Clubhouse Chat Recap: Capital Campaign Readiness for Nonprofits

Our weekly Wednesday 9am MT/11am ET Clubhouse chats are full of robust conversation about topics within nonprofit fundraising. As always, please feel free to add and reflect on your learnings and experiences! Here’s some key takeaways from our chat about how to know when you’re ready for a capital campaign:

1. Leadership Buy-In Is Essential

Your leadership team—including the C-suite, board members, and key volunteers—must be fully committed. They should understand the time and energy required, believe deeply in the cause, and bring contagious “can-do” energy to the table.

2. Stakeholder Involvement Builds Ownership

Your capital campaign should not be developed in isolation. Ongoing communication with stakeholders—and involving them in shaping the strategic plan and case for support—creates stronger buy-in and momentum.

3. Assemble the Right Campaign Team

You need internal staff or external consultants who understand capital campaigns. Their expertise in pacing, phases, and best practices can make or break your campaign.

4. Base Your Goals on Real Data

Your campaign goals should come from your own donor data, network strength, and organizational capacity—not guesswork. Conducting a feasibility study is a key part of capital campaign readiness for nonprofits, offering insight into data quality, donor interest, leadership potential, and more.

Let’s Keep the Conversation Going

What would you add? Have you recently launched or completed a capital campaign? I’d love to hear your lessons learned.
👉 Don’t forget to follow me on Clubhouse for more real-time conversations every Wednesday!