Synopsis: How many years should you run your capital campaign — three, four or five? That’s a question often asked when considering a campaign. With decades of experience leading capital campaigns, LCEF has found the sweet spot. When it’s time for your organization to launch a capital campaign, beware of setting up a never-ending ask.
How to Time Your Capital Campaign for Maximum Impact
One of the great drivers of productivity is a deadline. In certain industries, like home or commercial construction, deadlines come with real consequences. Missing a deadline comes with penalties that are quantifiable. In many ministries, deadlines come and go with little discernible impact. So, it’s not a surprise to see capital campaigns that seem to linger long past their welcome. While the impact may seem minimal, when it comes to donor confidence, dragging out a capital campaign causes real damage.
Organizations often ask Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) how long a capital campaign should run. When it comes to Recognized Service Organization (RSO) campaigns, the best answer is up to a year of active campaign and three years of collecting pledged funds. That’s the simple answer. There are good reasons behind this formula.
First, with high schools in particular, your entire student body turns over in a four-year period. Time is of the essence when soliciting and collecting funds from those who are benefiting from the funds they donate. Yes, you should have a donor base composed of long-term donors that is steady and long-lasting. Capturing those long-term donors means connecting with them in a meaningful way at the height of their interest in your organization. You can then grow and maintain the relationship over time. That’s accomplished through the annual fund and other appeals — topics for another time.
Another reason to keep capital campaigns within three to four years total is to avoid the risk of donor fatigue. You want enthusiastic and engaged donors to both your annual fund appeals and your capital campaigns. They expect the annual fund appeals to come every year, hence the name. When you compound that with a never-ending capital campaign, the encouragement to give “above and beyond” regular giving loses its punch.
Finally, you want capital campaigns to generate excitement about a specific goal or project such as building new facilities. When you delay moving ahead with those promised actions, enthusiasm wanes and doubts creep in. By providing a deadline announced at the beginning and following through in a timely fashion, you can keep the enthusiasm high. Once you have written pledges, LCEF can provide bridge lending to get your project started. Once a shovel is in the ground, the energy for the campaign remains high and finishes strong.
For Lutheran high schools, the partnership between LCEF and the Association of Lutheran Secondary Schools (ALSS) means we have experienced school leaders available to help you navigate a successful capital campaign. These leaders know what it takes to help your capital campaign reach its full potential on time. We have experts that can help any RSO make the most out of a capital campaign.
If you’re ready to launch a capital campaign, contact the experts at LCEF today. We will walk with you through the entire process, providing guidance based on decades of successful experience. Call Tim Kurth at (630) 956-4575 or email tim.kurth@lcef.org, and let’s work together for your success.
