The Anatomy of a Successful Capital Campaign: Lessons from Riverside Theatre
This Friday, I will have the distinct honor to celebrate the opening of Riverside Theatre’s new home on the pedestrian mall in downtown Iowa City after a year working with their staff and volunteers to successfully raise the $900,000+ needed for their portion of this $1.8 million project.
As I reflect on this campaign, I saw five things that Riverside staff and volunteers brought to this effort that can help any organization succeed in their campaign.
1. A dynamite team. Riverside Theatre did their work before launching the campaign by assembling a team of dedicated board members with experience asking for money, broad and different personal and professional networks, and a willingness to use those networks to raise the money needed for this project. I assume that work started years in advance. When you begin to think about a capital project, begin to recruit the team who has the knowledge and skills to bring in the money. Too often this seems like an afterthought for organizations who make sure they have the construction knowledge, but not a strong fundraising team.
2. Fantastic honorary co-chairs. The team of board members assembled to make the campaign happen quickly expanded to include four awesome honorary co-chairs. Riverside Theatre took their time to recruit a couple and two individuals to serve in this role. They all agreed to lend their name and credibility to the campaign – which is what you want from your honorary co-chairs – and to do “whatever else Riverside Theatre needed” to help advance the effort. In that vein, they became active members of the campaign committee, attending nearly every meeting and soliciting donors within their circle. Why? The campaign committee recruited the right people, gave them meaningful work to do that fit their goals and desires, and kept them engaged in the campaign as it progressed. If you keep your honorary co-chairs at arm’s length, they will keep you there as well, so meaningfully integrate them into your process.
3. Frequent internal communication. The campaign committee and leadership team each met weekly to discuss and plan next steps. The campaign meetings probably occurred about 3 times a month with the other week canceled so the team could work, but they stayed on the calendar so everyone could plan around them. These meetings initially identified and discussed prospects and then became reporting, problem-solving, and celebratory meetings as donors engaged in the campaign (or not). Between meetings, the emails flew with reports of a successful meeting or exceptional gift. Everyone always knew where the campaign stood and their role in getting it there, keeping them engaged throughout.
4. A can-do attitude. Frequently at prospect meetings with other organizations, discussions of potential donors turn into crickets with no one sharing information or stepping up to assume responsibility to engage a prospect. Not here. While the size of their networks differed, everyone willingly stepped up to engage the people they knew or to share information about them. Often it seemed like four people would volunteer to engage or solicit a person. But they also recognized that the success of the campaign relied on the right person contacting each donor, and each person would quickly cede if they felt someone else had a better relationship. Likewise, if someone became busy, they easily and freely stepped in for each other. I don’t think I ever heard anyone say “no” when asked to do something for the campaign.
5. Frequent and coordinated external communication. The campaign went public in November and, through a series of unforeseen events, not as originally planned. But that turned out ok – even better. Too often organizations take a “one and done” approach to an announcement like this but the audience needs to hear a message 7 times for it to resonate. Riverside Theatre ended up with staggered communication that started with a media announcement of the campaign followed by a public launch in front of the building that has become their new home, a targeted mail solicitation, and more media attention thereafter. The end-of-the-year operating fund campaign also included an ask for the campaign. The public phase of the campaign ended up raising significant money both for the building and ongoing operating costs and engaged a number of donors new to the organization – overall a smashing success.
Was everything perfect? Heavens no! They had their share of challenges including a small staff, a development director who moved out of the area mid-campaign which required hiring and integrating a new development director (who never missed a beat!), and volunteer leaders with their share of personal challenges. During this time, the theatre company also staged several productions which took staff time, attention, and energy (and provided engagement opportunities for donors and prospects!). And did I mention the pandemic – and supply chain issues – which brought their share of fundraising – and operational – challenges. But instead of focusing on these obstacles, the staff and volunteers rallied together to successfully raise these funds in less than a year.
And now they have a new home from which to share professional theatre with the Iowa City community for years to come and we have a model for a successful capital campaign that other organizations can emulate.