Has this happened to you?
A board member asks for help meeting the capital campaign goal. Halfway through the conversation, you realize… they don’t plan to give.
Ouch.
It’s hard to run together when leadership hasn’t stepped up to the line.
If leadership doesn’t give first, donors notice.
Capital campaigns don’t start with brochures.
They start with leadership.
Donors look to leadership for signals.
Early leadership commitments don’t just add dollars.
They set the tone.
They set the momentum.
You can’t ask others to stretch if you won’t.
And here’s something that surprises people:
Participation rate among leadership matters more than the dollar amount.
When 100% of the board gives — at a meaningful level for them — it communicates belief.
Belief in the mission.
Belief in the project.
Belief in the future.
People don’t give to campaigns.
They give to conviction. If leadership giving feels uncomfortable, it’s worth having that conversation before asking anyone else to give.