Back when I was a staff person, I found planning well in advance to be golden. When I worked at the local food bank, we knew that we would outgrow our building sometime within 5 – 6 years. So, I started cultivating donors with the thought that I would ask for a gift or two before the capital campaign, then I would be ready with my top donors whenever we were ready to launch a campaign. Up to then, we had not done much with our larger donors, so I thought that using that time to give them the experience of giving to us in a bigger way would be a good thing. I left the organization before a capital campaign started, but I left with the knowledge that everything was lined up and ready.

Another key to success with a campaign is having the right people involved. One of the organizations I’m coaching through a campaign now is a prime example of this. They have strong leadership in their Board and the gentleman who is chairing the campaign is a former fundraiser at a local college. He knows exactly what needs to be done and he has the connections in the community he needs. On top of that, it’s a great organization and has a good reputation in the community, so we are fairly certain the campaign will be successful.