Major gifts will be the key to any successful nonprofit capital campaign. Use this capital campaign solicitation guide to make the best possible asks and reach your campaign goal.

Call to set up the appointment.

Preparing for the call

• Review the case for support and video. This helps remind you why you are committed to this project, and why you’re asking others to participate.

• Call the prospect personally; do not delegate this task to someone else.

• Be enthusiastic and know that you’re doing important work!

Making the call

• The capital campaign and your desire to meet is the only purpose for calling your prospect. Don’t combine the call with other items – it fails to convey the urgency of the campaign and lessens its importance.

• Do not get into a discussion about the campaign over the phone. The phone call is to get an appointment, not a gift. Never ask for a gift over the phone. Arrange ample time for your visit (minimum 30 minutes although they often last one hour or more).

• Always work with your partner – never alone!

• Meet with the prospect (and spouse/decision makers if possible) in the place of their choosing. Their home or office is best.

• Avoid restaurant meetings! They are noisy and distract from the importance of the campaign.

Lead the meeting

• Open the meeting with small talk and then give a brief personal overview of the case.

• Show the video and brochure. Assume the prospect knows NOTHING about our case. Take the time to talk about the project and its benefits to the community. Do not rush to the ask. Let the prospect absorb and internalize the project’s importance.

• Anticipate questions and be prepared to answer the tough ones. When answering questions, it is often best to answer briefly, without a lot of explanation. Explaining can sound like selling.

• Tell the prospect about the fundraising success to date; this demonstrates community support.

Make the ask

• Once you have fully explained the campaign needs/benefits, the next step is to request a gift.

• Using the letter and the brochure, ask for the gift as follows:

“There are three ways we hope you will support the campaign. First, we hope you will champion it. Our community members will want to know that respected leaders like you support this project. Second, we need help opening doors to more donors. Your friends, family, neighbors, etc. might be valuable to our success and we’d like you to share their names with us.

“We recognize the valuable contributions you make to our community, and we’d like you to make an equally valuable contribution to this capital campaign. We have no way of knowing what you might be capable of giving, but as this letter outlines, we are asking you to consider a leadership gift of $x,xxx per year (or monthly amount) for each of the next five years, for a total gift of $xx,xxx (or use gift plan range).

Does this sound like something you can do?”

• Never apologize for asking for a gift or leadership.

• After you ask for the specific gift, be quiet and wait. Let the prospect respond to your request, and then you can respond to the prospect’s answer.

Respond to the donor

Their response will be one of four answers. Here is how you approach each of them.

• Yes: Thank the donor and ask him/her to complete a gift intention form.

• No: Politely thank the prospect and leave as quickly as possible.

• If he/she requests time to consider the request: This a positive answer and means the prospect is seriously considering your request. Graciously grant the time but set a return appointment before leaving. It is best to set the return appointment for within one week of the initial visit.

• If he/she offers a lower amount: If you believe this may be the most the donor will ever give, accept the gift and complete the gift intention form. Many donors will actually give more if given a little time. Rarely will they lower the gift if given time. You may consider offering the donor some time to think about it. A good response is: “I really wasn’t prepared for you to make a decision right away. I’d like you to think about your involvement and I’ll come back to see you.” Then, set a firm appointment.

Capital Campaign Gift Solicitation Guide

If you found this helpful, you might like to read Successful Capital Campaign Solicitation Techniques

Kevin Wallace is president of CampaignCounsel.org.