Why Capital Campaigns Stall — and What to Do Before Asking for More Money

Most capital campaigns begin with optimism. There is an important project. Leadership is excited. A campaign goal has been established. Prospective donors are identified, and everyone is eager to get started.

Then, somewhere along the way, momentum slows. The first few gifts may come relatively easily, but subsequent commitments take longer. Volunteers become less active. The prospect list begins to look thin. Leadership starts asking an uncomfortable question:

Are we going to reach our goal?

After working with nonprofit organizations and capital campaigns for many years, I’ve found that campaigns rarely stall because people suddenly stop being generous. More often, the underlying problems were present before the first solicitation was ever made. Here are five warning signs that can indicate trouble ahead.

1. There Aren’t Enough Qualified Major-Gift Prospects

A long donor list is not necessarily a strong prospect list. Campaigns succeed because an organization has enough individuals, foundations, businesses and other supporters who have both the capacity and inclination to make significant gifts.

One of the most common mistakes is assuming that hundreds of smaller gifts will compensate for a shortage of major gifts. Usually, they won’t. Successful campaigns are typically built from the top down, with a relatively small number of donors providing a significant percentage of the total goal.

Before launching a campaign, leadership should have a realistic understanding of where those gifts are likely to come from.

2. The Board Supports the Campaign — But Isn’t Engaged in It

There is a significant difference between board approval and board ownership.

A board can unanimously vote to move forward with a campaign while individual members remain largely uninvolved. Strong campaigns require more.

Board members don’t necessarily need to become professional fundraisers. But they should understand the case, make personally meaningful gifts, help identify potential donors, open doors and, when appropriate, participate in donor conversations. If fundraising is viewed primarily as the responsibility of the development staff, the campaign is starting with a significant disadvantage.

3. The Campaign Goes Public Too Soon

There is a natural desire to tell the community about an exciting new project. But announcing a campaign too early can create unnecessary pressure. Before a campaign becomes highly public, an organization should typically have secured a meaningful portion of its goal through leadership and major gifts.

Why? Because early success creates credibility and momentum.

It is much easier to invite someone to participate in a campaign that is clearly succeeding than to ask them to rescue one that appears to be struggling. The quiet phase of a campaign isn’t about secrecy. It’s about building a strong foundation before broadening the conversation.

4. There Is Too Much Communication and Not Enough Conversation

Newsletters, social media, videos, brochures and email campaigns all have a role in fundraising.

But major gifts are rarely generated simply because someone received enough information. They usually come through relationships. That means sitting across the table from donors, listening to what matters to them, explaining the vision, answering questions and inviting them to become meaningfully involved.

When a campaign begins to slow, organizations sometimes respond by increasing communications. Often, what they really need is more personal donor conversations.

5. Leadership Responds to Slow Results by Expanding the Prospect List

When the original prospect list begins to run thin, the instinct is often to find more names.

Sometimes that’s necessary. But before expanding the list, take another look at the people already on it. Have the strongest prospects been properly cultivated? Have they met personally with organizational leadership? Have they been asked for a specific amount? Was the request appropriate for their capacity and relationship with the organization? Has there been adequate follow-up?

A campaign doesn’t necessarily need hundreds of additional prospects. It may need better strategies for the 25 or 50 prospects who matter most.

The Best Time to Fix a Campaign

Campaign problems become increasingly difficult to solve once a campaign is underway. That’s why some of the most important campaign work happens before the first gift is requested. A good feasibility process should help an organization answer several fundamental questions:

Is the case compelling? Is the goal realistic? Do we have enough leadership? Are there sufficient major-gift prospects? And are our donors ready to support this project?

Those answers aren’t always what an organization hopes to hear. But learning that before launching a campaign is far better than discovering it halfway through one.

After all, the best time to fix a struggling campaign is before it becomes a struggling campaign.