Capital Campaign Coordinator

Overview

Location: 812 Madison St., Oak Park, IL 60302

Primary Points of Contact: Board of Directors (Capital Campaign Committee) and General Manager

Engagement Type: Contract / Consultant (part-time/variable hours)

Start Date: March 6, 2026

Campaign Goal: After 10 years of serving our community, the Sugar Beet Food Co-op’s store is ready for a refresh. We plan to update our interior space to add new fixtures and check out lanes to enhance the customer experience and profitability of the store. We estimate that we will need to raise $ for this project.

About Sugar Beet Food Co-op

Sugar Beet Food Co-op is a full-service, community-owned grocery store in Oak Park committed to local, organic and sustainable products.

Our mission is to build community through food.

Our values are:

• Run a financially viable business for our owners
• Be a great place to work
• Provide a thriving marketplace for local farmers & producers
• Address inequality in our local food system for our broader community
• Be a great place to shop
• Be an environmental steward to protect our planet

The co-op has a demonstrated history of being able to raise money from the community. To launch the co-op 10 years ago, we raised $650K in owner loans. We secured 80 loans from 68 different people and foundations. We have paid back 78 of them with the final 2 loans due in early 2026. This capital campaign is a key initiative to advance our co-op’s next phase.

Note:

the words donor and lender are both used in this document to describe people who would make a loan to the capital campaign. Contributions to the capital campaign are not tax deductible.

The Capital Campaign Coordinator will be responsible for managing the planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting of the capital campaign for Sugar Beet. The individual will serve as the primary project leader for the campaign and will work collaboratively with staff, board, and owners to ensure campaign objectives are met on time, on budget, and aligned with co-op culture and values. The Sugar Beet Board and Capital Campaign Committee should retain the primary responsibility for direct lender relationships.

As aligned with standard campaign-coordinator roles (see workbook resource ), the Coordinator will lead:

• Create and refine a campaign plan to include:
• Goals
• Timeline
• Budget
• Recognition plan
• Setup tracking systems to monitor and manage the campaign plan.
• Example deliverables:
  Campaign Plan and Tracking System

Work with the committee to identify prospects from co-op ownership (previous lenders and new owners) and segment them by capacity, affinity, and giving potential.

Identify and engage lenders from outside co-op ownership including major donors, foundations, government, corporate partners, and community donors

Prepare materials including briefing packets, talking points, and presentations to support cultivation.

Manage necessary donor cultivation and informational events.

Engage identified donors not assigned to board members.

Example deliverables:
Owner prospect list, outside prospect list, lender briefing packet, event materials, prospect assignments, and sample call sheets

Draft communication materials to inform owners about the plan and solicit input. The committee will approve and store staff will be responsible for sending communication.

Managing at least one forum for open owner input on the proposed renovations and updates to the Co-op.

Example deliverables:
Owner briefing promotion materials, briefing materials, briefing followup message

Coordinate solicitation strategy including organizing outreach, preparing proposals and loan agreements, follow-up and recognition.

Maintain a lender pipeline, assist in managing commitments, tracking payments, and ensuring timely recognition and acknowledgement.

Example deliverables:
Loan agreements, thank you notes.

The ideal candidate will be able to motivate a team of busy volunteers towards a common goal, organize a project with multiple deadlines and handle challenges with humor and grace.

Examples of tangible qualifications include:

• 5–7…