When capable leaders agree to service as members of the Campaign Executive COMMITTEE, dreams can come true.

By: Patricia H. McAbee

In a well-organized capital campaign it is the campaign executive committee ("CEC") that understands and assumes the responsibility for the success of the campaign. Since the campaign is typically a multi-million dollar project, it is very serious business and the membership of the CEC are the leaders who are ultimately responsible for the success of the campaign. While the members of the committee are often serious business professionals in their own right, as fundraising counsel, we cannot assume that they understand their role on the CEC. It is our job to define what it means to be a member of the CEC, and, to communicate to each of these leaders what is expected of them.

Campaign executive committee members are ‘leadership’ and ‘major’ gift donors who have agreed to help solicit the support of others. They are each influential among their peers and are willing to lead a particular phase of the campaign. They are brought on early in the campaign process and they have a vested interest in the project’s success. In short, they are willing to put their financial and personal capital on the line to make the campaign a success.

While each of the committee’s members may have these “raw materials,” they may not have the focus that is necessary to make the campaign a success. We have to employ a variety of tactics, even semantics, to motivate them to their fullest potential. I would like to discuss the role and importance of the campaign executive committee in what is, perhaps, an unusual way. I would like to look at the word “committee” and analyze this word as it pertains to the functions and significance of being a member of a capital campaign committee.

First, let’s look at the first six letters of this word - “commit.” Therein lies the sum and substance of your job - a commitment! You have committed to serving in an important capacity to make things happen successfully in this campaign to support a very vital community project, and to provide facilities that fill a major need in our communities. By committing to service in this capacity you have demonstrated and acknowledged the importance of the effort and indicated your desire to make this campaign successful in raising - or exceeding, the monetary goal that has been set.

Commit to the dream represented by your project. Commit to following the campaign principles. Commit to do your part - and then some. You have made the commitment of a significant and commendable financial gift - consider the rest of your role as a member of the “commit - TEE.”

Now that we’ve discussed those first six letters that spell out the "commitment" that is needed from each of us, let’s look at the final three letters of “committee” - the letters “Tee”. No, not the little peg that golfers use on the tee box - although we might urge you to be “the driving force behind this campaign.” Let’s look at the word ‘tee’ this way:

T - is for Time. Your commitment includes time. Time for necessary meetings, time for discussing prospects, time to make calls asking for gifts, time to report results, time to follow-up, time to contribute in many ways to the successful conclusion of this vital effort. The timetable for soliciting pledges in a capital campaign is typically a 12-24 month time frame.

E - is for Energy. Your commitment to the campaign and the expenditure of time as described above means using your energy—both physical and mental, to make things happen positively for this campaign! Your campaign director will look to you for insights and guidance for prospect development and community awareness. Your energy for the campaign will elicit greater knowledge about the project. As you progress with your campaign and enjoy successes along the way, you will find your energy level rising and your interest growing as the goal comes closer to reality.

E - is for Effort or Enthusiasm. You may think this is redundant, but really it is not.

Sure, spending the time and using the energy requires making an effort. Everyone is pulled in many directions by a variety of priorities in the course of a day or a week. When time and energy are coupled with enthusiasm, the effort flows naturally in the quest for success. The successful campaigns are oftentimes accomplished when campaign executive committee members feel they don’t have the time or the energy to put into the project—but when mixed with enthusiasm, they make the effort, find the time, dig up the energy and make things happen! When capable leaders agree to service as members of the Campaign Executive COMMITTEE, dreams can come true.

Patricia H. McAbee is a Vice President at Custom Development Solutions, Inc. (CDS). CDS has become one of North America's best and most sought after fundraising consulting firms specializing in the strategic planning and tactical execution of capital campaigns for non-profits throughout the United States and Canada. If you have a fundraising question for Ms. McAbee, please call 800-761-3833 or send an email to lcs@cdsfunds.com.