Capital campaign

Why it matters

Capital campaigns usually start with a quiet phase, when a large share of the goal is raised from board members and a few lead donors, before a public launch to everyone else. Many gifts arrive as multi-year pledges, so tracking what was promised against what has been paid matters as much as the headline total.

For a small organization, the risk is that the campaign pulls every donor's attention away from the annual fund. Plan for both: ask campaign donors to keep their regular gift, and keep thanking everyone who gives to either.

How Steward shows it

A campaign in Fundraising has a goal amount, a start date and a deadline, and its public page shows a goal bar that says what it counts. Pledges sit on each donor's Gifts & Pledges tab, and a gift can be marked as a payment on the pledge it fulfils.

Only one open proposal per fund is allowed per household, so a couple is not asked twice for the same campaign.

Related terms

• Pledge A pledge is a donor's promise to give a set amount in the future, paid all at once or in installments over an agreed schedule.
• Case for support Case for support means the written argument for why someone should give to your organization: the need, what you do about it, the results, and what a gift will make possible now.
• Gift range chart A gift range chart is a table that lists how many gifts you need at each size, and how many prospects you need for them, to reach a campaign goal.