It’s September, which means it is time to start thinking, planning, and praying about your end-of-year giving strategy. Every September, I know it is time to focus on end-of-year giving as I am already getting end-of-year appeals from non-profit charities. So, I want to help you start your planning process...
I believe that sometimes, it is in the best interest of a church to acquire a short-term debt to facilitate growth. That comment could get you disbarred from some churches in America, including the church I currently attend! I might be exaggerating a bit, but if I suggested we borrow...
Cards Are Cool, But Cash Builds Buildings is the title of this Coach, and it's a truth you can't afford to overlook. Having a stack of pledge cards the day after your campaign commitment is a good start, but what really matters is turning those pledges into tangible donations to...
Last week, I told a story of a pastor I once worked with who explained to his leaders that the upcoming capital campaign wasn’t a fund-raising campaign but a faith-raising campaign. I want to further flesh that out in this Coach, entitled It's Not Fund Raising It’s Faith Raising. Last week,...
The average church member spends one and a half hours at church, including worship. I remember seeing that statistic a few years before the Chinese virus hit our shores. Post-COVID studies are showing an even greater decline in church engagement and attendance. This is why, when raising capital dollars, one...
“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...
If you keep doing what you have always done, you will not get what you always got. That’s one of my Brooks Mantras for Stewardship. As we entered the 21st century, it dawned on me that our methods for raising capital dollars were antiquated and becoming increasingly ineffective. The classic...
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...
“Do you want a sales answer or the truth?” Once, I was interviewed by a church that wanted to hire a stewardship partner for its capital campaign. The Executive Pastor asked me how much I thought they could raise in their next campaign. At that point, the church had done...
If you want to raise significant dollars in a capital campaign you must realize It Starts With a Vision. That is the title of this Coach and the key to a successful campaign. I’m starting back my series on how to do your own capital campaign, entitled Giving Away the...
