Rethinking the Kick-Off and Public Phases of a Capital Campaign

At Capital Campaign Pro, innovation isn’t something we do occasionally — it’s core to how we work. We’re constantly tinkering with the status quo, questioning assumptions, and asking whether there’s a better, clearer, or more strategic way to support organizations through their capital campaigns.

That curiosity shows up most clearly when our team steps back from individual campaigns and reflects on broader patterns — what’s working well, where organizations are gaining momentum, and where they’re running into challenges.

An Opportunity to Go Further With Campaign Support

About six months ago, one of those conversations turned our team’s attention squarely to the Kick-Off and Public Phases of a campaign. It started with a deceptively simple question:

How do we best help clients get the most out of their Kick-Off and Public Phases?

As the discussion unfolded, it became clear that these phases are far more nuanced than conventional wisdom suggests. While our Online Toolkit already covered the fundamentals, we saw an opportunity to go further — to better reflect the strategic decision-making, cultural considerations, and flexibility required to navigate these phases successfully.

That realization prompted a deeper look at how we support clients as they prepare to go public with their campaigns — and ultimately led to a meaningful refresh of our Kick-Off and Public Phase materials.

Before diving into some of the key lessons we learned in our refresh, it’s worth grounding ourselves in what these phases actually are — and why they matter.

What Are the Kick-Off and Public Phases of a Capital Campaign?

The Kick-Off: A Strategic Moment, Not a Fundraiser

The Kick-Off of a capital campaign is often misunderstood. It is not typically a fundraiser in itself. Instead, it is a strategic moment — the moment when your campaign goes public.

A successful Kick-Off is designed to:

• Publicly announce your campaign, including your goal
• Share your progress toward that goal
• Celebrate the donors and volunteers who helped get you there
• Rally broader community support for what comes next

Kick-Offs can take many forms: a formal gala, a block party, a small donor reception, a worship service, a press announcement, or a coordinated digital campaign. There is no single “right” format. The best approach depends entirely on your organization’s culture, budget, goals, and capacity.

One important clarification: while planning a Kick-Off takes time and intention, the Kick-Off itself is really just that — an intentional moment. It’s the moment when you declare your case for support, your goal, your timeline, and your progress to date.

And once that moment passes, you enter the Public Phase.

The Public Phase: Everything That Comes After

The Public Phase includes everything that happens after the Kick-Off and before the campaign officially concludes.

Unlike the Quiet Phase, the Public Phase is characterized by:

• Broad outreach: Appeals expand beyond insiders and lead donors to reach broader constituents — alumni, members, neighbors, patrons, or the general public
• Community engagement: This is where campaigns generate excitement, visibility, and a sense of shared ownership
• Smaller gifts: While most gifts are smaller, they are essential for reaching the goal and strengthening long-term relationships
• Public announcements and events: Press releases, challenge gifts, events, and public-facing communications often play a central role

Taken together, these characteristics make the Public Phase feel — and function — very differently from what came before.

Why the Public Phase Is So Tricky

In the Quiet Phase, campaigns across sectors tend to look surprisingly similar: focused outreach to insiders and lead donors, carefully sequenced asks, and deliberate efforts to build momentum and inspire confidence.

The Public Phase, on the other hand, is about reaching… everyone else.

Who is “Everyone Else?”

When we say “everyone else,” it can mean very different things depending on the organization.

• Is it members?
• Affiliated families?
• Patrons?
• Businesses?
• A geographic community?
• An online audience?

Because the definition of “everyone else” varies so widely from organization to organization, the Public Phase is the farthest thing imaginable from a one-size-fits-all situation. This is where creativity — and organizational culture — enter the picture in a meaningful way.

Done poorly, the Public Phase becomes a frantic scramble for small gifts. Done well, it becomes something much more powerful: a chance to use campaign momentum to advance broader organizational goals — whether that’s visibility, engagement, trust, or long-term donor growth.

Those realities shaped what we focused on as we refreshed our Toolkit.

Lessons We’ve Learned (and Built into the Toolkit)

1. There Is No One-Size-Fits-All Public Phase

Many organizations assume that entering the Public Phase means they must:

• Create a campaign brochure
• Launch a social media campaign
• Host multiple events
• Send press releases
• Increase direct mail and email appeals

There’s nothing inherently wrong with any of these activities. But it’s important to name them for what they are — tactics, not goals.

The single most important question to ask when planning your Kick-Off and Public Phases is:

In addition to gifts that get us to goal, what else do we want to achieve through our Public Phase?

That question shouldn’t live solely in the development office. It deserves engagement from organizational leadership, staff, program leaders, volunteers, and other key stakeholders.

Everything about your Public Phase should flow from your specific, unique goals. Just because the organization down the street ran a robust social media campaign does not mean you need to do the same. Social media is a tactic — not a requirement.

If a tactic clearly advances one of your Public Phase goals, great, proceed. If it doesn’t, it’s worth asking why you’re doing it.

2. Don’t Go Public Before You Can See a Clear Path to the Finish Line

The widely accepted best practice is to wait until at least 75% of the goal has been raised before going public. This helps ensure confidence, credibility, and momentum.

That said, 75% is not a magic number. For some organizations, it’s exactly right. For others, waiting until 85% — or even 90% — is the more strategic choice.

You should consider waiting beyond 75% if:

• Your donor base is small or untested at lower gift levels
• You are launching your first campaign or lack established credibility
• Staff or volunteer capacity is limited
• You anticipate a longer or more challenging final stretch

Going public too early can stall a campaign and damage trust. Use your donor pipeline, internal capacity, and campaign data — not just a percentage of goal — to guide your timing. Getting to the Public Phase as fast as possible is not the point of a capital campaign.

3. Plan Thoroughly for the Public Phase Before You Launch It

Once you Kick Off your campaign and enter the Public Phase, you are on a very visible stage. To extend the metaphor: you don’t want to build your set or learn your lines in front of a packed auditorium.

That means the bulk of your Kick-Off and Public Phase planning should happen at the end of the Quiet Phase — so that when you flip the switch and share news of your campaign broadly, your team and volunteers are fully coordinated and ready to execute.

Why All of This Matters

When the Kick-Off and Public Phases are approached thoughtfully, they do more than finish a campaign strong. They help organizations advance their unique goals and build momentum that lasts long after the campaign ends. Our goal with this Online Toolkit refresh was to give clients clearer guidance, better questions to ask, and more flexible tools to do just that.

If you’re a client, we invite you to explore the updated materials and let us know what you think. And if you’re not yet a client but find yourself “Public Phase curious,” we’d love to hear from you too!