How to Engage Your Entire Staff in a Capital Campaign

In this episode of All About Capital Campaigns, Amy Eisenstein and Andrea Kihlstedt explore a topic too often overlooked: how to include your full staff—not just your fundraising team—in the campaign process.From front-desk staff to program leaders, finance officers to communications teams, everyone has a role to play. Andrea and Amy walk through how different departments are affected by a campaign and why it's crucial that each group understands the timing, goals, and expectations. They offer real examples, including a front-desk "mystery donor" test that revealed a major gap in internal communication.

You’ll hear how campaigns often require a shift in messaging, reporting, and collaboration across departments. The conversation covers:

• Why development staff not directly involved in the campaign still need clear communication and coordination
• What communications staff need to understand about the quiet phase
• How to avoid tension with finance staff over campaign gift reporting
• Why program and public-facing staff should be kept in the loop

The episode also highlights the importance of ongoing internal updates—quarterly or even monthly—to keep your team aligned as the campaign progresses. Amy and Andrea emphasize that campaigns should energize your entire organization, not just the development office.

If you're already in a campaign or just starting to plan, this episode will help you build internal clarity and momentum from the inside out.

To ensure your campaign ends in a celebration, download our free Capital Campaign Step-by-Step Guide & Checklist - https://capitalcampaignpro.com/checklist/ - This intuitive guide breaks down each step of your campaign, and the timeline allows you to visualize your whole campaign, from start to finish!