The Secret to Smarter Capital Campaign Planning: Walk Your Halls with Purpose

by Kim Catley

In the early stages of capital campaign planning, conversations often focus on budgets, goals, and ideas for the future. Sometimes, however, the best thing you can do is step away from your desk and take a walk.

This isn’t just about clearing your head but taking a close and deliberate look at what you have. The trick is to approach this deep walk-through with intention and curiosity. As you go room by room, or even building by building, take your time to assess if the space is being used effectively, if any upgrades are needed to improve its functionality, or if it should be reimagined to better serve your mission.

If possible, invite people from other areas of your organization to join you. Your facilities staff might have insights on deferred repairs, aging systems, and flood risks. Program staff might know which public-facing spaces are underutilized and what upgrades are needed to improve your community’s experience. Your development and communications teams may have ideas for how to leverage your space to share your organization’s story and impact. With their input, you can develop a more holistic understanding of how different audiences use your space and uncover possibilities that can’t be found in the line items of a space utilization report.

The leadership team at one of our clients, Felician University, recently conducted a detailed walkthrough of their two campuses in Lodi and Rutherford, New Jersey—an exercise that proved invaluable from multiple perspectives.

“The walkthrough not only provided critical insights into our capital needs but also shed light on building utilization, vacant spaces, and the policies and procedures that guide facility changes,” said Lisa Gilbert, Felician’s Vice President of Advancement and Strategic Initiatives. “By aligning these observations with the institution’s strategic and facilities master plans, the Cabinet is now better equipped to make informed decisions for the future. I am especially grateful to our President for joining us in this important endeavor, which will play a key role in shaping our case statement and defining the parameters of our upcoming campaign. There is truly no substitute for seeing things firsthand.”

As a case writer for the Heller Group, walking through spaces with our clients gives me an opportunity to better understand their needs and goals and to visualize the challenges. I can also pick up on the intangibles—the small details that are hard to describe over Zoom—that bring authenticity to the message.

While visiting our client Temple Shalom, a reform synagogue in Northern Virginia, I experienced how inaccessible some areas of their building were. The walk-through crystallized why an elevator was such a high priority for their members. At the nonprofit Hot Bread Kitchen in New York, I saw how the layout of their teaching kitchen affected interactions between workshop participants. And touring Felician University with a student and several staff members helped me understand what different stakeholders wanted and needed from the spaces where they live, study, work, and connect.

If a capital campaign is on your horizon, take the time early on to walk your halls, climb your stairs, sit in your classrooms and meeting spaces, and check out every nook and cranny. The process will help you see how your facilities either support or hinder the work you do every day and reveal opportunities to better utilize your space.

And for extra credit during your walk, take note of the places you find that are named in honor of donors. Many of our clients start engagements with us by declaring, “we don’t have much that is named,” only to discover there is actually a pretty long list.

If you could use an outside perspective to see your space with fresh eyes, we’re here to help. Set up a free strategy session to get started.