From Joanne Fritz,
Your Guide to Nonprofit Charitable Orgs.
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Definition: A capital campaign is a time-limited effort by a nonprofit organization to raise significant dollars for a specific project.

Often the money raised is to fund the acquisition, construction, or renovation of a building. Sometimes, capital campaigns are used to build an endowment for the future. In other cases, capital campaigns fund an extraordinary expenditure such as an expensive piece of equipment.

Capital campaigns have a beginning and an end, but often span several years. A capital campaign employs all the usual means of raising funds such as direct mail and direct solicitation. Capital campaigns require extraordinary preparation and skillful execution.

Examples: "The university will run a capital campaign to fund its new medical campus."