ISM has long held that stable schools have strategic Boards. A capital campaign grounded in the Board’s understanding of (and commitment to) its strategic role is critical for campaign success. The use of the word strategic is intentional. “A strategic Board is one that sees its core role as building a financial/organizational platform that ensures that the institution will be able to fulfill its mission on behalf of the next generation of students … [by]… sustain(ing) long-term programmatic excellence.” The following set of four core elements critical to institutional readiness as the Board considers embarking on a capital campaign.