The Importance of Involving People in Your Campaign Process

A capital campaign is too large, too complex, and too consequential for one staff member to carry alone. In this episode of All About Capital Campaigns, Amy Eisenstein and Andrea Kihlstedt explain why engaging more people in your campaign can lead to larger gifts, stronger decisions, and a far less lonely experience for the person responsible for fundraising.For many development directors, involving volunteers can feel like creating more work. Volunteers may miss meetings, arrive unprepared, dominate conversations, or fail to follow through. Faced with these possibilities, nonprofit leaders may decide it would be faster and easier to manage the campaign themselves.Amy and Andrea make the case that this instinct can limit a campaign’s success. Drawing on decades of capital campaign experience, Andrea shares that volunteers frequently account for 60% to 70% of the people who ultimately give to a campaign. When people participate in shaping a campaign, they become more connected to its purpose. That engagement often makes them more likely to contribute and more willing to make a significant gift.The solution is not to recruit one large campaign committee and ask every member to serve for several years. Instead, Amy and Andrea recommend creating a series of short-term, phase-specific committees, task forces, or working groups.One group might help develop the case for support during pre-campaign planning. Another might participate in the feasibility study. Later groups can assist with campaign planning, leadership gifts, the public kickoff, or a campaign celebration. Each assignment has a defined purpose and a limited duration.This structure makes it easier for busy people to say yes. A prospective volunteer may hesitate to accept a three-year commitment but gladly agree to attend three meetings or work on one defined project over two months. It also gives campaign leaders a natural way to identify their most effective volunteers. People who contribute useful ideas, complete assignments, and work well with others can be invited into future phases. Those who are unreliable or disruptive can be thanked and released when the short-term group concludes.Volunteer engagement offers another benefit that goes beyond fundraising. Staff members, no matter how experienced, see the organization and its campaign from a limited perspective. Volunteers can challenge assumptions, sharpen the case for support, share lessons from other campaigns, and contribute expertise the staff may not possess.For example, a volunteer with real estate experience may help an organization evaluate property or identify potential sites. Someone who has served on another campaign committee can explain how they approached donor conversations. A longtime community leader may know how different audiences will respond to the proposed project. These perspectives can produce a stronger campaign plan and a more compelling case.The central lesson is simple: campaign volunteers are not merely extra hands. They can become donors, advocates, problem-solvers, connectors, and future campaign leaders. With clear assignments and thoughtful committee structures, involving more people does not have to create chaos. It can distribute responsibility, strengthen the campaign, and help your organization raise more money.For more free capital campaign resources, visit https://capitalcampaignpro.com/campaign-resources.