A capital programme is a huge investment for any organisation. Once underway it will be disruptive across the entire organisation; prior to getting underway it is vital that sufficient due diligence has been undertaken.

It can take years to raise this money – often two and sometimes more than this – and it will need careful planning and preparation.

Often building work will need to be started prior to all the money being raised which poses the riskiest of questions – can we be sure we can raise sufficient money?

It will take investments of time and money to be successful. Additional resource will be required within the team to raise the money; specialist support will be required to execute the appeal within the constraints of your situation; fundraising costs money. A “normal” sum to consider for this investment is to expect to spend 10% of the target to be raised.

There are donors for whom a capital programme is the perfect project to fund, offering them security, longevity, recognition. A capital fundraising appeal can also be a great spring board to launch a long term major donor fundraising programme.

Fundraising is a speculative activity and raising this money is far from guaranteed. Adequate due diligence will provide a probability of success, backed up by research. This can enable an informed decision to be made. To launch without such preparation risks failure and reputation risk.