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 tasks needed. I use this sheet as a discussion starter for how to communicate the vision of the campaign in engaging ways.

Mission Statement – The overall mission of the Communications Team is to help cast the vision of the capital campaign in a clear, concise, and compelling manner through printed materials, multimedia, and other creative tools. The goal is to connect each segment of the _________________ family to the vision in such a way that their questions are answered, and they are ready to make a willing, wholehearted commitment to the campaign. The principle values to remember throughout this process are to:

• Share the vision of _______________ and how the project links to fulfill that vision
• Tell the story of _________________.
• Show the plans for the proposed project.
• Answer anticipated frequently asked questions
• Inspire members about the vision
• Encourage involvement in church and the campaign
• Challenge each one at ___________________ to make a commitment to support the vision

Campaign Deliverables—Every church is different; therefore, what you as a team decide upon for your deliverables will be different. Your team’s goal is effective communication. This may or may not involve spending dollars. Every dollar spent, however, must be seen as an investment, not an expense.The goal is not to spend as much money as possible, thinking that the more spent, the more will be raised.

Again, our aim is to be effective with what is spent on printing. The standard should be the existing level of expectation of materials currently used at ______________. We want the campaign materials to be a notch above that material. It must have a quality and clarity that will capture the donor’s attention.

Some of the deliverables that you might consider are:

• Campaign Logo and theme
• One-page vision summary for leadership meetings
• High-Capacity Donor Brochure
• Congregational Campaign Brochure
• FAQ Sheets – usually used with the Brochure
• Videos
• Commitment Event Invitations
• Newsletters, bulletin inserts, social media posts, etc.
• Advance Gift Commitment Cards/Envelopes
• Celebration Commitment Cards/Envelopes