Getting to and Through the Four Phases of a Capital Campaign

“Buildings are great, but what are you going to do in the buildings, what are you going to put in the buildings? How are they going to affect an individual’s life? How are they going to make an impact? That’s truly what donors want to know, so you always have to put it in human terms,” she says.

3) Wrap up. When the organization has raised 90 percent of its goal, it’s time for the wrap-up phase, the hardest part of the campaign, Sylvia says. To get the remaining 10 percent of your goal, she recommends recruiting a donor to do a challenge grant where he or she matches every gift given dollar for dollar. Other incentives include putting smaller $100 to $500 donors’ names on bricks on a sidewalk or terrace that’s a part of the build.