All About Capital Campaigns: Nonprofits, Fundraising, Major Gifts, Toolkit

In this episode, Amy and Andrea talk with the remarkable Sarah Durham, founder of Big Duck, one of the premiere nonprofit communications company in the field. Sarah's down to earth, practical style combined with her deep expertise made for a fascinating and insightful session. 

Sarah discusses  branding and the elements cases for support. She discussed “mind share” and shared her insights on the campaign materials many people are using today.  

** Here are some links Sarah shared:

Examples of the Case for Support

https://bigduck.com/work/all-projects/?topic=campaigns

https://bigduck.com/work/jts/

Ebook: Capital campaign communications: Creating the tools for your nonprofit to raise millions.

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This episode was recorded as part of a live webinar held Monday, September 27, 2021. To participate in future webinars, register at ToolkitTalks.com.

In this episode, Amy and Andrea demystify the quiet phase of your campaign.  What can you talk about in the quiet phase and what’s off limits? And why it matters!

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This episode was recorded as part of a live webinar held Monday, September 20, 2021. To participate in future webinars, register at ToolkitTalks.com.

Andrea and Amy discuss the ins and outs of board giving and other juicy board topics. They offer suggestions about how to make board meetings interesting and how to handle multiple asks of a single board member.  

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This episode was recorded as part of a live webinar held Monday, September 13, 2021. To participate in future webinars, register at ToolkitTalks.com.

In today’s podcast, Andrea Kihlstedt interviews Capital Campaign Toolkit Advisor, Kent Stroman, about how he helped an organization move their board from low level giving to 100% giving and raised more money collectively than the board ever imagined. Kent’s approach is simple and direct and can be easily adapted to fit your organization’s board.

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Today's interview is a special episode due to the Labor Day holiday. This podcast is usually recorded as part of a live webinar. To participate in future webinars, register at ToolkitTalks.com.

Amy and Andrea share some of their thoughts about training board members and volunteers for a capital campaign. They paint a broad picture of when and how you should train people.  And they present some of their favorite fundraising exercises for you to try.  

Adults learn best when they draw from their own experiences. The exercises Amy and Andrea use are designed to draw out some of the most important lessons of fundraising. 

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This episode was recorded as part of a live webinar held Monday, August 30, 2021. To participate in future webinars, register at ToolkitTalks.com.

Amy and Andrea discuss ways to make your annual fall fundraising work with your capital campaign planning.  They explore the ways monthly giving increases the kind of donor loyalty.  And why donor loyalty sets the stage for asking those donors for larger gifts.  In a rollicking discussion, they touch on a wide swath of topics from whether development directors should attend board meetings to what people are doing to enjoy the last weeks of summer. 

Check out the Capital Campaign Readiness Assessment, mentioned during today's discussion. Determine if you’re ready for a capital campaign based on evaluating six aspects of your organization.

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This episode was recorded as part of a live webinar held Monday, August 23, 2021. To participate in future webinars, register at ToolkitTalks.com.

In this episode, Amy and Andrea discuss the importance of involving volunteers in your campaign. You’ll learn why involving volunteers should be a priority and how to do it well. You’ll get practical advice about when to recruit people and why you should develop short-term specific assignments for them. And you’ll get a great suggestion about how to run a donor cultivation even that really works.

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This episode was recorded as part of a live webinar held Monday, August 16, 2021. To participate in future webinars, register at ToolkitTalks.com.

Amy and Andrea are joined by campaign expert, Xan Blake, in a lively conversation about boards and capital campaigns. Xan suggests that for the early planning phases of a campaign, board members should be in learning mode. Once the campaign plan takes shape, your board will move into a more active role that falls into three buckets: organizing, advocating and participating.

Amy and Andrea are joined by campaign expert, Kent Stroman, in an insightful discussion of how to make decisions and why it matters. Kent shares with us his thoughts on the importance of intentional and thoughtful decision-making. You’ll learn to consider the who, when and how aspects of good decision-making and why that matters to the success of your campaign.

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This podcast is the fifth of a special Summer Series featuring our immensely-experienced Toolkit Advisors. Our live webinars will return in mid-August; learn more at ToolkitTalks.com.

While delighting the donors in your campaign is important, don’t overlook the importance of making your campaign volunteers feel great. In today’s episode, Amy and Andrea welcome capital campaign expert Sarah Plimpton talk about the challenges of keeping campaign volunteers engaged. The way you treat your campaign volunteers will set the tone for your campaign now and in the future.

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This podcast is the fourth of a special Summer Series featuring our immensely-experienced Toolkit Advisors. Our live webinars will return in mid-August; learn more at ToolkitTalks.com.