A capital campaign is a targeted fundraising effort designed to raise a significant amount of money for a nonprofit within a set timeframe. These intensive campaigns enable your nonprofit to grow sustainably over time and are often dedicated to raising money for large-scale projects, such as building facilities, purchasing specific equipment, or creating an endowment. It typically combines major gifts, public contributions, and planned giving to achieve financial goals that advance a nonprofit’s mission.

According to Donorly, most capital campaigns include the following phases:

  • Planning. Nonprofits assess their readiness, conduct a capital campaign feasibility study, and develop an overall campaign strategy.
  • Quiet. Teams secure major gifts from top donors, which typically raise the majority of the campaign’s funds.
  • Kick-off phase. The campaign is publicly announced, and marketing begins for the public phase’s fundraisers.
  • Public phase. This phase focuses on engaging the broader community in the capital campaign to raise the rest of the funds to meet its goal.

When you hit the public phase of your campaign, you’re likely 80% of the way to your fundraising goal, so you can shift your focus to soliciting smaller contributions from the public to push the campaign over the finish line. And while the public phase is meant to raise the least amount of money, it engages the community to support your organization. Here are some fundraising event ideas to consider for the public phase.

1. Community Challenges

Engaging your community in competitions or challenges is perfect for public-phase fundraising. They have a low barrier to entry and often incorporate fun elements that appeal to all ages. There are a ton of options, such as:

  • Sports tournament. Give your community the chance to compete for your cause. GolfStatus suggests including added revenue-generating components, such as an auction or a raffle, to boost fundraising results.
  • Talent show. Your community is full of talented people who want to share their gifts, along with others who want to enjoy a night of entertainment. Charge a small entrance fee and sell food, drinks, and merchandise, with proceeds going towards your capital campaign.
  • Trivia night. This classic idea can be adapted for young audiences and adults alike. Hold it at your offices or ask a local restaurant to donate space and charge an entry fee for each team or individual. A donated prize for the winners helps encourage participation!
  • Golf Tournament. If you’re hosting a charity golf tournament as a public phase event, you can start marketing it, onboarding sponsors, and getting hole-in-one insurance in place well ahead of time so you’re ready to go when you transition into the public phase.

2. Giving Day

Your capital campaign likely lasts several years, but you can boost revenue in the short term by hosting a single-day or short-term giving challenge. A good example of this idea at work is Giving Tuesday, which raises millions of dollars across the nonprofit sector every year on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. 

While a Giving Day or weekend is brief, ample time and energy should be given to its planning and execution. During the capital campaign’s initial planning phase, outline the general structure of the Giving Day, including choosing a date and developing marketing plans. A matching gift drive, in which a sponsor pledges to match donations over the course of your giving day, can create a sense of urgency that prompts supporters to make a gift to your campaign. 

3. Project Preview Event

The end goal of your capital campaign can be leveraged as a fundraising event. Tease the outcome in an interactive session that allows the community to understand your goals through experience better. Hearing about the capital campaign is one thing, but actually seeing and being exposed to it can inspire the public to contribute. 

Consider hosting an open house that shows the public what you’re working towards and how they can help. This might include a site tour of a future building or town-hall-style Q&A sessions.

Instead of monetizing ticket sales, make this event free to attend, which will attract more community members. Raise money by displaying QR codes that lead to your donation page or simply collecting donations on site. 

Final Thoughts

Capital campaigns require thorough planning to be successful. The quiet phase is a great time to plan public phase events alongside securing major gifts. After all is said and done, it’s important to measure and report on the outcomes of your capital campaign so you can continue building and strengthening community relationships. 

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