30+ New Tools and Technology Shaping Modern Capital Campaigns

Nonprofits today have access to an array of tools that streamline organizational efficiency, enhance donor engagement, and improve fundraising results.

These tools can impact every discipline of fundraising, from the annual fund to major gifts to capital campaigns.

Capital campaigns, however, are somewhat unique. Not only are they excellent (and sometimes necessary) opportunities to level up the operations of a nonprofit, they often do serve as catalysts for upgrading internal systems.

Over 30 New Tools and Tech for Modern Capital Campaigns

According to our most recent Capital Campaign Benchmark Study, 46% of nonprofits surveyed cited “developing better fundraising systems” as a major benefit of conducting a capital campaign. This manifests in myriad ways: from upgrading a CRM, to purchasing wealth screening tools for the first time, to simply putting gift acceptance policies in place.

Below is a curated list of some of the most useful and sometimes overlooked tools for planning and executing a successful campaign.

1. Team Productivity Tools

Campaigns involve multiple people, including staff, volunteers, board members, and consultants. Keeping everything organized is essential!

• Trello, Asana, or Monday – Assign tasks, track deadlines, and oversee the campaign timeline
• Dropbox – Store and share campaign materials securely
• Calendly – Schedule internal meetings with staff, volunteers and campaign committee members, as well as external meetings with donors without endless back-and-forth emails
• Slack – Centralize internal communication, ensuring quick responses and organized discussions

2. Video Calls

It is no longer necessary to meet donors in-person for every conversation. Whether you are conducting feasibility study interviews, hosting campaign committee meetings, or presenting a case for support, Zoom (and alternatives like FaceTime and Google Meet) have become an essential tool for capital campaigns. Even major gift solicitations, which were once only done in person, are now happening virtually. This makes donor outreach more efficient and accessible.

Does one of your key donors spend their winters in Florida? It’s no problem; these conversations can take place over Zoom. Plugging in AI tools like Fathom to transcribe and analyze the conversation can help you follow-up accordingly.

Because the virtual work model has become the standard, nonprofits are no longer limited to only working with local campaign consultants. All campaign coaching, advising, and support can be effectively provided over Zoom, opening up a larger pool of potential campaign consultants to nonprofits (without having to pay for travel and lodging).

3. Donor CRMs

If your organization is still using spreadsheets or a non-cloud-based CRM, a capital campaign can be a great catalyst to level up your tech stack.

In fact, it’s necessary.

A well-managed donor database ensures personalized stewardship and smooth solicitations. The right CRM helps track donor engagement, capacity, and preferences.

You don’t have to default to just Salesforce or Raiser’s Edge. A few of our favorites include:

• Bloomerang tracks donor retention and engagement with built-in stewardship reminders and seamless wealth screening integrations
• Virtuous strikes a balance between automation and personalization
• Arreva’s Exceed includes a dedicated capital campaign module

4. Wealth Screening Tools

Understanding your donors’ giving capacity is one tool used to setting realistic goals and securing leadership gifts.

Wealth screening can be useful in virtually every stage of a capital campaign.

When choosing potential interviewees for a feasibility study, wealth screening can give you an updated impression on their capacity and where they might fit in a preliminary gift range chart. Before moving into the quiet phase, nonprofits can run a batch screen of their entire database to see which existing donors have the capacity for a larger gift.

For example, a longtime annual donor who consistently gives at a mid-level amount may have the financial means to make a leadership-level gift but has never been asked. Wealth screening helps fundraising teams focus on those individuals, leading to stronger donor relationships and transformational donations.

A few of the more popular wealth screening tools include:

• Kindsight (formerly iWave) researches wealth indicators, past philanthropy, and business affiliations
• DonorSearch analyzes giving history and wealth data to identify major gift prospects
• WealthEngine uses predictive analytics to prioritize potential donors
• DAFinitive is the only searchable database that helps you find information about donor advised funds (24-hour free trial available)

5. Stewardship Video Platforms

Video messages create meaningful donor recognition moments beyond the standard thank-you letter. A donor who commits to a $100,000 pledge, for example, might receive a heartfelt video message from the executive director and a group of students who will benefit from the campaign. This type of recognition is far more impactful than a standard thank-you letter, deepening the donor’s emotional connection to the cause.

Be sure to check out:

• MemoryFox allows organizations to crowdsource impact stories from those they serve
• Gratavid & ThankView allows staff, board members, or beneficiaries to record and send personalized thank-you messages

6. Online & Streaming Video for Virtual Tours

When a campaign is focused on funding a new building, renovations, or program expansions, a virtual tour can help bring the vision to life. Instead of relying on printed renderings, nonprofits can create 3D walkthroughs of the future space, allowing donors to explore it from their phone or computer. This type of immersive experience makes the campaign feel more tangible, even for those who cannot visit in person.

Consider going live on Facebook or YouTube during the private phase for a select group of supporters, and during the public phase when you launch to a broader audience.

7. Twitch for Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

Live streaming is not just for gaming. It has become a creative way to engage younger supporters in fundraising. Nonprofits looking to expand their reach in the public phase can leverage Twitch for peer-to-peer campaigns, where passionate supporters can host live charity streams and encourage their followers to donate.

While younger donors may not have the capacity for large gifts, they can mobilize their networks and bring new audiences into the campaign. Who knows? Some of your older donors might pick up a joystick every once in a while too!

8. AI for Content Creation & Data Analysis

Artificial intelligence is helping nonprofits save time on writing, research, and donor data analysis. ChatGPT can assist with drafting cases for support and other donor communications, as well as analyzing feasibility study conversation notes. If you ever want a second (or third) opinion, Claude (by Anthropic) and Perplexity are excellent tools to compare ChatGPT results to.

Regardless of what you’re asking for, AI and LLMs (Large Language Models) can generate a decent first draft in minutes, allowing teams to refine and personalize the content instead of starting from scratch.

Be sure to check if any of the tools you use also have AI elements that you might not yet have utilized.

9. Practivated for Professional Development

Imagine: it’s your first capital campaign. You have some major donors but have never proactively solicited major gifts. Your team is inexperienced in high-stakes, one-on-one solicitations. Practivated allows fundraisers to practice and refine their approach through simulations and real-time feedback before going into donor meetings.

10. Givzey for Multi-Year Pledges

According to our most recent Capital Campaign Benchmark Study, 100% of capital campaigns analyzed utilized some form of multi-year pledges. Unfortunately, most nonprofits are still using simple Word Docs to collect pledge commitments, while hounding donors to submit their payments.

Givzey changes all of that. It’s a gift documentation platform that streamlines and scales multi-year giving with online gift agreements, invoicing, automated pledge reminders, e-signatures and gift fulfillment.

If you will be pursuing mutli-year pledges in your campaign (which you should), Givzey is a great way to standardize your process and ditch paper/PDF pledge forms.

See a capital campaign use case demo from Givzey as part of our “Demo Day” event here »

11. Momentum for Moves Management

Tracking donor engagement is critical in capital campaigns, and Momentum helps fundraising teams stay proactive by using AI to recommend the best next steps. If a donor clicks on an email about naming opportunities but does not respond, the system flags them as a warm lead and suggests a follow-up from a board member. This type of automation ensures that promising prospects do not slip through the cracks.

See a capital campaign use case demo from Momentum as part of our “Demo Day” event here »

12. Storyraise for Interactive Annual Reports

Traditional donor reports can feel dry and impersonal, but Storyraise transforms them into digital, interactive experiences. Instead of sending a static report, organizations can create an online experience where donors can click through impact stories, campaign updates, and personalized recognition messages. This not only makes stewardship more engaging but also encourages donors to share the report with their networks.

See a capital campaign use case demo from Storyraise as part of our “Demo Day” event here »

13. Jitasa for Accounting & Fund Management

Transparency is key in capital campaigns, especially when managing restricted funds. While tools like QuickBooks serve virtually every industry, Jitasa specializes in nonprofit accounting, helping organizations track donations, ensure compliance, and generate clear financial reports. When donors ask how their gifts are being used, Jitasa makes it easy to provide detailed, accurate updates.

14. FundMiner for Fund Usage & Donor Impact

Speaking of how gifts are being used, FundMiner ensures donor-restricted funds are used as promised, building trust and accountability.

A donor who funds a scholarship program, for example, can receive automated updates on how many students have benefited from their gift. This type of transparency strengthens donor trust and encourages long-term giving. Don’t sleep on this tool especially if you’re in higher-ed or healthcare,

15. LifeLegacy for Digital Estate & Planned Giving

Planned giving is an overlooked but powerful part of a capital campaign. In fact, we’d even go as far to say that it’s the perfect partner to a capital campaign. Capital campaigns are the perfect time to launch or revitalize your planned giving program.

If you have a planned giving brochure and a bequest intention form, you’re already in rarified air compared to most nonprofits.

But if you want to kick it up a notch, check out LifeLegacy. They provide an easy-to-use digital platform that allows donors to include nonprofits in their estate plans, making it simple for them to create a lasting impact.

16. Physical Tech

While software has transformed fundraising, some in-person moments still require a tactile approach.

Having an iPad during cultivation and solicitation meetings allows fundraisers to present case statements, renderings, and personalized gift proposals in a visually engaging way. Your gift solicitor can pull up a donor’s customized proposal on a sleek, interactive screen, making the meeting feel more polished and compelling.

And rather than scrambling to your office to transcribe paper notes or try to input mental notes from memory into your CRM after a long drive, see if your CRM has a mobile app so that you can capture meeting notes immediately on their donor profile.

Making the Best Purchasing Decisions for your Capital Campaign

Selecting the right tools for your capital campaign requires more than just picking the most popular option.

1. Start by identifying the specific problems you need to solve and come to the demo with a clear idea of how you want the tool to work for your organization.
2. Demo the software at least twice; once for an initial overview and again after you have had time to think through how it fits into your workflow. The second demo is your chance to ask more targeted questions and ensure it meets your needs in real-world scenarios.
3. Before committing to a new tool, check whether your existing software already has similar functionality. Many donor CRMs, for example, have built-in wealth screening, which could eliminate the need for a separate purchase. If you still need a new tool, confirm that it integrates with what you already use.
4. Public review sites like Software Advice, Capterra, and G2 can offer helpful insights, but keep in mind that vendors often encourage their happiest customers to leave reviews. Don’t be afraid to ask the prospective vendor for references, especially from customers in the same cause type as yours.
5. Lastly, ask for a free trial or sandbox environment so you can explore the software on your own, outside of a scripted demo. Getting hands-on experience is one of the best ways to determine if a tool will actually work for your team.

Watch a fireside chat about making the best purchasing decisions at your nonprofit from our “Demo Day” event here »

Final Thoughts: Modern Capital Campaign Tools and Tech

The right tools can make a capital campaign more efficient, effective, and donor-friendly. Whether it is AI-driven insights, digital stewardship, or innovative fundraising platforms, nonprofits that embrace these technologies will have an advantage in reaching their goals.

To see some of these tools in action, be sure to register for our upcoming (free!) webinar:

Did I miss a tool that you absolutely love to use? Let me know in the comments below!