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

Can You Run a Capital Campaign Without a Wealthy, Well-Connected Board?

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 Capi

How a Rural Hospital Turned a $2 Million Capital Campaign Into $5.27 Million

What happens when a small rural hospital foundation that typically raises $200,000 to $300,000 per year is asked to launch a $2 million capital campaign and ultimately ra

How Much Should Your Board Give to a Capital Campaign?

How much should your board give to a capital campaign? The answer is not a universal percentage, but there is a practical way to arrive at a goal your board understands a

Should You Hire a Capital Campaign Consultant? What Nonprofits Need to Know

A capital campaign may be the largest fundraising effort your nonprofit ever undertakes, but is hiring a campaign consultant really worth the investment? In this episode

How a Small Nonprofit Raised 75% of an $8.5 Million Capital Campaign in 11 Months

What can a nonprofit with just 650 active donors—and a median gift of only $100—teach us about raising millions through a capital campaign? In this episode of All About

Capital vs. Capacity vs. Comprehensive Campaigns: What’s the Difference?

Capital campaign terminology can be surprisingly confusing—and choosing the wrong campaign structure could make it harder for your board, donors, and staff to understand

The Importance of Involving People in Your Campaign Process

A capital campaign is too large, too complex, and too consequential for one staff member to carry alone. In this episode of All About Capital Campaigns, Amy Eisenstein an

How to Turn Donor Conversations Into Joyful Yeses

What if asking for a major gift didn't feel uncomfortable at all? The best fundraising conversations aren't about persuading donors—they're about helping them discover ho

Campaign Communications: More than Just Your Case for Support

Every successful capital campaign depends on more than compelling fundraising asks. It depends on delivering the right message to the right people at the right time, and

Unlocking Major Gifts: The Art of Soliciting Top Donors

In this episode, hosts Andrea Kihlstedt and Amy Eisenstein dive deep into the world of soliciting major gifts, particularly focusing on the top 10 to 20 donors. Discover

The Capital Campaign Book Every Board Member Should Read

Board members play a critical role in every successful capital campaign—but too often, they're expected to lead without ever being taught how campaigns actually work. Wha

When Your Campaign Plan Changes: Turning Roadblocks Into Opportunities

Think your capital campaign plan is set in stone? Think again. The most successful campaigns aren't the ones that unfold exactly as planned—they're the ones that adapt wh

How a Small Development Team Raised $10 Million for a Youth Shelter Campaign

What happens when a nonprofit thinks it's ready for a capital campaign—but discovers it still has critical groundwork to complete before moving forward? In this episode

The Natural Ebbs and Flows of a Capital Campaign (And How to Use Them to Your Advantage)

What if the “slow” periods in your capital campaign are actually some of the most productive opportunities for building donor relationships and campaign success? In this

How a Capital Campaign can Turbo-Charge a Modest Fundraising Operation

What does it actually take to launch a $40 million campaign when your organization has almost no fundraising history? Andrea Kihlstedt sits down with Wendy Connors, CEO

Three Myths About Where Your Biggest Campaign Donors Come From

Where are your biggest campaign donors going to come from? If you're like most nonprofit leaders, the answer feels like "somewhere out there" — a major philanthropist who

When Your Campaign Goes Over Goal: What to Do Next

Three clients. One week. All of them over goal. And then the question no one fully prepares for: what do you do the day after? In this episode of All About Capital Campa

When Big Donors Push Back: Navigating Ethics in Your Capital Campaign

What do you do when your biggest donor wants to fund something that isn’t in your campaign plan? Or when a wealthy prospect makes you uneasy but you can’t quite explain w

Not Every Capital Campaign Builds a Building — But This One Changed 800 Lives

When most nonprofit leaders hear "capital campaign," they picture a new building. A groundbreaking ceremony. Architectural renderings. But what if the most transformative

The 10-Year Rule: How Often Should Your Nonprofit Run a Capital Campaign?

Most nonprofit leaders think of a capital campaign as a one-time event — a massive push that happens once, maybe twice in the life of an organization. But that mindset ca