You Joined a Capital Campaign Committee. Now What?
Congratulations on joining a capital campaign committee! Your involvement is crucial for the success of this major fundraising project for an organization that must be extremely important to you. But if you’ve never served on a capital campaign committee, you may wonder how you got asked to join this committee and what you’ve gotten yourself into. Here’s what you need to know and how to make a significant impact.
How to be an Effective Capital Campaign Committee Member
You may have been asked to join the capital campaign committee because of your existing relationship to the organization and the project. You also may have been asked because you indicated a significant level of interest and support during a capital campaign planning study interview conducted by the organization or its capital campaign consultant. Either way, the organization views you as an important piece of its campaign success. This is an essential role in furthering the advancement of the organization’s mission. Not just anyone is asked to join.
The most valuable asset that you bring to a capital campaign is leadership. As a committee member, your passion for the organization’s mission should combine with three things: your willingness to champion the project in the community, your interest in opening doors for the campaign to other potential donors, and your financial support of the campaign at a personally significant level. These are vital to driving the campaign forward.
As an effective committee member, you will be:
Committed to the campaign’s success, which includes making a personally significant gift.
Knowledgeable about the organization’s mission and community impact.
Recognized and well-connected within the community, adding credibility and expanding the project’s network of potential donors.
Philanthropic, contributing financially and encouraging others to do the same.
Hard working, even if you cannot give large amounts, your dedication and efforts to the campaign are invaluable.
Functions of a Capital Campaign Committee
By understanding your role and the broader functions of the committee, you’ll contribute significantly to the campaign’s success. Your leadership, connections, and hard work are key to achieving the organization’s fundraising goals. As a member of the committee some of the tasks you’ll likely be involved in include finalizing the campaign’s case for support, identifying and soliciting prospective donors, and expanding the committee. The organization’s capital campaign consultant should guide you and train the committee and its members in taking on these responsibilities.
Finalizing the Case for Support
Your committee begins as a small group, often called a cabinet, consisting of key organizational and campaign leaders. The first task of this group is to finalize the campaign’s case for support, a document that outlines the organization’s needs and how the project benefits the community by addressing those needs. Your campaign consultant will have drafted this case for support based on his or her campaign planning study interviews and research into the organization. This document forms the foundation for all campaign materials, including brochures and videos, and is essential for future grant applications. As you review, keep in mind the idea of needs and benefits – how does filling this need of the organization benefit your community? Make sure that’s expressed in your case for support.
Identifying and Soliciting Donors
As a committee member, you will bring your knowledge of the community and its philanthropic members to help assess potential donors based on their community connections, history of philanthropy, and passion for the project. You will be asked to review lists of potential donors and brainstorm ideas for new donor prospects – philanthropic people, companies and foundations that have the financial capacity to provide major gift support ($25,000+) to your campaign. Any insights you can share will be important to selecting the right solicitor, the right ask amount and the right timing for the ask – all key to making the best campaign ask possible.
You also will be trained to engage in peer-to-peer solicitations, where committee members reach out for support to prospects they know well and who have financial capacities similar to their own. The goal always is for you to be opening doors to or soliciting peers, family members or colleagues whom you know well, not strangers. Your assignments also should be focused on donor prospects who will be asked to give at a similar level as you have given. So, a committee member who made a $5,000 gift to the campaign will not be assigned to a $100,000 prospect they barely know.
Most committee members are new to the process of making capital campaign solicitations, and it can be scary. But with good training in the process, and solid research and support from your organization’s consultant, you will be pleasantly surprised at how inspiring it can be to make a major gift ask and witness the generosity of your community.
Expanding the Committee
Your capital campaign committee should always be expanding to include new donors with a passion for the project and willingness to connect the committee to other potential donors. Adding committee members throughout the campaign provides new insight into existing donors and helps the committee identify and connect to more potential new donors. New members bring fresh perspective and help in carrying the load.
New members are asked to join only after they have been solicited by the committee, made a donation or pledge that is in line with their capacity, and shown interest in and passion for the project. Avoid asking someone to join the committee before they have made a financial commitment to the campaign. To be effective campaign solicitors, every committee member must be financially and personally committed to the project.
From there the cycle continues by adding members who are trained to make professional solicitations and continue the cycle of identifying, soliciting, and recruiting new members.
Let’s Get to Work
A successful capital campaign committee has a broad knowledge of the community and deep relationships with donor prospects. As a member of that committee, your leadership, connections, and hard work are key to achieving the organization’s fundraising goals. If you are using the services of a capital campaign consultant to manage your campaign, ask questions and get all the information you need to excel at this undertaking. Your consultant should be equipped to share his or her knowledge and experience so that you can do your best. By understanding your role and the broader functions of the committee, you’ll contribute significantly to the campaign’s success and bring improved services and opportunities to your community. Thanks for taking up the challenge. Now, let’s get to work!
If you’d like to learn more about capital campaigns, check out our free resources. If you’d like to schedule a call to discuss your effort and ask your questions, contact us. We’re happy to help.
Melissa Sais is a vice president and partner with CampaignCounsel.org.
