CAPITAL CAMPAIGNS: Is There a Capital Campaign in Your Future?

If there may be a capital campaign in your future, this session is for you!

Capital Campaign Definition: Capital campaigns are intense fundraising efforts designed to raise a specific amount of money within a defined time period to build an organization’s assets and capacity.

Learn the secrets to a successful capital campaign and what to know before you start!

· Preparing for a Campaign: When is it time to begin planning for a capital campaign?

· Getting your board ready: How should your board be involved in a capital campaign?

· Identifying campaign leadership: What should you look for in your volunteers, board, and fundraisers?

· When to ask for help: Deciding on the right consultant for your organization

Presenters:

Barb Greene, Common Good Consulting

Brooke Laskin, CCS Fundraising

Elizabeth Kinsella, CCS Fundraising

Alexandra Nicholis Coon, Executive Director, Massillon Museum

Pamela Holtz, Senior VP & Chief External Affairs Officer, Akron Zoo

Presenter Bios:

Barb Greene is the founder and former principal consultant of CommonGood Consulting, Inc. (2003-2021), an organization that provided strategic planning, board development and fund development services to nonprofit organizations. She has facilitated/coordinated numerous capital and endowment campaigns for organizations that include Akron Urban League, Habitat for Humanity of Summit County, Stewart’s Caring Place, ACCESS, Archbishop Hoban High School, Emerge Counseling Ministries and Akron Marathon. She is now semi-retired and provides limited independent consulting services. Her past experience includes positions with two Michigan public television stations (development and promotion director) and a YWCA in Flint, Michigan (associate director). She also was the founding executive director of two nonprofits established in Grand Rapids, Michigan (Direction Center) and Akron, Ohio (Summit Education Initiative). She holds a M.A. degree in administration from Central Michigan University. She  has served on numerous nonprofit boards and currently serves on the Akron Urban League board.

Brooke Laskin brings expertise in major gifts strategy, feasibility studies, and development office transitions to her role at CCS. She works across all sectors with client partners of all sizes.

She is currently providing partnership support to several organizations throughout the Midwest, including the United Way of Greater Cleveland (OH), the Saint Louis Zoo (MO), Nine PBS (MO), St. Paul Academy and Summit School (MN), and more.

Within Cleveland, she has supported major gifts and development planning work for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry, and the YMCA of Greater Cleveland.

Prior to joining CCS in 2015, Brooke worked at Habitat for Humanity in Indianapolis. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona and master's in social service administration from the University of Chicago. She enjoys yoga, sailing, and spending time with her dog, Lucky.

Elizabeth Kinsella brings experience in project management, strategic planning, donor communications, and storytelling to her role at CCS. Now in her fourth year at CCS, Elizabeth has engaged with organizations across all sectors and has worked on a variety of fundraising initiatives including campaign management, feasibility studies, and development assessments.

Elizabeth is currently providing campaign management support to Hospice of the Western Reserve. She has also supported campaigns, studies, and assessments for a variety of other organizations across Ohio, including the Diocese of Toledo, Salvation Army of Greater Cleveland, and Cleveland State University.

Prior to joining CCS, Elizabeth worked at Ogilvy & Mather where she developed marketing and communications strategies for both for-profit and non-profit organizations. Elizabeth received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In her spare time, she enjoys running, baking, and walking her dog, Ozzy.

Alexandra Nicholis Coon is the executive director for the Massillon Museum and holds a BA in art history from Kent State University and an MA in art history through the joint program at the Cleveland Museum of Art and Case Western Reserve University. She has been with the Massillon Museum since 2001 and served as curator from 2003 to 2010. Coon served as board president for the Ohio Museums Association from 2017-2019, and is immediate past chair for Visit Canton, the Stark County Convention and Visitors Bureau. She is active on boards of the Cleveland Print Room, Massillon WestStark Chamber Foundation, Aultman Health Foundation and Aultman Hospital. She is District 4 director for Soroptimist International Midwestern Region, and a member of the Canton/Stark County Soroptimist club. Museum Advocacy is near and dear to her heart; she has joined museum colleagues nationwide on Capitol Hill for ten years now as part of the American Alliance of Museums Advocacy Day. She has led two major capital projects for Massillon Museum, most recently a $6.2 million expansion. She and her husband Joshua live in North Canton with their twin daughters.

Pam Holtz is the Chief External Affairs Officer (CEAO) and Senior Vice President for the Akron Zoo. She assumed this role in April 2021, after serving as Chief Development Officer and vice president since August 2015.
With a unique blend of experience as a senior fundraiser, marketing director, and executive-level administrator, Pam is a member of the Akron Zoo Executive Team leading fundraising, government affairs and community impact partnership initiatives. Prior to being appointed as CEAO, Pam was Akron Zoo’s first Chief Development Officer and built a robust fundraising program that resulted in achieving a seven-year fundraising goal in 5 ½ years. Before joining the Akron Zoo, Pam led Akron Children’s Hospital Foundation’s annual giving and corporate alliance programs and served as the Marketing Director for Petitti Garden Centers.  

Pam currently serves as the Chairman of the Advancement Committee for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. In addition, she is a graduate of Leadership Akron Class 38, a director on the Blick Center Board of Directors and a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Northeast Ohio. She resides in Stow with her husband and adult sons, Jonathan and Dillon.