Why Capital Campaigns Don’t Rely on Donor Acquisition (But Can Boost It)

Capital campaigns overwhelmingly succeed because a handful of large and loyal current donors significantly increase their support. These donors give big — and often their very first major gifts — because of a big, bold vision.

However, most nonprofit leaders don’t have a good sense of who those donors will be prior to the campaign. This leads to the assumption (or myth) that the largest gifts will come from people they don’t yet know.

If you believe that you don’t have the donors who will support your campaign, it’s time to do a deep dive into your donor base — not go on a wild goose chase for new donors.

How Campaigns Can Help with Donor Acquisition

If you believe campaigns are a great opportunity for new donor acquisition, you’re not wrong.

Campaigns help organizations attract new donors, but probably not in the way you may think. New donors won’t simply materialize because you get a story in the news or because you share your project on social media.

New donor acquisition takes time and attention.

It’s important to be realistic about how, when, and the number of new donors that will support your campaign. And you should not count on new donors to support your campaign.

If you do attract new donors, assume they will be icing on the campaign cake — not the cake itself.

2 Ways Capital Campaigns Can Attract New Donors

There are two primary ways campaigns attract new donors to your organization:

1. Include philanthropists in your feasibility study

Identify a small handful of new prospective donors to include in your feasibility study. It’s great to have as many affluent and influential people as possible weigh in on your early plans and knowing about your vision. It’s possible they will become engaged and donate to your campaign.

2. Engage new donors along the way and in the public phase

Campaigns provide an opportunity for expanded marketing and exposure in the quiet phase. Hopefully you will attract a few new donors to campaign events, such as house parties. You may also find a few new donors when your board members and volunteers share stories on social media.

A Word of Caution About Donors for Your Campaign

A word of warning — If you don’t have existing donors who can and will support your campaign, don’t expect new donors to swoop in and save the day. It’s unlikely to happen.

The reality is that new donors might make up anywhere from 1-10% of your campaign donations. Campaigns are a great opportunity to increase your exposure, and refine your marketing, branding, awareness, and fundraising. But most gifts are likely to come from existing donors — even if you don’t yet know who.

The process of preparing for a campaign — and specifically preparing for a feasibility study — will help wake up sleepy donors and help them get more involved with and excited about your project and your organization.