Capital Campaign Staffing: Who Should You Actually Hire?

Preparing to hire a high-level fundraiser or campaign manager for your capital campaign? The person you actually need may have a very different job description. In this episode of All About Capital Campaigns, Amy Eisenstein and Andrea Kihlstedt challenge a common assumption about capital campaign staffing and explain how nonprofits can expand their capacity without necessarily adding another senior development professional.The conversation begins with the story of Jersey Community Hospital, a small organization serving a community of approximately 25,000 people. When the organization first approached Capital Campaign Pro, it was considering a $2 million campaign. It ultimately raised more than $5 million while adding just one part-time staff member.That does not mean nonprofits should attempt a campaign without sufficient staff. Instead, Amy and Andrea argue that organizations should think carefully about which responsibilities require senior-level expertise and which can be handled by a capable administrative or development support professional.Capital campaigns require two distinct kinds of help. The first is campaign-specific expertise: strategy, planning, guidance, training, and support from someone who has worked through many campaigns. The second is execution on the ground, including scheduling donor meetings, entering data, preparing reports, managing follow-up, sending acknowledgments, and keeping countless campaign details organized.Many organizations assume they should hire a campaign manager or major gift officer to take over the most important donor relationships. But those relationships usually belong to people who are already part of the organization. The executive director, development director, board chair, founder, and other organizational leaders know the donors, understand the community, and have the credibility required to secure the campaign’s largest gifts.That matters because capital campaign fundraising is highly concentrated. Successful campaigns are often made or broken by approximately 20 leadership gifts. Securing those gifts is not a broad-based fundraising exercise. Each prospective donor requires an individual strategy involving identification, cultivation, engagement, solicitation, and follow-up.The right administrative support can free an organization’s existing leaders to spend more time with those donors. Other responsibilities, such as grant writing, event planning, or elements of the annual fund, may also be delegated, streamlined, or outsourced during the campaign.Amy and Andrea also address the anxiety many executive directors and development professionals feel about personally leading major gift conversations. Most nonprofit leaders have never raised money at the level their campaign will require. That is where an experienced capital campaign consultant can provide strategy, training, coaching, and the perspective gained from working through many different campaign situations.Listen to learn how to evaluate your existing team, identify the gaps that could interfere with campaign execution, and hire strategically so that your most experienced leaders can concentrate on the donor work that will determine whether your campaign succeeds.Need help determining whether your nonprofit is prepared to staff and launch a capital campaign? Schedule a free introductory call: https://capitalcampaignpro.com/start/Find more episodes of All About Capital Campaigns:https://capitalcampaignpro.com/category/podcast/Subscribe to @CapitalCampaignPro for practical capital campaign guidance, fundraising strategies, and major gift advice.#Fundraising #Nonprofit #MajorGifts #CapitalCampaign