In our last blog, we went over the basics of capital campaigns. As we know, capital campaigns can be an excellent way to raise significant cash for nonprofits. But what are some specific, proven capital campaign strategies to help nonprofits reach their goals?
In today’s article, we’ll detail five key capital campaign strategies and how you can implement them to boost your capital campaign outcomes.
Five Tried-and-True Capital Campaign Strategies
Create a Capital Campaign Website
A capital campaign-focused website is first on our list of essential capital campaign strategies. This is one of the first things you should prioritize doing once your campaign is in its public phase.
Having a web page for your campaign is an easy way for people to learn about you and see your progress. You can create a new website altogether or designate a separate page on your organization’s main website for a capital campaign hub.
It’s also a great place to keep all of your campaign information organized for the public to see. For instance, if you have a fundraising event coming up, or are asking for a push in donations, you can put all of that information on your website.
Some other key aspects you need to include on your capital campaign website are:
- The donation form for your capital campaign
- Updates on your campaign’s progress
- A calendar for any upcoming events or key checkpoints – countdown clocks can be a great way to express urgency
- An explanation of your capital campaign, including its purpose and your overall goals
- Donor bios to recognize those who have helped you thus far with your capital campaign
- Contact information for your capital campaign team as well as key individuals in your organization as a whole
- A link back to your main website
Creating and updating a capital campaign website helps you communicate your mission and share your progress with the community. It’s a simple and effective way to anchor your capital campaign and ensure that you reach your fundraising goals.
Utilize Social Media
Similar to having a website for your capital campaign, keeping your social media updated is also key. People often look for information about you and your cause on social media and expect company accounts to be up-to-date. How many times have you clicked away from an outdated Facebook page and moved on with your day?
All that to say, if you aren’t posting about your campaign, you’re guaranteed to miss out on potential donors. The public can’t know about your capital campaign unless you tell them about it! Social media is yet another public, centralized place where you can display your mission, promote events, and ask for donations.
Some ideas for posts about your capital campaign could include:
- Spotlight your donors (with permission, of course)
- Promote an upcoming fundraising event
- Share information about what your capital campaign is for (like the big project you want to finish or the new location you are building)
- Provide background on your organization and invite the community to get involved by donating
- Give updates on the progress of your capital campaign
- Create a social challenge linked to your capital campaign and encourage your social community to participate and share with a dedicated hashtag
A real-world example of a capital campaign that effectively used social media is the ALS Association’s 2014 “Ice Bucket Challenge.” You may remember the widespread prominence of this challenge, which resulted in millions of dollars being raised for ALS research. Getting your community involved by creating an engaging, meaningful social media challenge can significantly boost your campaign’s success.
Host a Fundraising Event
Just like any other kind of annual fundraising, hosting events can be highly effective in generating needed funds. In the case of capital campaign strategies, events are key. They give you the opportunity to make your cause ultra-visible and create very personal connections – which will generate both more support to see your cause through and more funding given.
You can utilize events during the campaign’s public phase and at the end of the quiet phase. Public phase events are often used to give your organization the final push it needs to reach its fundraising goal. This kind of event can help you end your campaign on a high note and celebrate your success with donors and the community at large. A final push event also has the added bonus of a built-in sense of urgency.
An event held at the end of the quiet phase, however, is usually known as your campaign’s “kick-off.” A well-planned, memorable kick-off event can help you hit the ground running on your capital campaign’s public phase.
A few ideas for capital campaign events are:
- Formal dinners/galas
- Friendly sports tournaments or races
- Auctions, whether in-person or online
- Talent shows
Susan G. Komen’s “Race for the Cure” for breast cancer research and awareness is one example of a successful fundraising event. By creating an opportunity to connect with others in support of a shared cause, these races offer an impactful way to get involved alongside opportunities to donate. Though these events are rather large-scale, smaller nonprofits can still use the principles behind them to scraft their own frutiful fundraisers.
Partner with Corporations
One of the most important determinants in capital campaign strategies is who to reach out to for donations. You may know a few individuals in your community who can significantly contribute to your fundraising efforts. However, you will likely benefit most from corporate partnerships in a capital campaign.
In the planning phase of your capital campaign, search for companies who align with your goals and are willing to support your mission. Then, in the quiet phase, you will do the majority of your fundraising with these company partners. After your quiet phase comes to a close, donor recognition becomes a big focus of your campaign. We’ll get into this final step of our capital campaign strategies next.
For more on corporate partnerships and how to utilize them, visit our blog for parts one and two of Corporate Philanthropy for Nonprofits.
Recognize Your Donors
Capital campaigns take a lot of resources, support, and dedication, from both the benefiting organization and the donors. That’s why it’s so critical to make sure your donors feel appreciated at every step.
Donor recognition is something you can do throughout your entire capital campaign – not just during the kick-off and public phase. Some ways you can recognize your donors throughout each phase of your campaign are:
- Quiet phase: Send out regular communication to your donors, updating them on the campaign and thanking them for their continued support. Ask them how they would like to be recognized in the future as key contributors and follow through on those requests.
- Kick-off: Spotlight your donors during the kick-off event, and be intentional about it. If you have made any agreements on how you will recognize your donors’ contributions, be sure to adhere to these. Your donors are the source of your campaign’s success, and you should acknowledge that both privately and publicly.
- Public phase: Keep sharing information about your main donors and their contributions throughout the conclusion of your capital campaign. Although the public phase can focus more on community donations, it’s still important to continue commending those individuals and companies who supplied the majority of your campaign’s funds.
Additionally, recognizing your donors well after completion of your campaign can also go a long way. For instance, if the goal of your capital campaign was to complete a new building, you could recognize your donors in the building itself with a “donor wall.” Often found in universities or hospitals, a donor wall is a design structure that lists the names of significant contributors to a cause as a way to continuously thank them.
Making Capital Campaign Strategies Work for You
Every capital campaign is unique to the organization carrying it out, so it’s important to stay true to your mission. With the right planning, infrastructure, and team support, these capital campaign strategies are your first step to fundraising success. The bullet points: utilize your online tools, emphasize community value, and keep your capital campaign strategies interconnected.
At KSR, we’re all about helping nonprofits reach their goals, including with capital campaign strategies. If you have questions about what we covered today, reach out! We’d love to talk with you.
For more helpful tips on fundraising excellence, stay up to date with our blogs and follow us on social – we’re always sharing the latest advice!
