Need to raise a few million for a new building or a special project? You’re not alone – lots of groups are pondering a campaign. Last month we discussed how much a campaign may cost. This month: Exactly how much extra staffing does it take for a successful campaign?

If your group doesn’t already have one or more major gifts fundraisers (focusing on annual gifts $1000 and up and special gifts of $25,000 and up), you will most likely need to add new employees, starting well in advance of the campaign’s launch. You will also need to budget for consultants and contractors.

However, let’s say you have a one-person development shop, with a development director overseeing and implementing everything, perhaps with the occasional assistance of your group’s administrative staffer, and in concert with the CEO. Is your group’s capacity too small to have a campaign to raise millions of dollars?

In a word, yes. So what can you do about it?

First, give yourself time.

The planning phase for most campaigns is 2 to 3 years, and there’s no shame in taking even longer. You may think you need this new building urgently, but there are almost always interim solutions to the need for space. Take advantage of one or more of those solutions, and then start planning for your campaign. Taking the near-term pressure off is very helpful to clear thinking.

Your current staff may need extra help to cover their ongoing, routine duties during the campaign. Sit down with them to figure out what that may look like and then research sources of extra help –for example, temps, part-time employees, or hiring a shared assistant to several staff members affected.

But the most pressing need in staffing for a campaign is to have dedicated major gift fundraising talent on board, starting at least 18 months before you expect the campaign to begin. They will need time to get to know your donor base and be part of the planning before the campaign starts. Sorry – there’s no getting around it.

I’ll say it again: you do need to add that major gifts fundraiser.[1] As an alternative, some organizations bring on a contract “Campaign Manager”– someone with a lot of campaign experience and major gifts fundraising experience – for the period of the campaign to run it for them. However, credible contractors who have a successful record doing this are very hard to find, extremely busy, and committed for years ahead.

But there’s a larger issue involved here, as well. Having a campaign is the chance for your own staff and board (starting with your CEO and Board Chair) to engage more deeply and more directly with your current and prospective major donors. It’s a waste of precious organizational growth to hand the leadership for inspiring and engaging these donors over to an outside contractor.

Next, start planning for the outside consultants and project-based campaign work you may need to plan and implement the campaign.

The second most expensive line item in your campaign expense budget (behind staff) will probably be your outside campaign counsel and the other contractors who will help you implement the campaign.

Because I’ve been doing this work frequently over the past 4 years, I refer you to my website to review the services of a campaign consultant. Suffice it to say here that the campaign consultant helps you assess your readiness for the campaign, guides and supports all planning for your campaign, coaches you on approaches to major donors and asks, brings you suggestions for other contract resources, helps you stay on track in the campaign, and sometimes challenges assumptions that will get in the way of success. Plan for a cost of $25,000 to $40,000 for campaign counsel if your campaign is small.

Project-based contractors will also be needed, primarily for marketing and communications projects, but also potentially for these activities, among others: campaign-supportive events of all kinds, IT improvements, and wealth screening of your donor database. Reserve at least $20,000 for these projects.

You should feel a little bit overwhelmed right now.

If the above information has served to caution you about taking on a capital campaign, I have accomplished what I set out to do. Adequate staffing for a campaign is critical, and unless you have an ultra-major donor just waiting to fund 99% of your project, you will need to examine and upgrade your staffing for the campaign as part of that overall dollar investment of between 5 and 25% of your campaign goal.

Please let me know if I can provide further information. And as always, your comments and questions on this topic are invited.

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[1] Finding a major gifts fundraiser to come work with you may take a year or more, depending on the work environment you offer, and the salary and benefits you can offer (plan on a FT salary of at least $65,000, depending on your location. If your group is too small to attract a seasoned major gifts fundraiser, consider hiring someone with campaign experience but at lower levels of giving. But that person still has to be devoted to the campaign full-time. And you will probably need more training and hands-on help from your consultant.