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

In this episode of All About Capital Campaigns, Amy Eisenstein and Andrea Kihlstedt, the co-founders of Capital Campaign Pro, invite listeners behind the scenes of a recent Campaign Conversations session: a live Q&A forum where nonprofit leaders ask their most pressing campaign questions.

Four guests join to discuss real-life challenges many organizations face during their campaigns:

• Randy Whipple of the Working Ranch Cowboys Foundation shares his organization’s plans to build a new headquarters and asks for advice on donor recognition ideas. Amy and Andrea explain why donor motivation comes from mission connection, not from names on plaques or bricks, and they describe how naming opportunities can be handled thoughtfully and effectively.
• Miranda Latchie from a church community seeks guidance on how to get started with a capital campaign. Amy and Andrea outline the first steps: defining a clear vision, estimating costs, assessing funding potential, and conducting a feasibility study. They also discuss the importance of planning early and engaging expert support before launching the campaign.
• Maria Harlow raises questions about using wealth screening tools to identify donor prospects. The conversation covers the benefits and limitations of data-driven insights, ethical considerations, and why curiosity and genuine donor relationships often reveal more than analytics alone. Amy and Andrea share how their team uses wealth screening as one part of a comprehensive strategy, not as a standalone solution.
• Amy McNeely, working in a busy development role at a homeless services organization, asks for advice on balancing campaign planning with day-to-day fundraising responsibilities. Andrea and Amy offer practical suggestions for prioritizing tasks, delegating effectively, and making the case for additional staffing or consulting support. They also stress the importance of campaign consultants in training staff, keeping leadership aligned, and preventing burnout.

Throughout the episode, Amy and Andrea provide candid, experience-based guidance drawn from decades of supporting campaigns of every size. Their discussion emphasizes planning with intention, engaging key donors personally, and setting organizations up for long-term fundraising success.

Whether you’re preparing for your first campaign, refining your donor engagement strategies, or juggling multiple fundraising priorities, this episode offers insights that will help you move forward with clarity and confidence.

Key Topics Covered:

• How to approach donor recognition meaningfully
• Early planning and feasibility assessment for campaigns
• Understanding the role and limits of wealth screening
• Managing time, priorities, and staff resources during a campaign
• The value of campaign consulting and leadership education

To ensure your campaign ends in a celebration, download our free Capital Campaign Step-by-Step Guide & Checklist. This intuitive guide breaks down each step of your campaign, and the timeline allows you to visualize your whole campaign, from start to finish!

In this episode of All About Capital Campaigns, co-founder Andrea Kihlstedt is joined by senior advisor Jeff Hensley to discuss what to do when leadership shifts in the middle of a capital campaign. From sudden retirements and staff departures to unexpected crises, they share practical ways to keep your campaign moving forward while maintaining confidence among staff, donors, and your board.

Jeff explains why leadership changes are more common than many organizations anticipate—especially in campaigns that stretch across several years—and how to handle them with calm and clarity. He offers insight into the different types of transitions that can occur, from planned retirements to terminations, and how each one affects campaign momentum.

Andrea and Jeff emphasize the importance of transparent communication, both internally and externally. They explore how organizations can reduce anxiety among staff, prevent rumors from spreading, and reinforce confidence by providing clear, consistent updates. For donors, they outline best practices for personalized outreach that shows respect, preserves trust, and reassures them that the mission and impact they care about remain strong.

Listeners will learn:

• How to respond quickly and thoughtfully when key leaders or staff members leave mid-campaign
• The role of the board and executive team in maintaining stability and direction
• When it’s appropriate to pause a campaign—and how to communicate that decision effectively
• Strategies to reassure donors and strengthen relationships during times of change
• How transitions can become opportunities for growth, leadership development, and renewed focus on mission

Jeff also shares encouraging stories of organizations that have come through leadership transitions stronger than before. His calm, grounded perspective provides reassurance for anyone feeling uncertain about managing staff or leadership turnover during a campaign.

Whether your organization is facing a sudden departure, hiring a new leader, or simply preparing for the unexpected, this episode offers practical, experience-based advice for staying steady, maintaining donor confidence, and turning disruption into opportunity.

To connect with a Capital Campaign Pro expert for guidance through your own leadership or campaign challenges, visit capitalcampaignpro.com.

In this episode of All About Capital Campaigns, Amy Eisenstein sits down with Alonda Williams, President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound, to talk about how artificial intelligence is transforming nonprofit leadership, operations, and impact. With a background in technology at companies like Microsoft, Qualcomm, and Verizon, Alonda brings a unique perspective to the nonprofit sector and shares how she integrates AI into her leadership and organizational culture.

Alonda discusses how AI helps her team increase productivity, streamline workflows, and expand their reach without additional resources. From meeting summarization and automated board reports to matching mentors and mentees faster, she explains how these tools save time while maintaining the human-centered approach that nonprofit work requires.

You’ll hear how she empowers her staff to adopt AI by modeling its use, creating safe spaces for experimentation, and even including AI literacy as a desired skill in job descriptions. She explains why adopting AI is not just about improving organizational efficiency but also about preparing staff and youth to be future-ready in a digital-first economy.

Amy and Alonda also explore practical applications that any nonprofit leader can try today, including AI-assisted hiring practices, productivity tools like Microsoft Copilot, and meeting assistants like Assembly. Alonda shares candid insights on what has worked, what hasn’t, and how to build trust among staff who may be hesitant to embrace technology.

Key takeaways from this episode include:

• Why AI creates new opportunities for nonprofits with limited resources
• How leaders can encourage teams to adopt AI responsibly and confidently
• Practical tools and use cases that save time and increase accuracy
• Ways AI reduces bias in decision-making, from staff recruitment to mentoring matches
• Why paid, enterprise-grade AI tools are essential for protecting sensitive data

Whether you’re curious about how AI can support your next board report, wondering how to introduce AI to your team, or looking for inspiration on how to apply it to your mission, this conversation offers practical, real-world insights from a leader who is already putting these tools to work.

Learn how AI can help your nonprofit save time, amplify its impact, and prepare both staff and the communities you serve for the future.

Are your Systems and technology ready for a Capital Campaign? Be sure to download our free self-assessment tool to evaluate eight key aspects of your organization’s systems.

In this episode of All About Capital Campaigns, Amy Eisenstein and Andrea Kihlstedt outline three essential steps that nonprofit leaders should take to prepare their boards for a capital campaign. Many board members come to the table with limited or inaccurate ideas about what a campaign involves. Amy and Andrea explain how to bridge that knowledge gap, address common anxieties, and set clear expectations so that your board feels confident and prepared to support your campaign.

The conversation begins with the importance of a Campaign 101 session. Board members need a clear understanding of what a capital campaign is, how it works, and what makes it different from annual fundraising. Amy and Andrea share simple ways to introduce these fundamentals, from inviting a consultant to lead a workshop to using Capital Campaign Pro’s Board Members Guide to Capital Campaigns as a discussion tool.

Next, the hosts highlight the importance of clarifying board roles and giving expectations. They talk about how to create space for meaningful conversations about what each board member will contribute, both in terms of financial support and active involvement. These conversations help reduce uncertainty and ease fears about asking for gifts. Amy and Andrea emphasize that preparing your board is an ongoing process that should unfold over multiple meetings rather than a single session.

Finally, the episode covers the often-overlooked need for investment in campaign resources. Too often, organizations underestimate the financial and staffing requirements of a campaign, assuming existing staff can manage everything. Amy and Andrea explain why dedicating a budget for campaign support, whether through additional staff or experienced consultants, is critical to success. They illustrate how early investments in expertise and planning prevent costly mistakes and set campaigns on a strong trajectory.

Throughout the discussion, listeners will hear real examples from Amy and Andrea’s work with nonprofit leaders and boards, including common pitfalls that organizations face when they try to “go it alone.” The episode underscores that preparing your board is not a one-time task but a thoughtful process that builds confidence, clarity, and commitment.

Whether you’re a nonprofit executive, development professional, or board leader, this episode will provide practical insights you can use right away to prepare your board for the challenges and opportunities of a capital campaign.

For more board engagement tips, be sure to download our free Board Member’s Guide to Capital Campaign Fundraising. It answers the questions board members most frequently ask, or wish they could ask.

In this episode of All About Capital Campaigns, Amy Eisenstein welcomes nonprofit leader, coach, and advocate Joan Garry for an inspiring conversation about how development directors and nonprofit executives can maintain optimism, motivate their teams, and rethink what fundraising success looks like in challenging times.

Joan Garry is an internationally recognized champion for the nonprofit sector, an executive coach for top nonprofit leaders, founder of the Nonprofit Leadership Lab, and host of her own podcast and blog. With decades of experience across nearly every role in nonprofit leadership, she brings both practical strategies and heartfelt encouragement to the discussion.

Together, Amy and Joan explore how nonprofit professionals can reframe fundraising from a stressful numbers game into an opportunity for donors to feel connected, valued, and part of meaningful impact.

They discuss:

• Why development directors often struggle with discouragement when revenue sources shift
• How focusing solely on total dollars raised can create a harmful and unrealistic definition of success
• Alternative metrics to measure fundraising effectiveness, including donor retention rates, board engagement, and stewardship practices
• The importance of innovation and creativity in fundraising, with real-world examples of organizations trying bold approaches to meet urgent needs
• How leaders can support staff through professional development, peer learning, and community support to build confidence and resilience
• The role of board members in donor stewardship and why even simple gestures from board leaders can significantly strengthen relationships
• Practical steps for reconnecting with the mission, “touching the work,” and finding inspiration that replenishes energy for fundraisers and leaders alike

Listeners will hear stories ranging from a climate change think tank tapping into untapped expertise in Washington, to LGBTQ advocacy groups addressing urgent needs through imaginative funding models, to a legal nonprofit rethinking the concept of a capital campaign by focusing on “human capital.” These examples highlight what is possible when leaders are willing to experiment and redefine what success looks like.

Joan also shares advice on how nonprofit executives can manage fear, support their fundraising staff, and avoid the trap of holding onto poor performance because of the myth that strong development professionals are scarce. She emphasizes the importance of professional development and investment in fundraisers, noting that providing learning opportunities is a powerful way to strengthen skills and morale.

Amy and Joan both highlight the value of peer communities—whether through Capital Campaign Pro’s weekly mastermind groups or the Nonprofit Leadership Lab’s global membership network—where nonprofit leaders can share challenges, celebrate wins, and draw inspiration from one another.

Whether you are an executive director, development officer, or board member, this conversation will help you see fundraising in a new light. By focusing on relationships, creativity, and inspiration, nonprofit leaders can foster resilience and optimism in their organizations even when external challenges feel overwhelming.

For more free capital campaign resources, visit https://capitalcampaignpro.com/campaign-resources.

In this episode of All About Capital Campaigns, Amy Eisenstein and Andrea Kihlstedt tackle one of the most important and often misunderstood aspects of a successful capital campaign: creating and funding a campaign budget.

A capital campaign requires more than enthusiasm and a compelling case. It demands resources, staff support, and a financial plan that spans several years. Amy and Andrea explain why it is unrealistic for nonprofit leaders to think a campaign can succeed without investing in additional help, expertise, and infrastructure. They walk through the essential elements of a strong campaign budget and show how the campaign itself can raise the funds needed to cover these expenses.

Listeners will learn:

• Why capital campaigns are fundamentally different in scale from annual fundraising
• The types of staff support most organizations actually need (and why it’s not always a major gift officer)
• How to think about campaign consultants, feasibility studies, donor recognition, and events as part of the budget
• Examples of real campaign costs, from simple kickoff gatherings to large-scale celebrations
• How to address board concerns about “overhead” and gain approval for campaign expenses
• The widely accepted rule of thumb that campaign budgets average about 10% of the overall campaign goal—and why that percentage can vary based on project size

The conversation also covers practical tips for making budgeting conversations easier with boards and leadership teams. Andrea and Amy describe both the “top down” approach (starting with a percentage of the campaign goal) and the “bottom up” approach (listing specific anticipated expenses) to arrive at a realistic and effective campaign budget.

By the end of the discussion, nonprofit leaders will have a clear understanding of how to plan for campaign expenses, make the case for additional staff or consulting help, and use the campaign itself to fund these investments. Amy and Andrea also share success stories from organizations that shifted their thinking, gained board support, and found relief in knowing that their campaigns were properly resourced.

Whether your organization is preparing for a $3 million initiative or a $40 million project, this episode will give you a framework for understanding capital campaign budgets and the confidence to explain them to your team and board.

For more free capital campaign resources, visit https://capitalcampaignpro.com/campaign-resources.

In this episode of All About Capital Campaigns, Andrea Kihlstedt talks with Capital Campaign Pro senior advisor Dedee Wilner-Nugent about what to do when a capital campaign feels stalled. Dedee shares a practical framework she uses with clients across the country: the Four Rs. These simple moves help leadership teams steady nerves, reengage volunteers, and rebuild momentum during the quiet phase and beyond.

You’ll learn how to:

• Reframe expectations so leaders, staff, and committees understand that campaigns rise and fall in pace across phases
• Recommit to purpose by centering mission moments in meetings and inviting a campaign champion to keep vision and energy front and center
• Refocus on small wins through short-term benchmarks, internal updates, and celebrations that recognize progress in outreach, meetings, and gift conversations
• Reassess when progress slows by refreshing prospect priorities, addressing capacity gaps, and shifting attention to donors who are ready to advance

Highlights from the conversation:

• Why early lead gift work often creates long stretches with few visible results, and how to set expectations before that lull begins
• A simple way to map phases on a shared timeline so every participant knows the current focus and their role
• How a lead donor’s brief remarks can reenergize a board at key pivot points
• What to include in a monthly internal update to lift morale and show momentum across teams working on feasibility, design, prospecting, and leadership recruitment
• A relationship-first approach to the quiet phase that tracks meaningful touchpoints, introductions to additional leaders, and readiness for an ask
• When to rotate prospects up the depth chart to secure near-term wins while larger gifts continue on a longer path

Whether you are a CEO, development director, or campaign chair, this episode gives you a clear playbook to steady the team and move forward with confidence when progress feels slow.

To ensure your campaign ends in a celebration, download our free Capital Campaign Step-by-Step Guide & Checklist.This intuitive guide breaks down each step of your campaign, and the timeline allows you to visualize your whole campaign, from start to finish!

In this episode of All About Capital Campaigns, Andrea Kihlstedt talks with Rob Riley, President of the Northern Forest Center, about how his organization raised $35 million through a unique blend of philanthropy and impact investing.

Spanning 30 million acres across Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York, the Northern Forest Center set out to revitalize rural communities while protecting the largest continuous forest east of the Mississippi. Rob shares how the organization structured its first capital campaign to combine traditional fundraising with investment opportunities tied to real estate redevelopment, housing, and community revitalization projects.

Listeners will learn how the Northern Forest Center:

• Balanced philanthropic gifts with investment capital to strengthen local economies and fund conservation initiatives
• Overcame challenges tied to multi-state fundraising and community-based giving
• Built a fundraising team that grew from two staff members to five while tripling the organization’s budget
• Designed campaigns that engaged both donors and investors, with 75% of participants contributing in both ways
• Used feasibility studies, case statements, and clear messaging to gain support for complex projects
• Celebrated milestones with community events that inspired reinvestment and long-term engagement

Rob also highlights the role of volunteer leadership, the lessons learned from structuring matches and incentives, and the importance of celebrating success to keep momentum alive. From board development to donor cultivation, this conversation offers insights into what it takes to raise transformational capital for large-scale, place-based initiatives.

Whether you are leading a nonprofit campaign, exploring impact investing, or looking for creative approaches to engage donors across regions, this episode offers practical takeaways and inspiring strategies.

To ensure your campaign ends in a celebration, download our free Capital Campaign Step-by-Step Guide & Checklist. This intuitive guide breaks down each step of your campaign, and the timeline allows you to visualize your whole campaign, from start to finish!

In this episode of All About Capital Campaigns, Amy Eisenstein welcomes Capital Campaign Pro’s Director of Engagement, Steven Shattuck, to explore how nonprofit organizations can approach artificial intelligence with confidence, strategy, and purpose. Whether you’re skeptical of AI or eager to experiment, this conversation unpacks what it means to use AI responsibly while staying focused on relationships and results.

Steven, author of Robots Make Bad Fundraisers, shares his perspective on how AI fits into modern nonprofit work: not as a replacement for the human element, but as a set of tools that can improve efficiency and free up time for the work that truly matters.

Topics Covered in This Episode:

• How to assess your organization’s needs before adopting any AI tools
• Why nonprofits often lag in tech adoption, and how to overcome those barriers
• The importance of having an internal “tech champion” to evaluate and experiment with new tools
• Real-world examples of AI helping with campaign planning, meeting prep, donor communication, and volunteer training
• Why Capital Campaign Pro developed Andie, an AI tool trained specifically for capital campaign strategy, and how clients are using it to save hours of time each week
• Practical safety reminders when using AI tools, including data privacy best practices
• What tools like Claude, ChatGPT, and others are good at (and when to use each)

Throughout the conversation, Amy and Steven emphasize that AI should never replace the strategic thinking and relationship-building at the heart of fundraising. Instead, it should support the work of nonprofit leaders, making it faster to draft documents, generate ideas, and prepare for donor interactions. From customizing gift agreements to training new staff or board members, AI is already making a difference for organizations of all sizes.

Notable Highlights:

• “Donors give to outcomes—not organizations. AI can help us communicate those outcomes more clearly and more efficiently.”
• “You don’t need to jump on every new tech trend, but ignoring AI altogether could cost you valuable time and energy.”
• “The first step is to check what you already have. Your CRM or other tools may already offer AI-powered features.”
• “Our clients aren’t replacing advisors with AI—they’re using AI between meetings to move faster and make better decisions.”

Steven also reflects on the current moment in nonprofit tech: AI isn’t a passing trend. It’s a shift in how we work.

Key Takeaways for Nonprofit Leaders:

• Start with your goals. Choose tools based on your actual pain points, not the latest trend
• Look for low-risk opportunities to experiment, like creating first drafts of agendas or donor letters
• Assign someone - staff, volunteer, or board member - to lead your internal AI exploration
• Train tools with trusted data and frameworks to get relevant, high-quality responses
• Be mindful of privacy, especially when using free public AI tools
• Collaborate with consultants and vendors who are tech-forward and actively integrating new tools

Whether you’re running a $60 million campaign or just beginning to think about how to modernize your systems, this episode offers approachable, practical ideas to help you get started (or go deeper) with AI in your organization.

Resources Mentioned:

• Capital Campaign Pro’s online toolkit and Andie, the AI assistant
• Steven’s book: Robots Make Bad Fundraisers
• AI tools discussed: ChatGPT, Claude by Anthropic, Perplexity

• Free blog articles, webinars, and tools available at capitalcampaignpro.com

In this episode of All About Capital Campaigns, hosts Amy Eisenstein and Andrea Kihlstedt explain why a gift range chart is one of the most essential planning tools for any successful capital campaign. They break down what a gift range chart is, how to create one, and why it can guide your campaign from start to finish.

You’ll hear why setting the right top gift amount is critical, how your donor base size influences the chart’s shape, and what percentage of your total goal should come from your largest gifts. Andrea and Amy share practical examples showing how different organizations—such as a large, well-known nonprofit versus a smaller, more specialized group—might structure their charts for the best results.

The conversation covers:

• How to determine your campaign goal before building your chart
• Why the top gift often needs to be 20–35% of your total goal
• The relationship between donor base size and gift distribution
• Common mistakes, like underestimating top gift size and overestimating small gift totals
• How to use a gift range chart calculator to test different scenarios
• Why this tool is a guide, not a formula, and still requires your judgment
• How to identify potential lead donors based on past giving history
• What to do if your donor base can’t support your original goal
• The role of feasibility studies in confirming gift potential

Listeners will also learn why large gifts almost always come from people already connected to the organization—and why it’s rare to receive a transformational gift from someone with no prior giving history. Amy and Andrea discuss how to set aspirational yet achievable targets, and how to adjust your campaign plan if early research shows that your original goal may be out of reach.

By the end of the episode, you’ll understand how a thoughtfully constructed gift range chart can help you anticipate challenges, guide donor cultivation, and keep your campaign on track from start to finish.

Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode:

• Capital Campaign Pro Gift Range Chart Calculator

For more free capital campaign resources, visit https://capitalcampaignpro.com/campaign-resources.