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

In today’s episode, Amy and Andrea are joined by their amazing colleague, Paula Peter, in a lively discussion about campaign leadership. You’ll find out what makes a good campaign chair and how to go about finding and recruiting those people for your campaign. Paula highlights the different qualities organizations need in their campaign chair, and she offers suggestions for when and how to recruit the right people.

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Amy and Andrea are joined by campaign expert, Richard Quinn, to discuss constructive approaches to common campaign dilemmas. For example, how should you respond if you go to solicit a donor for $500,000 and she greets you at the door with a check for $50,000?  Or, what to do if your campaign chair isn’t good at soliciting gifts?

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

In today’s podcast, Amy Eisenstein and Andrea Kihlstedt welcome capital campaign expert Jeff Hensley to talk about donor fatigue.  They enjoy a revealing discussion about what donors are really tired of.  And, it’s not giving away money!  You’ll learn where to look and what to do when your donors start resenting being asked — or even worse — simply stop giving to your organization.

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

The easier pace of the summer weeks makes them a perfect time to connect with your donors.  This week Amy and Andrea share their favorite ways to do that.  You’ll learn the power of sharing “insider information” and of asking people for advice as you plan for the fall.

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This episode was recorded as part of a live webinar held Monday, June 28, 2021. To participate in future webinars, register at ToolkitTalks.com.

Amy and Andrea discuss the importance of thinking expansively about your organization every once in a while. They offer suggestions about how to get your board excited about thinking from abundance – whether in special half-day planning meetings or just in short 30-minute bursts of inspiration. They also discuss the importance blue sky thinking for you in your personal life.

Amy and Andrea share with you some important tips about hiring a consultant. They discuss whether or not you need a campaign consultant and why you shouldn’t issue an RFP to find your consultant.

They also discuss the new innovative models they use to provide organizations with the support they need for their campaigns.

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This episode was recorded as part of a live webinar held Monday, June 14, 2021. To participate in future webinars, register at ToolkitTalks.com.

Andrea welcomes author, master trainer and friend, Andy Robinson to join her as a host on this Toolkit Talk. They share the principles and effective practices you should know about how to train adults. 

Spoiler Alert: Adults remember more of what THEY say than they do of what YOU say! Andy and Andrea co-authored a book of training exercises, and they share some of their favorites with you. 

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This episode was recorded as part of a live webinar held Monday, June 7, 2021. To participate in future webinars, register at ToolkitTalks.com.

In this episode, Amy and Andrea discuss the importance of building volunteer engagement into the structure and fabric of your capital campaign. They review why it’s important and give you strategies for what kinds of committees you might have.

They also discuss how to involve volunteers in a way that will increase the likelihood of their effective participation. As usual, Amy and Andrea branch out into other topics as well — today’s out-rigger topic was Impact Investing!

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This episode was recorded as part of a live webinar held Monday, May 24, 2021. To participate in future webinars, register at ToolkitTalks.com.

In this episode, Amy and Andrea are joined by Claire Taylor Hansen, Creative Director of Big Duck, one of the premier nonprofit communications firms in the country. They talk about why a capital campaign needs a “brand” and how it should be different from the organization’s brand. Claire shares her ideas about how a brand should capture the spirit or personality of the organization and the campaign. She also shares many ideas about the kinds of campaign materials organizations might use in their campaigns, plus how to develop them.

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This episode was recorded as part of a live webinar held Monday, May 17, 2021. To participate in future webinars, register at ToolkitTalks.com.

Amy and Andrea dive into the topic of nonprofit boards and governance, topics dear to the heart of Simone Joyaux, who died on May 2. They refer to Simone’s book, Firing Lousy Board Members, And Helping the Others Succeed as a starting place for the discussion. They share their stories about Simone and her amazing contributions to the field. 

Then, they field a wide range of questions, including: How much money do you need to have raised before going public? Whose job is it to fire lousy board members? How can you help board members participate openly during board meetings? This one’s for Simone.

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This episode was recorded as part of a live webinar held Monday, May 10, 2021. To participate in future webinars, register at ToolkitTalks.com.