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."

From About.com http://nonprofit.about.com/od/c/g/capitalcamp.htm (09/08)

Capital campaigns usually include appeals for construction projects, new program initiatives or other specific needs of the organization. Funds donated to the campaign are often transferred to the charity’s endowment fund. Earnings from the endowment are used to carry out the expressed goals of the campaign. - Baldwin Wallace College at: http://www.bw.edu/giving/glossary/

fundraising is the process of soliciting and gathering money or other gifts in-kind, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gather funds for not-for-profit organizations, it is sometimes used to refer to the identification and solicitation of investors or other sources of capital for for-profit enterprises. - Wikipedia at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundraising