Have Experienced Staff? DIY Your Capital Campaign (Part 3 of 3)

If you’re getting ready for a capital campaign, you might be wondering if you need a consultant. While we recommend outside expertise in many cases, you should consider the possibility that with appropriate support, you can DIY (do-it-yourself) your campaign.

Perhaps your leadership team doesn’t want to hire outside counsel because of the cost. Or, you may have competent staff members who have capital campaign experience on your team.

In fact, if you have experienced and capable staff members, you may not need to hire a consultant for your campaign — you may be an ideal candidate for a DIY campaign.

How to DIY Your Capital Campaign – Part 3

This is part three of a three-part series on how to conduct a DIY capital campaign. Use the links below to review the other articles in this series.

• Nix the Campaign Consultant and DIY Your Capital Campaign (Part 1 of 3)
• Can’t Afford a Consultant? DIY Your Capital Campaign (Part 2 of 3)
• Have Experienced Staff? DIY Your Capital Campaign (Part 3 of 3)

5 Must-Haves to DIY Your Capital Campaign

Here are five things you will need to lead a successful DIY capital campaign without the support of outside campaign counsel.

1. A high-functioning team

Your Executive Director and Development Director must work well together. If they trust one another and collaborate well, you’ve got the start to an amazing campaign team!

2. Sufficient hands-on-deck

While your staff may be amazing, there may not be enough people to do all the work necessary to lead a successful campaign. It’s unrealistic to think that your busy development team can do all the work of the campaign without additional staff. So even if you’re going the DIY route, you should plan to bring on additional staff. If you don’t, you risk burning out the amazing staff you have.

3. Someone willing to make 7-figure asks

Someone on your team needs to have enough expertise, experience, and confidence to be able to competently solicit seven-figure gifts. Most teams will need a little outside support in this area. (Never fear, we’ve got your back. Keep reading!)

4. Accountability and motivation

You and your team must be self-motivated and accountable to keep your campaign on track. You’ve got to like a challenge and be good at making plans and getting them done.

5. Basic major gift and campaign savvy

Ideally, someone on your leadership team should be experienced in major gift fundraising and have a passing knowledge of capital campaigns. But if not, that’s okay. Most nonprofit staff members aren’t campaign experts but learn through the process.

Lead a DIY Capital Campaign with a Helping Hand

If you ticked each of the boxes above, but are anxious about whether you can do a campaign by yourself, we have a solution for you. With our DIY package of services, you’ll get the guidance you need without requiring a full-on campaign consultant.

Capital Campaign Pro experts have spent years designing a step-by-step guide, templates, and samples for every phase of your campaign. The trusted resources you’ll need are all in one place and easy-to-access, available on any device at any time.

Get Answers to Your Campaign Questions

As experienced and competent as your team is, questions will come up about what to do next or which direction to take when you reach a crossroads. Our experts are available to support you at those moments through our email help line.

Not only that, but you and your team will also learn from nonprofit peers during weekly small-group coaching calls.

Master the Art of Soliciting 7-Figure Gifts

No matter how experienced your staff and volunteers are, everyone benefits from a little refresher training. In a campaign, you will be expected to solicit gifts larger than anything you asked for before.

With our DIY Essentials support system, you’ll get access to solicitation trainings provided online so you can get training when you need it most.

Click here to learn more about our DIY Essentials Plan »

If you have a hunch that you can do a campaign without spending gazillions on an outside campaign consultant, but the idea of Doing It Yourself makes you anxious, or you simply don’t want to reinvent the wheel, then our DIY Essentials program may be just the right approach for you.