We design and manage Capital Campaigns to fund facility needs, to strengthen endowment, and to expand other core financial reserves. These services include: Campaign Feasibility and Campaign Planning Studies, Campaign Preparedness Technical Assistance, Full Service Capital Campaign Management, and "Turn Around" Programs for Troubled Campaigns.

LAPA’s team of executives have created and fostered many successful local and national capital campaigns. Aside from “Bricks & Mortar” projects, LAPA also has helped many organizations develop Endowment Funds and Cash Reserve Funds to keep them on solid financial ground during troubling economic times. Each campaign has its own challenges and opportunities. Our campaigns, therefore, are uniquely designed to fit each client’s particular need according to that client’s capacity.

We begin with planning and design; we then aid our clients in voluntary leadership recruitment, prospect identification, program marketing, prospect cultivation, and gift negotiation.

Among the campaign services we provide:

Complete day-to-day campaign management
Development of detailed campaign plan
Drafting text for all campaign materials, documents, and correspondence
Direction of prospect identification activities
Direction, structure, and materials for all campaign committee meetings
Coordination of prospect cultivation activities
Development of individualized solicitation and gift-packaging strategies
Management and tracking of prospects
Preparation of all campaign reports

Combating the Cash Flow Crunch: How a Cash Flow Campaign Works

“A campaign must have a goal, a rationale, a theme, a structure, a plan, a budget, a name, and a chance!” *

LAPA identifies six major steps in working with you to build an effective Capital Campaign.

Preparation – LAPA makes sure that your organization has a clear mission and vision that fits into your need for the campaign. We get to know your organization and its strategic plan. We strengthen your board and staff to be ready for the demands to come. We identify and cultivate donors, prospects, and volunteers who can best make your organization’s dream a reality. We also seek out other consultants, such as architects and public planning advisors to aid you in your project.
Planning – LAPA conducts a feasibility study to determine the perception of your organization in your community, public relations needs, the arguments for and against a capital campaign, the leadership capability of your organization in regards to a campaign, the financial strength of your constituents, external affects such as the economic climate, and timing of the campaign. Based on results of the study, LAPA assists you in developing a strong case statement in support of the campaign, outlines a timetable, establishes policies, determines the financial goal, identifies leadership, prepares proposal copy, establishes a campaign subcommittee within your Board of Directors and, with their assistance, identifies volunteers for soliciting lead gifts.
Leadership Gifts Phase – Once LAPA helps you identify prospects, we can begin to develop a solicitation strategy for each gift, prepare proposals, train volunteers to solicit from family foundations, and solicit gifts.
Advance Gifts Phase – During this stage we use the lead gifts as a launching point to generate giving from family foundations, research and solicit more individual gifts, and prepare more proposals. We also begin to enlist volunteers for the General Phase.
General Phase – Now that major gifts have been obtained, LAPA can help you extend your campaign to include phonothons and direct mail. At this point your organization can begin an official kick-off using media sources.
Clean-Up Celebration – As the campaign begins to wind down, LAPA can aid you in follow-up solicitations to non-responders, reporting to volunteers, volunteer acknowledgement, extra thanks, and reinforcement of relationships with donors. It is now time to celebrate with a campaign kickoff, goal-reaching party, groundbreaking, or open house.

Planned Giving Programs – LAPA has developed a ground up approach to planned giving involving the full scope of life income giving strategies including:

Charitable Gift Annuities
Charitable Remainder Annuity Trusts
Charitable Remainder Unitrusts
Charitable Lead Annuity Trusts
Charitable Lead Unitrusts
Life Estate Agreements
Bequests

* with credit to Bob Conway, retired consultant who advised on some of the largest university capital campaigns in the 1970s and '80s.