![]() One of the powerful qualities of capital campaigns of any size is that they have a specific timeline. It might also take a few more weeks to complete, but take care not to draw it out for too long. Though Theresa did her mini capital campaign in 8 weeks, you might complete yours sooner. This remarkable way of fundraising is not complicated when stripped to its essential elements, but it does take a clear purpose and discipline. And chances are excellent that if you follow the plan below, you will raise the money you seek. Since that first time adapting larger capital campaign principles for Theresa’s mini capital campaign, I’ve honed the plan to its basics. Principles from the capital campaign world also work for small, specific projects. Over 8 weeks, Theresa, who had set out with great trepidation to raise $12,000 wound up raising just shy of $22,000! But even more importantly, she transformed from being someone for whom fundraising seemed impossible into a confident fundraiser. Each week, I explained what she had to do and why, and I sent her off with her homework. We met by phone every week for eight weeks. She agreed to my terms, and we launched the mini-campaign that I designed for her. ![]() Most importantly, she was passionate about her project. But I knew from my daughter that she was a capable young woman who knew how to work hard. She told me she didn’t know anyone with money and that she was panicky when she thought about asking anyone for money directly. Theresa was understandably uneasy and unsure. There were no guarantees of success and that if she didn’t do the work every week, we would stop. I told her that it was an experiment to see if the remarkable methodology that fuels major gifts to large campaigns would work on a very small one as well. I would coach her through her fundraising, giving her week-by-week steps, if she promised to do her homework. She needed funds to cover the performance expenses. She told me that she was a musician who was composing a piece about war that she would perform live and then record. I don’t lightly say no to my daughter, so instead of sending Theresa away, I asked for more information. But Theresa had been sent to me by my daughter who spoke highly of her. I had spent most of my career working on capital campaigns with goals of $5 million, $10 million, and even $100 million, so the idea of helping someone raise this smaller sum struck me as funny. When Theresa called me to ask if I could advise her on raising $12,000 for her special project, the idea struck me as unlikely, even laughable!
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