Raising Enthusiasm, Not Just Funds: The Role of the Public Phase in Your Campaign

Synopsis
By the time you get to the public phase of a capital campaign, you should’ve already secured 70% or more of your campaign goal. The public phase isn’t as much about raising money as it is about building the enthusiasm of the community. It’s a chance to invite everyone in your community and those connected to the ministry to participate in the campaign. 

The Public Phase: Sparking Community Excitement
One classic mistake most ministries make when thinking about a capital campaign is believing the bulk of their campaign funding will come from the broader community. We’ve all heard estimates that start with, “If everyone gives just (name the amount), we’ll easily reach our goal!” The truth is those calculations have never actually panned out. Never. Calculations like that are akin to saying, “If every person in the United States sent us one penny, we would raise $3.3 million dollars!” Do the math. That’s a true statement. And even if an infant can’t send a penny, the parents of a family of even six children can afford to send you eight cents! 

The “if everyone gives” calculation misses several truths in donor relations. First is that relationship is the number one predictor of generosity. Someone who doesn’t know you isn’t going to give you money. Not even a penny! Those whose hearts don’t align with your ministry aren’t going to give much, if anything, even if they know about your ministry. Asking for any amount—even a penny—without clearly telling the story of why you need it and what you’ll do with it means you are not likely to get a gift. And, once you tell the story of what you need and what you’ll do with it, there will always be people who aren’t interested in supporting that vision. 

At Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF), we set a goal that your capital campaign private phase—what some call the lead gift phase—raises 70% of your campaign goal. This is based on the fact that the top 15% of donors give 80% to 90% of your regular funding. It’s also based on the previous comment that relationships are the top predictor of generosity. One-on-one lead gift visits allow you to solicit large gifts in a setting where you can discuss the need, answer hard questions, build enthusiasm and challenge the potential donor with a specific number you’re asking them to prayerfully consider.  

So, what’s the point of a public phase? 

Good question. There are several purposes of a public phase of a campaign. You still need to raise 30% or more of your goal. Once you go public, you’ll inevitably find some people making significant gifts that you didn’t capture in the private phase. You’ll get a lot of small gifts as well. So, raising additional money is one purpose. Another is engaging alumni who, in many cases, have been neglected. I’ve worked with many schools that have struggled to stay connected with alumni. We use the capital campaign as an alumni engagement that isn’t about money. That’s right. We counsel waiting to ask alumni for money, while you focus on getting them reconnected to the ministry. Yet another purpose for the public phase is to broadcast the campaign to the entire community. This engages local businesses, association congregations, parents, grandparents, extended family and everyone!  

During a public phase at a school, you want to have competitions between classes to raise money. Again, the numbers aren’t huge, but the engagement is so important. At camp, you use the summer season to engage families as they drop off their children. Gathering the community around the campaign has obvious and ancillary benefits. When you invite everyone to join the campaign in all the ways you can think to engage them, you’re building energy and enthusiasm for your ministry that transcends dollars. Set realistic expectations for the public phase and enjoy the ride. 

LCEF has decades of experience guiding ministries through capital campaigns. Our process keeps you on track, sets realistic expectations, encourages your volunteer leaders and makes the whole process enjoyable. If you’re considering a capital campaign, consider LCEF as your partner.

Contact Tim Kurth at tim.kurth@lcef.org or call him at 314-885-6623 to learn more.