So Your Collaboration is Considering a Capital Campaign?

Here are some things to think about that may be different

because your group is part of a collaboration.

I Why are we doing this?

1.  What are the goals? In land, in $$ and relationships with communities?

2.  Capital Campaigns offer great benefits to organizations and coalitions/collaborations, but they are a great deal of work, too.

Can we reach those goals without a capital campaign?

3.  What land/easements will be purchased with campaign proceeds? How will lands be chosen before the campaign begins? What about other opportunities that arise during the campaign?

4.  Or, will donors be asked to contribute to an idea, a story? If so, then how will funds be allocated between partners’ projects?

5.  Will we also raise the stewardship funds needed for these new lands is part of the capital campaign?

6.  What about support for partners? Will we include some operating money?

7.  If we choose the flexibility of asking donors to give to an idea, is our story sufficiently compelling?

8.  Is the timing right?

II Relationships & Operations

1.  You cannot overdo planning to make sure that good relationships and trust are maintained throughout campaign and beyond.

2.  What do we need in order to launch a campaign? These include the capacity for

a.  Land protection – can we get we get projects lined up?

b.  Coordinating the partnership – who will do this for the campaign?

c.  Communications/Marketing Who has skills/time?

d.  Fundraising – do we have a skilled, seasoned person with capital campaign experience?

e.  Campaign Oversight – who is in charge day to day?

f.  Administration and Bookkeeping

g.  Housing a campaign? Who has office space?

3.  Down to the Details

·  Fiscal Agent agreement. Some considerations:

a.  Will the name of that organization be helpful with donors?

b.  Does that organization have the current capacity to take on the job? If not, and this is the best organization, what will the group need to “ramp up” to the task?

c.  How will those costs be covered?

d.  If no one organization is appropriate, what are the alternatives?

·  Start Date and Timeline

·  Managing money

a.  Who is responsible?

b.  Decisions need to be made and systems established for handling contributions, acknowledging donors, meeting foundation deadlines for reports, etc.

c.  How will funds be allocated among projects and across campaign goals, such as land protection, stewardship and operations.

d.  Where will funds be deposited?

e.  How will stewardship funds be handled?

·  Strong commitment of people and/or other resources from partners.

a.  What can/will each partner bring to a capital campaign?

b.  What commitment can each partner make? What will each group bring to the table?

c.  What skills will we have “in house”? What skills will we need to hire for the campaign?

d.  Who will solicit campaign contributions in each geographic area?

·  Staffing: Based on the commitment of partners

a How much staff will the campaign need? What positions?

b.  Who is the employer? Who will supervise these new employees? Does this person have the time?

c.  Do you want/need a Campaign Director or someone with fewer skills and less responsibility? If so, where will campaign direction come from? Who is “in charge” day to day?

d.  How about communications/marketing?

e.  What about bookkeeping?

Early Money is needed up front. Where will it come from? Funds will:

a.  Develop a Campaign Case Statement – Draft & Final

b.  Funding a Feasibility Study

c.  Hire staff before any dollars raised

d.  Other early costs, such as space, PR, etc.

·  Memoranda of Understanding between partners, as needed. You cannot substitute MOUs for trust, but some things do need to be written down!

a.  How will the benefits of the campaign (financial and otherwise) be shared?

b.  Is there (or should there be) any relationship between the commitment of each group and the shared benefits?

c.  How will donor names be handled? How will they be collected, kept current? How will the privacy of donors be managed? How will these names be used, or not used? Who will steward campaign donors? How? When? What will happen to donor names at the end of the campaign?