What Is a Capital Campaign Feasibility Study? A Plain-English Definition for Nonprofit Consulting Firm Owners
A feasibility study tests whether a nonprofit can actually raise the capital it's contemplating. Here's what's inside, what the deliverable looks like, and how the market prices it.
George Fassett, Jr. · July 13, 2026
A capital campaign feasibility study is the pre-campaign engagement in which a nonprofit consulting firm tests whether a client organization can realistically raise a specific capital target — and if so, how, from whom, and on what timeline.
What a Feasibility Study Tests
- The case for support. Whether the project resonates with the donors who would actually fund it.
- Leadership capacity. Whether the board and CEO can and will lead a campaign of that size.
- Donor readiness. Whether the top 20-30 prospects are engaged enough to make lead gifts.
- Financial capacity. Whether the donor base has the depth to fund a full gift table.
- Organizational readiness. Whether the development office, database, and reporting can support a campaign at that scale.
What a Feasibility Study Deliverable Contains
- Executive summary. Recommend, recommend-with-modifications, or defer.
- Recommended campaign goal. Often different from the ask goal.
- Recommended structure. Timing, phases, quiet-phase target.
- Draft gift table. Number and size of gifts required.
- Named lead prospect list. With engagement and readiness assessments.
- Case for support edits. Language, framing, priorities.
- Organizational readiness gaps. Staffing, systems, board.
Market Pricing
Feasibility studies in the U.S. market typically run $40K-$150K depending on organization size, geography, and target goal:
- Small regional nonprofit, $3-5M target: $40-70K.
- Mid-size national, $10-25M target: $70-120K.
- Major institution, $50M+ target: $120K+.
Engagements typically take 4-6 months and include 40-60 in-depth confidential donor interviews.
Why This Matters to Consulting Firm Owners
- Feasibility studies are the highest-margin engagement in the fundraising consultancy portfolio. Fixed scope, defined deliverable, minimal execution risk.
- Delivery consistency is the firm-value driver. If every senior consultant runs feasibility studies their own way, the firm can't be trusted to scale.
- Standardization is the succession path. A firm whose methodology lives in one partner's head has no exit value.
Mebuis works with nonprofit consulting firm owners on operating model, methodology standardization, and firm-value work under the Nonprofit Consulting Firm Growth practice — not on the campaigns or feasibility studies they sell to their clients. Book an operator alignment call.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is a capital campaign feasibility study?
- A feasibility study is a pre-campaign consulting engagement that tests whether a nonprofit can realistically raise a specific capital target — testing the case for support, leadership capacity, donor readiness, financial capacity, and organizational readiness. It typically includes 40-60 confidential donor interviews.
- How long does a feasibility study take?
- Typical feasibility studies take four to six months from kickoff to final report. That includes case-for-support development, prospect research, 40-60 confidential donor interviews, analysis, and the final deliverable and presentation to the board.
- How much does a feasibility study cost?
- In the U.S. market, feasibility studies typically run $40K-$150K depending on organization size, geography, and target goal — $40-70K for a small regional nonprofit with a $3-5M target, up to $120K+ for a major institution with a $50M+ target.
- Does Mebuis run feasibility studies?
- No. Mebuis does not deliver feasibility studies, capital campaigns, or fundraising services. Mebuis works with nonprofit consulting firm owners on their firm — operating model, delivery consistency, growth, and succession — not on the client engagements they sell.