Are there any overriding factors such as endowments or outstanding loans that counterbalance evident trends?
If it appears that operating or maintenance expenses will increase after the completion of the proposed capital project, consider raising money to endow an operating or maintenance fund as part of your financial planning. Endowments are stable sources of invested funds that make interest earnings available to cover operating or maintenance expenses that cannot be paid for through earned income or annual fundraising. Include support for the endowment in your larger fundraising program. An endowment can help cushion the hardship of economic downturns and allow you to protect your capital investment. Having such a cushion eases the pressure faced by many organizations to choose between paying for programming or maintaining a facility.
