Giving Compass' Take:

• The authors explain the primary reason for having a capital campaign, and three fundamental reasons not to have one. 

• How can donors offer critical input when serving as board members? Specifically, when it comes to effective funding strategies? 

• Read about the complexity of multi-use capital campaigns. 

Lots of board members and even staff members have misguided notions of why organizations should have a capital campaign. Here is the main reason you should have a campaign, and three reasons why you should not.

WHY YOU SHOULD HAVE A CAPITAL CAMPAIGN

There is one overriding reason why your organization should have a campaign: it’s ready for exponential growth.

Perhaps you want to make a bigger impact by serving more people in a bigger geographical area. Or maybe your programs and services have outgrown your space, or the current space is no longer available or adequate.

3 REASONS NOT TO HAVE A CAPITAL CAMPAIGN

To keep you on the straight and narrow, consider these three important reasons NOT to let your board discussion devolve into the idea of a campaign before you’re truly ready.

  1. You Have an Upcoming Milestone Anniversary
  2. . You Want to Start or Grow Your Endowment
  3. . You Need to Reduce Your Debt

Read the full article about capital campaigns by Amy Eisenstein and Andrea Kihlstedt at GuideStar Blog.