It Starts With a Vision
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 Farm. For the next few […]
Let’s Make a Case for Your Vision!
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 one-page, front and back. I […]
The State of Giving
The following is a repost that can be found at https://www.onlinegiving.org/support/the-state-of-giving “Giving Continues Its Decline, Down 2.1% in 2023. Can Fundraisers Turn the Tide in 2024? 1. That was the headline of a recent post I read by The Chronicle of Philanthropy on Giving USA’s annual survey on giving. When you delve deeper, you find […]
The 4th of July Giving Coach
July 4th is days away, and in this Coach, I will help you devise a plan to increase giving! I’m taking a break from my series on capital campaigns to focus on this issue, entitled The 4th of July Giving Coach. If you have followed me for any length of time you know that I […]
The Case for Special Offerings
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. I use the calendar for my clients to write step-by-step guides on improving giving around that time. I call them Playbooks. For every season of the year, […]
Half Time for Giving
The following is posted at https://www.onlinegiving.org/blog and is used with permission. We’re now halfway through the year, and it’s time to assess the state of giving in your church. Are you meeting your budgeted needs, or are you falling behind? Based on my experience, most churches are struggling to meet their budget needs by this […]
Identifying the Common Mistakes in Project Planning
“You never have to recover from a good start.” My mentor in capital campaigns, Dave Sutherland, drilled that statement into our heads on the importance of planning out a campaign. 99% of campaign mistakes could have been avoided during the planning phase of the campaign. A big part of being a campaign consultant was helping […]
How Long Does It Take to Hold a Capital Campaign?
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 some situations, it can and […]
A Question of Timing
About this time every year, churches call and ask, “Is it too late to start a capital stewardship campaign?” The answer is, it depends! We joke that most of our answers are, it depends! That is because there are so many variables that go into campaign planning. As I write this at the start of […]
Putting the New Back in “New”
How old is your “new” fellowship hall or your “new” children’s wing? For the typical church, putting the tag “new” in front of any building simply means it was the last structure built or renovated. For many churches, their “new” whatever was built in the last century! One of the most under-reported needs of churches […]