All About Capital Campaigns: Nonprofits, Fundraising, Major Gifts, Toolkit

What if your next campaign update was already there when you needed it, with your progress, major gift prospects, and path to goal in one place instead of scattered across reports and spreadsheets? In this episode of All About Capital Campaigns, co-founder Andrea Kihlstedt talks with Capital Campaign Pro’s Director of Engagement and Technology, Steven Shattuck, about a challenge familiar to development directors: tracking a capital campaign and explaining its progress in a way that builds confidence. A campaign total tells only part of the story. Your organization might have raised $3 million toward a $5 million goal, but board members will still want to know where the remaining $2 million will come from. Which prospects could make the lead gifts? Where are they in the solicitation process? What happens if an expected gift comes in smaller than planned, or does not come in at all? Answering those questions often means pulling information from a nonprofit CRM, updating a separate spreadsheet, and building yet another presentation for a meeting. Andrea shares the story of Alexandra O’Connor, a development director whose sophisticated spreadsheet helped campaign leaders see several possible paths to success. Steven explains how that idea became the Capital Campaign Pro Major Gift Dashboard, an online tool for tracking campaign goals, gift ranges, prospects, and progress. They discuss how a clear view of the numbers can help fundraising staff decide what to do next and help board members understand the plan behind the goal. You’ll hear why so many nonprofits turn to spreadsheets when they begin a capital campaign, even if they already have a CRM. Andrea and Steven also discuss the time spent maintaining those files, the risks of relying on a spreadsheet stored on one computer, and the value of giving campaign leaders a shared place to see current information. The dashboard works alongside an organization’s existing CRM; the conversation focuses on the select group of prospects and gifts that will determine the campaign’s outcome. The discussion goes beyond reporting. Andrea describes how development directors can use different gift scenarios to explore the consequences of a prospect’s decision and identify their next steps. Steven explains how a clearer view of the remaining gift ranges and prospects can make a difficult board conversation more productive. Instead of simply reporting what has been raised, a fundraiser can show who may help close the gap and how the team plans to move those relationships forward. They also cover access to the dashboard, its use across different types of campaigns, and where to see it in action. If you are preparing for a campaign committee meeting, managing major gift prospects, or trying to give your board a more useful progress update, this episode offers a practical way to think about the numbers and the decisions behind them. Explore the Major Gift Dashboard: https://capitalcampaignpro.com/dashboard Follow @CapitalCampaignPro for more guidance on capital campaign planning and fundraising. #NonprofitFundraising #Fundraising #Nonprofit Episode chapters: 00:00 Why campaign progress can be hard to explain 01:18 The spreadsheet that inspired the dashboard 04:00 Turning campaign data into a clearer path to goal 06:31 Why campaigns end up in spreadsheets 09:25 Showing the board how to close the remaining gap 11:13 Using gift scenarios to decide what comes next 12:24 Saving time on campaign reporting 15:03 Who can use the dashboard and where to find it

What if the most valuable part of a feasibility study is the donor conversation your consultant never has? In this episode of All About Capital Campaigns, Capital Campaign Pro co-founders Amy Eisenstein and Andrea Kihlstedt challenge a longstanding assumption about capital campaign feasibility studies: that an outside consultant should conduct confidential interviews with your largest donors. Traditionally, a consultant meets with prospective donors, gathers their opinions about a proposed campaign, and returns with a report and recommended fundraising goal. Amy and Andrea explain why they began questioning that approach and what happened when they tried a different model. In a guided feasibility study, nonprofit leaders meet with donors themselves after receiving training and support from an experienced campaign advisor. The advisor helps them prepare for the conversations, interpret what they hear, and use the findings to shape a realistic campaign plan. The change raises understandable questions. Will donors speak candidly to an executive director or board leader? Can staff listen without trying to sell the project? Where will nonprofit leaders find time to meet with 30 potential campaign supporters? Amy and Andrea take each concern seriously and share what they have learned from years of guiding organizations through these conversations. They also discuss what a confidential interview can leave out of the process. If a donor raises a concern with a consultant, the organization may receive an anonymous summary without knowing whom to follow up with or how to repair the relationship. When leaders hear feedback directly, they can ask better questions, understand the context, and carry the conversation forward. That firsthand knowledge can help them assess the campaign goal and make more informed decisions before asking for gifts. For Amy and Andrea, these interviews do more than test whether a campaign is feasible. They invite major donors to help shape the plan while giving nonprofit leaders practice in having thoughtful, strategic conversations about money and mission. A leader who has listened to a donor’s hopes, questions, and concerns is also better prepared for a future solicitation. The relationship continues from a real conversation instead of beginning again after a consultant hands over a report. Andrea shares what donors told her about their preference for speaking directly with the organizations they support. Amy recounts an executive director’s experience of having unusually open conversations with donors after 15 years in the role. Together, they make the case for treating donors as partners in campaign planning and for using the feasibility study to build skills that will serve your team throughout the campaign and beyond. If your organization is considering a capital campaign, choosing a feasibility study model, or wondering how to engage major donors before making an ask, this conversation will help you think through who should be in the room and what your team could learn by being there. Episode chapters: 00:00 Why revisit the traditional feasibility study? 01:13 How consultant-led interviews became the standard 04:35 Will donors speak candidly to nonprofit leaders? 09:15 Can staff conduct interviews without bias? 10:53 Finding time for conversations with major donors 13:15 What changes when leaders conduct the interviews 14:34 What donors prefer 16:29 Transparency and firsthand feedback 19:01 Using early conversations to prepare for the ask 21:44 Building lasting major gift fundraising skills 23:43 Closing thoughts and next steps Learn more about guided feasibility studies and capital campaign planning at https://capitalcampaignpro.com/. Follow @CapitalCampaignPro for more practical campaign guidance. #Fundraising #Nonprofits

More than $2 trillion designated for charitable purposes is sitting in foundations and donor-advised funds. Why isn’t more of it reaching the communities that need it now? In this episode of All About Capital Campaigns, Amy Eisenstein speaks with Glen Galaich, CEO of the Stupski Foundation and author of Control: Why Big Giving Falls Short. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience with major donors, foundations, and community leaders, Glen examines how donor control shapes modern philanthropy and prevents charitable resources from achieving their full potential. Glen once helped donors develop highly strategic approaches to philanthropy. Over time, he began questioning an assumption at the center of that work: that people who accumulated great wealth were inherently best equipped to decide how social problems should be solved. He explains how this donor-centered model can overlook the knowledge, priorities, and solutions already present within communities. Amy and Glen explore why private foundations often prioritize protecting and growing their portfolios. Board members may feel more comfortable discussing investments, perpetuity, and family legacy than examining the immediate needs of nonprofits. That preference can turn the preservation of the foundation into a higher priority than the charitable purpose the money was intended to serve. Glen also challenges the idea that foundation assets remain private money. Once donors place money in a charitable foundation and receive a significant tax benefit, he argues, they assume an obligation to act as public stewards of those resources. The central question shifts from what feels comfortable for the donor to what will benefit the public. For nonprofit leaders and fundraisers, this creates a difficult power dynamic. Asking a funder for what an organization truly needs can feel risky. Yet asking only for what the funder appears willing to provide reinforces chronic underfunding. Glen encourages organizations to communicate the real cost of their work, the urgency of community needs, and the consequences of leaving charitable assets invested rather than putting them to use. The conversation also examines community-led philanthropy, donor-advised funds, foundation payout rates, trust-based grantmaking, and the difference between spending out and spending down. Glen shares lessons from the Stupski Foundation, which expects to distribute approximately $650 million over ten years and conclude most of its grantmaking operations in 2027. Spending down does not have to mean closing a foundation. Glen describes how foundations can release a meaningful portion of their assets during periods of urgent need and then continue operating with a smaller endowment. Even a modest shift away from perpetuity could direct billions of additional dollars to nonprofits and communities. This episode offers nonprofit executives, development professionals, board members, major donors, and foundation leaders a candid look at who controls charitable money, whose expertise shapes funding decisions, and what could happen if philanthropy placed greater trust in the people closest to the challenges. In this episode: 00:00 Why foundations and major donors can frustrate nonprofits 00:52 Introducing Glen Galaich and Control 03:52 Glen’s path into philanthropy 06:46 The rise of donor-centered strategic philanthropy 09:19 Why Glen began questioning the traditional model 12:26 The $2 trillion charitable bottleneck 16:54 How fundraisers can challenge donor control 19:40 Asking funders for what nonprofits truly need 23:05 Why communities should shape funding decisions 26:38 The Stupski Foundation’s $650 million spend-down 30:56 Starting difficult conversations with funders 32:18 Glen’s challenge to fundraisers and donors Learn more about Control: Why Big Giving Falls Short: https://stupski.org/control/ Purchase the book from Wiley: https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Control-p-9781394352425

Preparing to hire a high-level fundraiser or campaign manager for your capital campaign? The person you actually need may have a very different job description. In this episode of All About Capital Campaigns, Amy Eisenstein and Andrea Kihlstedt challenge a common assumption about capital campaign staffing and explain how nonprofits can expand their capacity without necessarily adding another senior development professional. The conversation begins with the story of Jersey Community Hospital, a small organization serving a community of approximately 25,000 people. When the organization first approached Capital Campaign Pro, it was considering a $2 million campaign. It ultimately raised more than $5 million while adding just one part-time staff member. That does not mean nonprofits should attempt a campaign without sufficient staff. Instead, Amy and Andrea argue that organizations should think carefully about which responsibilities require senior-level expertise and which can be handled by a capable administrative or development support professional. Capital campaigns require two distinct kinds of help. The first is campaign-specific expertise: strategy, planning, guidance, training, and support from someone who has worked through many campaigns. The second is execution on the ground, including scheduling donor meetings, entering data, preparing reports, managing follow-up, sending acknowledgments, and keeping countless campaign details organized. Many organizations assume they should hire a campaign manager or major gift officer to take over the most important donor relationships. But those relationships usually belong to people who are already part of the organization. The executive director, development director, board chair, founder, and other organizational leaders know the donors, understand the community, and have the credibility required to secure the campaign’s largest gifts. That matters because capital campaign fundraising is highly concentrated. Successful campaigns are often made or broken by approximately 20 leadership gifts. Securing those gifts is not a broad-based fundraising exercise. Each prospective donor requires an individual strategy involving identification, cultivation, engagement, solicitation, and follow-up. The right administrative support can free an organization’s existing leaders to spend more time with those donors. Other responsibilities, such as grant writing, event planning, or elements of the annual fund, may also be delegated, streamlined, or outsourced during the campaign. Amy and Andrea also address the anxiety many executive directors and development professionals feel about personally leading major gift conversations. Most nonprofit leaders have never raised money at the level their campaign will require. That is where an experienced capital campaign consultant can provide strategy, training, coaching, and the perspective gained from working through many different campaign situations. Listen to learn how to evaluate your existing team, identify the gaps that could interfere with campaign execution, and hire strategically so that your most experienced leaders can concentrate on the donor work that will determine whether your campaign succeeds. Need help determining whether your nonprofit is prepared to staff and launch a capital campaign? Schedule a free introductory call: https://capitalcampaignpro.com/start/ Find more episodes of All About Capital Campaigns: https://capitalcampaignpro.com/category/podcast/ Subscribe to @CapitalCampaignPro for practical capital campaign guidance, fundraising strategies, and major gift advice. #Fundraising #Nonprofit #MajorGifts #CapitalCampaign

A board filled with wealthy, well-connected fundraisers may sound ideal, but it is not a requirement for a successful capital campaign. In this episode of All About Capital Campaigns, Amy Eisenstein and Andrea Kihlstedt address a concern shared by many nonprofit leaders: Can an organization conduct a capital campaign when its board members care deeply about the mission but do not have access to wealthy networks and do not see themselves as fundraisers? The short answer is yes. Amy and Andrea explain why most nonprofit boards are not assembled primarily for their fundraising connections. Board members may be chosen for their professional knowledge, community perspective, lived experience, or connection to the people the organization serves. Expecting every member of a 12-, 15-, or 20-person board to bring substantial wealth and an extensive donor network is usually unrealistic. That does not leave the board without meaningful campaign responsibilities. Amy and Andrea distinguish between the role of the board as a governing body and the responsibilities of individual board members. Collectively, the board establishes the organization’s vision, approves its campaign plans, safeguards its financial health, and makes sure the campaign has an adequate budget, qualified staff, and outside expertise when needed. Individual board members have a different role. Each member should understand why the campaign matters, support its goals, make a personally meaningful campaign gift above their regular annual giving, and speak positively about the campaign in the community. The amount will differ from one person to another. What matters is that every board member makes a thoughtful commitment they are proud of. Amy and Andrea also caution against treating a capital campaign as a solution to serious financial instability. An organization operating at a deficit or struggling to maintain its annual fundraising may need to strengthen its financial foundation and donor relationships before launching a campaign. Capital campaigns require investments in staff, planning, training, and fundraising expertise. So who leads the fundraising when board members cannot open doors to the largest prospective donors? In many campaigns, that work is carried out through a broader volunteer structure that extends well beyond the board. Campaign chairs, steering committees, core leadership groups, donors, community leaders, and short-term volunteers can all help introduce prospects, offer advice, solicit gifts, and move the campaign forward. A major campaign can become an opportunity to engage people who care about the organization but do not want to serve on its board. Some of the organization’s most generous donors and influential supporters may prefer a focused campaign assignment, an advisory role, or a place on a campaign committee. Their participation can help the organization build philanthropic relationships that remain strong long after the campaign ends. Most important, organizations should not assume that all their largest gifts will come from strangers who are waiting somewhere outside their existing community. Campaign planning begins with the donors, families, volunteers, and supporters who are already involved and invested in the mission. Learn more about A Board Member’s Guide to Capital Campaign Fundraising: https://capitalcampaignpro.com/books/board-members-guide-book/