Last updated October 7, 2026
Choose a capital campaign consulting firm on four things: who will actually do the work, how they run the feasibility study, how they are paid, and what happens in the public phase. A strong pitch matters less than the named senior counsel who will sit in your committee meetings for the next three years.
Ask every firm for references from campaigns similar to yours in size and sector, a sample feasibility report, and a clear description of what they do in each phase. Be wary of any firm paid a percentage of dollars raised, which the AFP Code of Ethical Standards prohibits.
Finally, ask who runs the public phase. Many organizations end up with three vendors: one for the study, one for campaign counsel, and a separate calling company. Catapult is one accountable firm across all five phases.
Catapult service
Capital campaign consulting. Catapult is one national firm across all five campaign phases, including staffing the public phase with trained Engagement Officers.
Who will actually do the work
The most common complaint about campaign counsel is a senior partner who wins the work and a junior associate who shows up after the contract is signed. Ask for the name of the person who will attend your committee meetings, coach your volunteers, and write your reports, and ask to speak with them before you sign.
How the feasibility study is run
A real study is built on confidential interviews, not a survey link. Ask how many interviews are included, who conducts them, and what the final report contains. You should come out of it with a confirmed or corrected goal, a gift chart built from your actual prospects, and a timeline you can defend to the board.
How the firm is paid
Reputable firms work on a fixed monthly retainer for a defined term or a project fee for a defined deliverable such as a study. You know the cost before you start. A consultant paid on commission has an incentive to chase the easy gift instead of the right one, and donors who learn part of their gift went to a commission rarely give again.
What happens in the public phase
Many campaign firms plan the public phase and then leave it to staff or hand it to a separate telefunding vendor. That handoff is where prospect data gets lost and accountability gets blurry. Ask who will reach your broader community, how callers are trained on your case, and how results are reported.
Questions to ask every firm
- Who, by name, will be our day-to-day counsel?
- Can we speak with three clients whose campaigns looked like ours?
- How many interviews does your feasibility study include, and who conducts them?
- How is your fee structured, and does it change based on dollars raised?
- What do you do in the quiet phase, and how do you prepare volunteers before they ask?
- Who runs the public phase, and is that your team or another vendor?
- How and how often will you report progress against the gift chart?
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