One important thing for churches to understand is that when the commitments are in, the campaign is not over. One phase is completed, and now you are in another. I believe the first 30 to 60 days after the Commitment Weekend are crucial. So, let me outline what I recommend...
Several years ago, I wrote the following blog post on praying in money. While the thrust was for the weekly offering, the principles I laid out will also work for praying for a capital campaign. Do you regularly pray for a full offering plate each Sunday? Isn’t it amazing how little...
One of the greatest challenges I face is helping pastors plan their preaching for a capital campaign. I’m often asked how long a sermon series should run for a capital campaign. The answer depends upon many factors, but I have found that four to six weeks is the best length. The...
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 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...
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...
Are the glory days of capital campaigns over? Since the 1960s, when there was a huge explosion of church expansion and building capital campaigns, billions of dollars have been raised for churches. Those days may be over. Studies are showing that the average capital campaign is now raising about... 1 time....
When I work with a client for a significant giving initiative, I start by asking the Pastor to write out the vision behind whatever we are raising money for. Technically, this is called a Vision Case Statement. I want a broad overview of what we are raising money for on...
In my experience of working with churches of all types and sizes, special offerings work if you do them right. Let me make a case for special offerings. Why hold special offerings? First and foremost, special offerings give you the ability to recast your vision every time you hold one. And...
A lot longer than you think. But when I get asked this question they always mean the “public phase” of a campaign. This comes after months and sometimes years of planning. In most “public phase” campaigns, the average time is at least six months from initial planning to completion. In...
