Advice for Capital Campaign Fund Raisers

June 17, 2008

Advice for Capital Campaign Fund Raisers

The economy’s ups and downs should not be a major deterrent to capital campaigns — but concerns about wearing out donors and staff members are critical, fund raisers said at a conference held last week by the Greater New York Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Larry Schafer, vice president of development at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell, which last year completed a $1-billion campaign, said such campaigns are so long they encompass both good and bad times on Wall Street. Charities starting a capital campaign now shouldn’t be worried, he said, “because the economy will recover before the campaign ends.”

Right now, Mr. Schafer added, his organization’s hospital and medical school are taking it slowly as they plan a new campaign. “We’re very cautious about the current economy, very conscious of the fact that we’ve had so many big gifts. You have to worry about donor fatigue as well as staff fatigue.”

Rosemarie Garipoli, executive director of the Bravo Campaign for New York City’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, which is seeking $878-million in a capital drive, urged fund raisers to make their pitches for money stronger by enlisting trustees, chief executives, and other people with a stake in the organization to help solicit big gifts.

Ms. Garipoli said she has brought people who manage arts programs at the center meetings with donors to talk about the center’s needs, and has also brought in the architect who designed the new center to talk with donors about it. “She is incredibly persuasive,” Ms. Garipoli said.

— Elizabeth Schwinn

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