1. Embarking on a Large Capital
Campaign
Zoe Crick- Head of Development, Rambert
Helen Searl, Corporate Relations Manager,
London Philharmonic Orchestra

2. Devising the Strategy and
Campaign Committee
• Instil Board confidence
• Have a robust and dynamic plan
• Cleverly present the financial information and
tell the story
• Be picky with your campaign committee
• Remember the capital project is finite

3. Developing the case for support
• Understand the background leading to this
moment
• Have clarity on key messages and try not to
deviate too far away from them
• Prepare the counter argument
• Make everyone a fundraising ambassador
• Bring your Artistic Director onboard with
fundraising from the beginning

4. Getting started
• Make sure you have a sizable budget in place
• Carefully decide on what print and product
you need
• Use every aspect of the journey
• Consider joint revenue and capital approaches

5. Cultivating individuals
• Work the Committee hard
• Carefully craft a range of high level events
• Use opportunities for engagement wisely
• Clean your lists
• Make sure you know what benefits you’re
offering

6. Public Campaign
• Choose carefully when to launch
• Ensure you know your audience
• Experiment with some non-traditional ideas
• Make sure you’re joined up with your
marketing and press departments

7. Analysis of Gifts - Gift Pyramid
£5M
Target: £10M Leadership CSCB £7m ACE; £5m Coin Street Community Builders
gifts
(gift of land), 1 @ £1m
2 gifts @ £1.5M
2 gifts @ £1M £1 £1.5M £1.5M £1M
M
Target: £2M Leadership gifts £500K
3 @ £500,000
4 gifts @ £500,000
Ian & Tina Taylor £500K
Target: £1.5M Major gifts 6 gifts @ £250,000 4 @ £250,000
ACE stabilisation fund - project development
Target: £1M Major gifts
1 @ £100,000; 1 @ £150,000
10 gifts @ £100,000
Target: £500K Major gifts: 10 10 @ £50,000
gifts @ £50,000
Target: £500K Major gifts: 6 @ £20,000; 1 @ £25,000
20 gifts @ 25,000
Target: £400K Major gifts
1 @ £10,000
40 gifts @ £10,000 5 gifts
51 @ £5,000 and 47 @ £1,000 (ongoing)
Target: £500K: 60 gifts @ £5k and 200 gifts @ £1,000
Target: £50K
Public Campaign
Target: £150K
Gala/Major Event

8. Engaging Your Local Community
• Positive PR
• Endorsement from key community member
• Encourage fundraising efforts
• Involve them in your journey
• Make them excited about the building
development
• Opportunities for ‘quick’ donations

9. Engaging your Audiences
• If possible get venues involved
• Make announcements, do collections, build
awareness
• Talk to your audiences on all forms of
communication- online, print, on the phone.
• Tell them why this capital campaign is
important, what’s in it for them?

10. Create a Sense of Ownership
• Can you give donors something tangible?
Their name on brick, a seat, a bench…
• Can you create a story around a large item and
build a community of giving?
• Can you create a link between the history of
your organisation and the journey you’re
embarking on?

11. Engaging Donors
• Time your communications- don’t target
donors at the same time as annual appeals or
big Direct Debit runs
• Make sure donors know the difference
between capital and your core work
• Ask donors to ‘top up’ their
donations/memberships with gifts to capital
• Opportunity to re-energise lapsed donors

12. The Nitty Gritty
• Consultant or not?
• Think about running separate events for
different stakeholders
• What about your core funding?
• Priorities for your department/ organisation
• Be prepared to change your strategy

13. Benefits
• VAT implications- think carefully
• What benefits give you best value?
• Naming rights, will you offer them?
• Don’t over promise
• Can you give different benefits to those you
currently offer to major donors?

14. Once you are ‘Home’
• Be aware of donor fatigue
• Manage Board/ Senior Management
expectations of continued donations
• Factor in the time to write reports and service
requirements
• Continue to nurture your new donor
relationships, to tailor support

15. Our Top Tips
• Don’t start fundraising until you know full costs
• Use your peers and take advice
• Go onsite as early as possible- makes it real
• Have a firm plan, but with space to deviate
• Make sure it’s a whole organisation campaign
• Think about your donor benefits carefully
• Be confident and enjoy it