The Monthly Leap - September 2026

Hi there!

It’s hard to believe, but here we are…entering the fall season very soon! September always feels like a month for getting back into a rhythm. Summer calendars start to settle, fall schedules take over, and for many of us, there’s a renewed energy around the work we want to accomplish before the end of the year.

Around here, we’ve been thinking a lot about planning - specifically, what it takes to turn a big vision into a campaign that your organization can actually move forward with. Capital campaigns require plenty of relationship-building (you know we’ll always talk about that!), but there’s also a lot of structure behind the scenes that helps keep everything moving in the right direction.

So for this month, keep reading to find out:

• What's on Rikki’s mind: The art and science of a campaign

• Tip of the month: When you get stuck, go back to the plan

• What's coming up

• What's bringing us joy

I hope this post is a little spot of joy in your month!

Rikki

What's on Rikki’s mind?

I often say that capital campaigns are a combination of art and science.

The art is in the relationships. It's knowing your donors, listening well, understanding what motivates them, and recognizing when it's time to move a conversation forward - or when it's time to give it a little more room.

The science is the structure behind all of those relationships. And that's where the campaign plan comes in.

A good campaign plan takes a big vision and gives it structure. It helps you clarify why this project matters and what the funding will make possible, determine how much you need to raise, think strategically about the gifts it will take to reach that goal, establish a realistic timeline, and determine how you'll engage donors and communicate along the way. It gives your team a roadmap before the campaign ever begins.

And while all of that planning is important at the beginning of a campaign, I think the real value of the plan becomes even clearer once you're actively fundraising.

Because at some point, you're probably going to get stuck.

A gift you were counting on doesn't come through. A timeline starts to slip. You're not sure who should make the next call or what needs to happen before you move into the next phase. Campaigns involve people, and people don't always follow the plan!

Your campaign plan gives you something steady to return to when the art of the campaign gets a little messy. It helps you remember what you decided, why you decided it, and where you're headed next.

The plan doesn't replace the relationships that make a campaign successful. It gives those relationships a strong foundation to build from.

Tip of the month

If you have a plan – whether it's a campaign plan, an annual development plan, or a strategic plan – don't let it become a document you create and rarely open again. Use it!

When your campaign feels like it's losing momentum, go back to your gift range chart. Where are the gaps? Which gifts or conversations could help you get moving again?

When your annual fundraising goal feels out of reach, go back to the tactics you said you would try. What have you forgotten about? What needs to get bumped up on the timeline?

When you're overwhelmed with what to do next, go back to what your board agreed were the priorities in your strategic plan. What can you tackle next that will actually move the needle on one of those priorities?

When something doesn't go as expected, use the plan to help you decide what comes next. You may learn something that changes your timeline, communication strategy, or even your fundraising goal. That's okay. A plan isn't meant to predict exactly how every step will unfold. It's there to help you make thoughtful decisions as you go.

There's a lot that goes into building a campaign plan specifically, and throughout September, we'll be breaking down some of those individual pieces on our social media channels - what they are, why they matter, and how they work together. ​Follow along!​

What's coming up?

• There’s still time to join us for Mid-State Technical College’s Nonprofit Leadership Institute! Beginning September 10, Rikki will co-facilitate eight evening sessions alongside Sarah Ross from the Community Foundation of Central Wisconsin. If you’re a nonprofit professional, board member, or emerging leader based in the Stevens Point area who is looking for practical ideas, meaningful conversation, and an opportunity to strengthen your leadership, we’d love to have you join us. ​Learn more and register here.​

• On September 22, Rikki is heading to Brookfield for a conversation with nonprofit leaders about capital campaign readiness. The workshop will focus on what makes a campaign different from other fundraising efforts, the key elements organizations should have in place before moving forward, and how to determine whether you’re ready to take on a major project - or need a little more time to strengthen your foundation first. If you’d like to attend, email aanderson@firstbusiness.bank to RSVP.

• Later that week, Rikki is also co-presenting at the ​Northern Wisconsin Heritage Council annual conference​ in Rhinelander – this time with her husband, John Harry of the Portage County Historical Society. (We've said it before...but can you imagine how much nonprofit talk happens at their dinner table?!) If you're involved with a historical nonprofit in the Northwoods and want to learn more about how to prepare your organization for the next chapter, we'd love to see you on September 24!

What’s bringing us joy

RIKKI

(This is quickly becoming my favorite part of the newsletter! We've had so much fun talking internally about things we love.)

If you're on "bookstagram," what's bringing me joy is probably not much of a surprise to you...

My favorite fantasy author (Sarah J. Maas) is releasing two new books in the coming months, one in October and one in January. In preparation, I've started another reread of one of her series – ​Throne of Glass​. After a bit of a reading slump, I've devoured 3 books in less than a week and I couldn't be happier to be sinking into the familiar world she's created where love prevails, good overcomes evil, and women save the world before their 21st birthdays. I'm a fast reader so there's a real possibility I will do a complete reread of all 10,000 pages of the SJM universe before the new book releases in two months. Wish me luck!

BROOKE

This month, I want to talk about deodorant. LOL. ​Carpe deodorant​ ads were all over my social media before I stumbled across it at Target and took a chance on a $15 deodorant.

My favorite scent is Rose Water, even though I typically HATE rose scents. It has a lotion-like consistency, you only need a tiny bit, and it claims to provide 100 hours of odor control. (I’m sorry. I know this is a weird recommendation.)

I haven’t tested the full 100-hour claim, but I have gone at least 48 hours, and it works like a charm.

Expensive? A little. Weirdly delightful? Absolutely.