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

Challenge Gifts are a wonderful way to generate excitement and buzz and create internal deadlines for your campaign. Join Amy Eisenstein and Andrea Kihlstedt as they discuss the best times and opportunities to use challenge gifts during a campaign.

In this episode, Amy Eisenstein and Andrea Kihlstedt provide more insight into engaging the wealthiest people in town for your campaign. Listen to learn how to identify, research, and cultivate them for your capital campaign.

Fundraising is part art, part science. In this episode, Amy Eisenstein and Andrea Kihlstedt discuss the fine art of asking donors for advice. If you ask for advice well, your campaign is more likely to succeed due to a variety of factors discussed in this episode.

You might be wondering what colored socks have to do with fundraising. In this episode, Andrea shares two wonderful stories relating to donors. Listen to learn from her wisdom and experience.

Successful capital campaigns involve volunteers. If you're skeptical that working with volunteers is worth the struggle, don't miss this episode with Amy and Andrea to learn how to leverage volunteers for your campaign.

If you want your campaign to be successful, ask for the largest gifts first. In this episode, you will learn about the strategic order of solicitation and why it matters.

Farra Trompeter of Big Duck Communications joins Amy and Andrea to talk about branding your capital campaign and other important aspects of campaign communications. Learn how to express the power of your campaign so it feels new and special without undermining your regular communications. Listen to these three experts as they explore the power of excellent communication.

The Gift Range Chart is the roadmap to your campaign. Join Amy Eisenstein and Andrea Kihlstedt to learn why this tool is so powerful in ways you probably haven't considered. Learn how all aspects of your campaign are connected to this simple tool.

In today’s podcast, Andrea Kihlstedt interviews Angela Townsend, Development Director of Tabby’s Place , a sanctuary for cats from hopeless situations. Angela shares the story of how they raised more money than they ever anticipated for a special home for cats with an incurable feline disease and how, in the process, of that campaign, she came to understand how generous people can be!

In this episode, Amy Eisenstein and Andrea Kihlstedt share their thoughts about how to assess your board's readiness for a capital campaign. Are they committed? Do they know what the campaign is about? And, are they going to be willing to help? Download the readiness assessment for free at capitalcampaignpro.com/resources

Amy welcomes guest, Mallory Erickson , to discuss how to use science-backed strategies to help fundraisers raise more money. Listen to learn behavior change strategies to help you overcome your fear of fundraising, in addition to new habits and tools to improve your fundraising.

In this episode, campaign experts Amy Eisenstein and Andrea Kihlstedt share some stories about what happens when the program staff hasn’t been informed about the capital campaign. This episode will get you thinking about how and when to best inform your entire staff about the campaign.

Do you wonder how to approach the wealthiest individuals in your community about your capital campaign? In this episode, Amy and Andrea give you a new perspective - and some useful tools - to address this crucial step in your capital campaign.

In this session, capital campaign experts Amy Eisenstein and Andrea Kihlstedt discuss how to prepare your Executive Director for a capital campaign — whether that person is great at fundraising or not. You’ll learn how to approach even a recalcitrant ED in a way that will help get them ready for their role in your capital campaign. 

In this episode, Amy Eisenstein is joined by Rhea Wong , author of “Get that Money, Honey” to discuss how nonprofit fundraisers can get out of a scarcity mindset and improve their fundraising results. Learn concrete strategies for improving your fundraising beliefs and behaviors.

In this episode, campaign experts Amy Eisenstein and Andrea Kihlstedt discuss why it matters that your board chair, executive director, and development director are the real power team for your campaign and they share some thoughts about how to get them working together well.

Campaign expert Andrea Kihlstedt is joined by Sebastian Ruth, Founder and Artistic Director of Community Music Works .  Sebastian shares the remarkable story of his campaign and highlights the importance of having the courage to go for your dreams.

In this brief but punchy episode, campaign experts Amy Eisenstein and Andrea Kihlstedt talk about the importance of branding your capital campaign. Yes,   that’s right. Your campaign should have a brand that differentiates it from your organization. They’ll tell you why. And they let you in on their secret too!

Campaign experts Amy Eisenstein and Andrea Kihlstedt discuss why having an outside consultant have confidential interviews with your top donors may undermine you and your organization. In this episode. you’ll learn why a feasibility study is important for your campaign. And you’ll hear about a new feasibility study model that puts you in conversation with your donors!

Campaign experts Amy Eisenstein and Andrea Kihlstedt discuss four important ways to become more efficient as you get ready for a campaign.  And, they talk about why being more efficient matters and they will tell you how to get your board to approve investing in better systems.

In this episode, Andrea Kihlstedt speaks with Paul Jalsevac, Chief Advancement Officer of Christendom College , about the Guided Feasibility Study he and his team have completed recently. Paul shares his insights and thoughts about why a new model worked well for them.

Most board members don't know much about capital campaigns and what they do know is probably wrong. In this episode, you'll learn some standard misconceptions.

Even with the best of intentions, some campaign volunteers prove to be disappointing.  In this episode, you'll learn some important lessons about how to handle them so they don’t wreck your campaign.

In this episode, guest speaker Kent Stroman speaks with Andrea Kihlstedt about how to get your development and finance staff on the same page even if they aren't talking the same language.

Should you do a feasibility study? In this episode, campaign experts Amy Eisenstein and Andrea Kihlstedt think feasibility studies are a must. And they tell you how to respond to penny-pinching board members who resist.