#Capital campaign toolkit how to#

She cites a campaign The Gordon School ran that challenged alumni to give. And people feel like their impact is being doubled.” “A challenge gift brings a strong community feel to the conversation. “People want to be a part of something bigger than themselves,” she says. Alexandra knows that setting up a meaningful and fun challenge gives the challenging donor a chance to inspire others to give-and gives those who may never have given before a fresh reason to want to be part of the campaign. Promote the challenge and publicize progress toward the goal.Īlexandra O’Connor, Director of Philanthropic Engagement at The Gordon School in Rhode Island, thinks that challenge giving is a great way to get new donors involved.Establish a deadline for completion of the challenge.Define other terms of the challenge, like which types of gifts count towards its goal.Determine the amount that must be raised to meet the challenge.There’s no set formula for a challenge gift, but here are five basic steps for setting up a successful challenge: In a challenge gift, the donor won’t make the gift until the terms of the challenge have been met. Corporate matching gift programs work similarly. The size of the matching gift is contingent on how much others give. In a matching gift, the donor promises to match other gifts received during a specified time period up to a certain amount. It deepens trust in your nonprofit through the social proof of your generous partner’s support.Ĭhallenge gifts aren’t the same as matching gifts. It can liven up a campaign that has been going for a while by providing interim deadlines and giving opportunities. Or, a challenge might be made to motivate gifts from board members.Ī challenge gift can motivate, inspire, even amuse both the donor who makes the challenge and those who give in response. A challenge might be defined to encompass only new gifts or increased gifts. The terms of a challenge might be used strategically to motivate gifts from specific groups of donors.

For example, the challenging donor might offer to give $100,000 if you can raise $100,000 by December 31. What’s a Challenge Gift?Ī challenge gift is just what it sounds like: A donor offers to make a gift to your organization if you raise a certain amount by a specified time. There’s a proven way to relight the fire: a challenge gift. They start out with some big, exciting gifts, but as time goes on momentum can slow.

#Capital campaign toolkit how to#

Learn how they work and how to structure one with this quick guide from the pros.ĭoes your campaign need a boost? Do you feel as though it’s a long slog with no end in sight? Challenge gifts can revitalize and punctuate a long fundraising campaign.