The capital campaign, in its classic sense, is for “bricks and mortar”—that is, for construction, renovation, or expansion of facilities. In addition to building-related projects, a capital campaign may also support program development and expansion.

An endowment campaign showcases your organization’s mission and vision and supports your financial stability and long-term sustainability. Gifts to the campaign build your endowment principal, which is invested. A specified percentage of its annual value is then distributed to support the purpose of the endowment.

The comprehensive campaign has a combined goal derived from the goals for each component of your fundraising program: annual fund, capital needs, program expansion, and endowment. This is a comprehensive approach to increasing financial capacity; all gifts to your organization during a specified time period are counted toward your campaign goal.

How much can you raise? Who can provide effective leadership? When is the best time to launch a campaign? A pre-campaign study or assessment will provide the information you need to make good decisions and proceed with confidence. We ask the right questions and engage important constituents. And we use what we’ve learned to develop a fundraising strategy that is tailored to your circumstances and builds on your strengths.

We apply more than a century of collective fundraising experience to create a roadmap for your campaign. We combine selected strategies with practical tools—a carefully calibrated gift chart; leadership development techniques; prospect evaluation, cultivation, and solicitation steps; and timetables for every phase—to tailor guidance for your successful campaign.

Successful campaigns depend on executing the plan, monitoring progress, and making the right adjustments to maintain momentum to the finish. We will be there for staff and volunteers every step of the way—on the ground to guide campaign operations daily, weekly, or monthly; teaching a variety of fundraising skills, coaching, and cheering; and on the phone, email, or other electronic communication whenever we’re needed.

Now and then we get a call from a new client who has launched a campaign, experienced some success, then stalled before the goal is achieved. In these cases, we look at the aspirations and review the strategies, as well as campaign structure, leadership, and prospects. Then we develop a plan to see the fundraising initiative successfully completed.

The case for support is a compelling document that tells prospective donors what your organization hopes to accomplish with their philanthropic gifts. To develop the case, we listen to you and your key stakeholders and we ask a lot of questions to help clarify your vision and fundraising objectives. We then craft a document that tells the whole story—with anecdotes as well as statistical details—about the impact of your organization and how you are using your donors’ philanthropic investments. The case is the consistent source for all fundraising messages and language.

Effective campaign materials are based on the case for support. We will develop materials such as solicitation packets, brochures, electronic and multi-media presentations, talking points, grant applications, and campaign promotions in a variety of formats that make the best of use of current technologies.

Endowment gifts are held in perpetuity, with a portion of the endowment’s value used annually as the donor has requested. We help you determine the role of endowment in your overall fundraising program and the best way to build it—as a component of your comprehensive development plan or as a separate endowment campaign. We help you draft an endowment case for support, develop print and electronic materials to attract interest and offer information, identify endowment building “champions,” and provide you with the tools you need to attract new endowment investors.

Planned giving helps donors choose the most appropriate charitable gifts in the most advantageous timeframe for them, their families, and your organization. We help you make it as easy as possible for your donors to include your organization in their financial and charitable plans. We work with you to consider who your prospects (both donors and professional advisors) might be, create materials to reach them, develop strategies and talking points for individual meetings, and establish appropriate recognition for those who have made planned gifts.

Carefully crafted policies and procedures protect the interests of both your donors and your organization. We help with endowment investment and spending policies, gift acceptance policies (including types of gifts, named funds, and donor restrictions), and gift processing procedures that track and recognize your donors appropriately—all tailored to your particular situation.

Board and staff members must provide on-going leadership, credibility, and guidance for endowment building and planned giving. We help by recommending appropriate internal structures and budget, developing written roles and responsibilities for board and staff members, designing an on-going training program, and offering coaching on specific topics.

To help you work most effectively toward your fundraising objectives, we review your entire fundraising program—staffing, processes and procedures, donor records, fundraising materials, and short- and long-term goals. We identify your strengths and challenges by talking with staff members as well as a select group of donors, community representatives, and/or funders. We then develop a fundraising plan for the next two to three years that includes resources and components necessary to strengthen your organization’s fundraising capacity.

The annual fund is a critical building block in your fundraising program. We can help you develop effective annual fundraising plans to increase your donor base, establish patterns of giving through broad-based solicitation, refine your major gift fundraising, and form long-lasting relationships with your most loyal donors. Our plans may also provide revised staff and volunteer roles, as well as modified procedures, amended organizational structures, upgraded technological capabilities, marketing and communication tools, and suggested fundraising goals with strategies to meet them.

How do you recruit and retain loyal members for your organization? We help you develop membership levels and recognition benefits that make sense for you and your members; we suggest events to bring your members together; and we guide the schedule of annual contacts that keep your members “in the know” and help move them into your circle of significant donors.

We help you explore new media in order to reach the broadest possible audience to support your mission. Whether it’s text-to-give, social media, a special website, electronic kiosks, or combinations of media, we help you decide what fits your fundraising requirements best at this moment in your organizational life.

Through retreats and training sessions, we help your staff build fundraising expertise and confidence. Developing skills—for cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and more—is important to individual career development and critical to strengthening your fundraising program. Through training and coaching, we help build skills and cultivate a culture of philanthropy and teamwork within your organization.

We’ll help you find the right person to fill that key position, whether it’s a development officer or CEO. We begin by helping you understand the traits of a successful candidate, then comb the country to develop a robust list of prospects, and finally lead you through the selection process.

A thoughtful, well-constructed strategic plan, refreshed periodically, is key to long-term success. Through collaborative activities, we guide the planning process with staff and volunteer leaders. We help you gain clarity about where you want to go, the best tactics to get you there, and the measurable objectives for success you need along the way.

Your board is a critical partner in the success of your organization. We help you define the kinds of board members you need, clarify expectations for their participation in your organization, and help you recruit people who are passionate about what you do. We help develop materials that bring new board members up to speed. We provide training at your regularly scheduled board meetings or facilitate board retreats to upgrade and refresh leadership skills.

We examine your board functions and member responsibilities; the board structure, including appropriate committees; meeting schedules and processes; and your board culture. We then see that your board has guidance and tools for success and optimum results.

With expertise and a wealth of contacts in the nonprofit world, we can find exceptional leadership candidates to invigorate your organization. And we’ll work with you to ensure a smooth transition once the new leader is chosen.

Planning ahead is critical. We’ll help you anticipate and address changes in organizational leadership—including, executive, staff, and volunteer leaders.