May 2, 2002 | Read Time: 1 minute
Capital Campaigns: Constructing a Successful Fund-Raising Drive, by Edward C. Schumacher, was written to help trustees make decisions about capital campaigns and understand what will be required of them in the process. Capital campaigns, which are generally conducted by a nonprofit organization every seven to 10 years, “become the focus of the life of the organization and absorb the energy of everyone involved,” says Edward C. Schumacher, president of a Seattle fund-raising consulting and training company that has worked on more than 20 capital drives. The publication, written in question-and-answer format, starts with the basics: the costs involved, what board members will be asked to do, and the distinct phases of a capital campaign. It also provides guidance on critical decisions, such as whether to make endowment fund raising part of the campaign and what an organization can do if it falls short of its goal.
