Are You Ready for a Capital Campaign?

Take our quiz and find out!

At Pathway, we recommend that organizations begin their capital campaign fundraising process with a feasibility study conducted by an experienced consultant. However, before you commission a feasibility study, it’s important to determine your general state of campaign readiness, and after the uncertainty and upheaval of 2020, revisiting a few fundamental questions is critical to understanding your next steps.

Answer yes or no to these questions then check your score to see how well you are positioned and what your next steps may be.

 

Start the Quiz

Community Awareness

Is your organization well known and well respected in the community it serves?

Are community leaders generally aware of the important work you do in the community?

Does your organization have a history of volunteer involvement?

Has your organization continued to offer core programs during COVID-19?

Project Definition

Does the need for this project predate the COVID-19 pandemic?

Can you clearly and succinctly demonstrate the need for the proposed capital project? 

Are board members and leadership staff in agreement regarding the purpose of the campaign?

Are plans sufficiently far along that you can convey a reasonably accurate sense of the project scope? 

Do you have credible cost estimates that reasonably project the construction cost for the proposed project? 

Financial Projections

Does your organization have a history of sound financial management? 

Does your organization feel confident that any funding variances due to COVID-19 (i.e. additional government funding or grants, or a loss of funding due to program closure or other) will not affect operations in the next year or two?

Do you have a plan for covering the increased operating expenses a new facility often requires?

Development History

Over the past year, have you remained in contact with your top donors, keeping them up to date on how your organization has adapted to the pandemic?

Does twenty percent or more of your annual operating revenue come from major gifts of $5,000 or more?

Can you identify a pool of approximately 75 donor prospects who are capable of giving or influencing gifts of $25,000 to your campaign?

Board Participation in Fund Raising

Has your Board been meeting regularly over the past year?

Are at least some members of your Board actively involved in fund  raising? 

Do you have a development subcommittee of the Board? 

Do a majority of your Board members make annual gifts to your organization?

Campaign Resources

Does your organization have the capacity to hire or dedicate a person to serve as capital campaign manager?

Do you have, or can you find, funds to cover the first six months of campaign expenses – typically $50,000 to $100,000?

User Details