Author - Mark Brooks

The Fourth C

“If you want your members to catch your vision, you will need to tell them that vision seven times, seven different ways.” That was the advice that my first capital campaign consultant gave me way back in the 20th century. With your members getting blasted with over 3,000 marketing messages...


Communications Team Overview

The following is a page from my campaign planning sheet. Each church defines the Communications Team's makeup. For some, this is run by a staff member. For others, a layperson heads up the team. No matter the team's makeup, the following principles and tasks give you a broad overview of...


The Seven Common Mistakes Churches Make

A few years ago, I was on a conference call with a church, thinking about starting a capital campaign. One of the leaders on the call asked me about common mistakes churches make regarding capital campaigns. I sat down and came up with seven mistakes that we found most common....


From The Stewardship Journal Team

Welcome to another Stewardship Journal. Imagine the power of never having to rely on a capital campaign consultant again. Is it worth your time to delve into this edition of the Journal? Our current series, Giving Away the Farm, is a treasure trove of insights that can empower you to...


Capital Campaign Overview

The following is a copy of what I hand church leaders in my first planning meeting with them. This is a great overview of the basic principles of a campaign. How this is fleshed out is church dependent. The following is my initial handout. The overall mission of a capital stewardship...


Capital Campaigns Are Different, Not Dead!

Success in a capital campaign begins by understanding that capital campaigns are different, not dead. The traditional capital campaign process was developed in the last century and, for the most part, has been left unchanged into the 21st century. That model revolved around organizing a multitude of various teams involving...


From the Stewardship Journal Team

The past few weeks' events have shown the importance of the local church. In times of distress and unrest, it is good to know there is a place we can go to for sanctuary from the storm. Now more than ever, our Nation needs strong churches to show the way...


Leading Leaders to Lead

Leaders first. Never announce a major change of ministry direction or a new building plan from the platform on a Sunday morning that you have not first announced to your leadership. That is a mantra I preach to every Senior Pastor that I help raise capital dollars. Why? Let me...


An Overview of a Leadership Meeting

Let me explain what I mean when I say leaders. As a stewardship guy, I’m thinking of raising funds. So, I want the top 15% of your donors to be present at any leadership meeting. Often, that net captures all your leaders. However, it might not catch the faithful retiree...