Budgeting for a Capital Campaign

How much does a capital campaign cost?

Campaign costs are the costs directly related to bringing in funds, including executive and support staffing—the greatest expense—consultant’s fees, donor relations materials and marketing collateral, communications, office and equipment expenses, pledge attrition (people who pledge buy don’t pay), and prospect cultivation expenses. According to data gathered by the National Society of Fund Raising Executives, most campaign costs average between five and fifteen percent of the funding goal.

The percentage of costs per dollar raised tends to decrease as the goal increases. Staffing costs per gift solicited are fairly constant, so the ability to attract larger gifts and greater numbers of effective volunteer solicitors drops the cost per gift.

Generally speaking, the smaller campaigns (up to $5 million) may cost more than 15 percent of the goal, the larger campaigns ($25 million and up) could cost under 10 percent of the goal.

Campaign Budget Items

Item	Description
*Contingency fees are approximately 4 percent
Salaries	Campaign director, campaign assistant
Consultants	Fundraising, public relations
Special campaign materials	Case statement, inserts, response cards, video, donor recognition, direct mail or special appeal, manuals, displays, banners, posters, stationery
Promotional materials	Graphic design, production, printing, newsletters, bulletins, website, photography
Special events and programs	Cultivation receptions, dinners, major promotional events, site presentations, volunteer training and orientation
General expenses	Travel, mileage, parking, meals, supplies, postage, equipment, telephone, other consultant expenses, contingency*
Other	Interior and exterior donor recognition, architectural renderings

Steeple provides fund raising and organizational development services to faith-based and community-based organizations of the nonprofit sector. Our efforts are dedicated to putting nonprofit managers and trustees in touch with the tools and resources they need to develop their organizations and to conduct successful capital campaigns. Our work with clients is for the long-term—to build internal capacity, to create brand equity, and to attract and retain funding. Since 2007, we’ve helped nonprofit organizations like yours raise more than $14 million.

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