Statement	103	(3)
Posing Questions to Leadership	106	(2)
Using the Test to Prepare for Volunteer Training	108	(1)
Thanking and Acknowledging Participants	108	(3)
Raising Early Funding	111	(6)
Determine Early Funding Needs	111	(1)
Option One: Campaign for a Seed Fund	112	(1)
Option Two: Build a Campaign Chest	113	(1)
Option Three: Establish a Loan Fund	114	(1)
Option Four: Establish a Combination Leadership Fund and Loan Fund	114	(1)
Option Five: Use Public Bond Funds or Tax-Exempt Financing	114	(1)
Option Six: Use Private Bond Funds	115	(1)
Option Seven: Get Creative	115	(2)
Looking Ahead	117	(2)
Resources	119	(8)
Top Ten Reasons Campaigns Fail	120	(1)
Estimating the Costs of Fund Raising	121	(3)
Sample Expenses for a Three-Year $3 Million Capital Campaign	124	(1)
Organizations	125	(2)
References	127	(2)
Useful Publications	129