Capital appeal fundraising for charities
Capital Appeals
Feasibility studies, appeal plans and lead gift fundraising for charities raising money for a new building, a refurbishment or major equipment.
Money Tree Fundraising is a UK fundraising consultancy. Our capital appeal work is led by Beth Upton, our Founder and CEO.
The board has approved a building
Now the money has to be raised, and building work often starts before all of it is in.
An appeal runs for two years or more and reaches the whole organisation, from trustees to front-line staff.
Trustees need evidence that the target can be reached before they commit.
What our capital appeal support involves
You can buy one stage, such as a feasibility study, or have us alongside you from planning to opening.
Feasibility. We research who could give and how much, interview potential donors and key stakeholders, test your case for support, and give you a gift range chart and a straight view on whether the target is achievable.
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The appeal plan. Phases, targets, timings, budget and the team you will need, with clear roles for fundraising, the senior team, trustees and any appeal board.
The private phase. Finding and approaching the people who could make the lead gifts, working with your chair, trustees and appeal leaders.
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Trusts and statutory funders. Applications to trusts and foundations that fund capital costs, and bids to statutory and lottery funders.
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Need a list of potential lead donors? Build your Pipeline turns your supporters into a ranked prospect list in twelve weeks. Trust applications for an appeal can run as interim trust fundraising, and statutory bids through our bid and tender writing service.
After the appeal. Turning capital donors into an ongoing major donor programme, so the relationships outlast the building.
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How long a capital appeal takes
Allow three years or more from first planning to the end of the appeal.
Planning
Starts now and takes about six months.
Private phase
From planning permission to the start of building work. Ideally at least two years.
Public phase
Once ground is broken. Six to nine months.
Most of the money is raised in the private phase. Reaching about half the target before you go public is what makes the public phase credible.
Where the money comes from
Buildings are funded by a handful of people rather than a broad public campaign. The exact shape varies, but most appeals depend on gifts at roughly these levels:
12 to 18%
of the target from the largest single gift
50 to 55%
from the top ten gifts
40 to 50%
from the next 50 to 100 gifts
Those gifts come from individuals, trusts and foundations, companies and statutory funders. A capital appeal is a major donor appeal, and it can be the start of a lasting major donor programme.
What it costs
Expect to spend about 10% of your target on raising it: extra capacity in your team, specialist support, materials and events.
Our fees, all plus VAT, with the days agreed in writing before we start:
Feasibility studies, appeal plans and strategy
£667 a day
Trust applications for your appeal
£441 a day
Statutory and lottery bids
£500 a day
Results from our capital appeal work
Harlington Hospice, 2019
A feasibility study for a new 20-bed hospice for Hillingdon. We researched corporate, trust and individual funders, wrote the case for support and tested it with stakeholders, and built the gift range chart. The hospice could then decide when to launch, who to approach, for how much, and what resources it would need.
Edinburgh World City of Literature Trust, 2024
Cases for support for capital and revenue projects, and significant preparation for a Stage 1 National Lottery Heritage Fund application for a Literature House project of about £6 million. 61 applications prepared, 10 won, worth £76,250.
Chestnut Tree House
A capital feasibility study for a £7.5 million refurbishment: interviews with potential capital donors, an assessment of what individuals, companies and trusts could give, a case for support, and training for fundraisers and senior leaders in making big asks.
The Prince of Wales Hospice, 2019
A case for support and budget for a capital equipment project, written while the hospice recruited a trust fundraiser, so the search for match funding did not stall.
"Working with Money Tree Fundraising has not just helped with the new build project but increased our knowledge of fundraising."
Harlington Hospice
Who you will work with
Beth has worked in high value fundraising since 2002, and capital appeals are one of her own disciplines, alongside major donor, corporate and trust fundraising. At the Marlowe Theatre she raised £2.4 million towards its £4.5 million capital campaign in about two years, including a £500,000 trust gift and a £250,000 gift from a private donor.
Beth Upton, Founder and CEO
Rachal Minchinton, New Business Manager
Rachal leads our trust and statutory bid work for capital projects. In her consultancy career she has generated around £20 million for clients.
Money Tree Fundraising
199
contracts delivered since 2018
76%
of our work comes from returning clients and personal recommendation
Capital appeal experience with hospices, heritage charities, churches and community centres.
Questions about capital appeals
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Research that tells trustees whether a capital target can be raised, and how. It finds who could give and how much, tests the case for support with potential donors and stakeholders, and sets out a gift range chart, a timetable and the resources the appeal will need.
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Allow three years or more: about six months of planning, ideally at least two years of private phase between planning permission and building work, then six to nine months of public phase once ground is broken.
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The quiet period before any public launch, when the lead gifts are secured from a small number of individuals, trusts and companies. Most of the money is raised here. Going public with about half the target secured makes the appeal credible.
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Expect to spend about 10% of the target on fundraising. Our fees are £667 a day plus VAT for feasibility and planning, £441 a day for trust applications and £500 a day for statutory bids, with the days agreed in writing before we start.
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Yes. We can review where the appeal stands against its gift range chart, plan the next phase, or add capacity for trust applications and bids.
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Yes, with charities across the UK.
Planning a capital appeal?
Book a free 30-minute call with Rachal. Tell us what you are building, the target and where you are in planning, and we will tell you what the first stage should be.
More on major donor fundraising: Major donor fundraising