Home > Church Products and Services > Finance & Law
Your Church, May/Jun 1998
Go Pro on
Fundraising
How to glean gifts that keep on giving
by Quentin Wagenfield
University Baptist Church, Houston, Texas, had
approved a $6 million building project. Now it was considering whether to
use a professional organization or go it alone on fundraising.
The church had used a professional organization before, but leaders decided
they had learned enough from that experience to raise $3 million themselves.
After an extensive promotional program, the church succeeded in raising only
$1 million. Leaders decided to ask the pros back in. In 18 months, the
organization raised $3.3 million. Of that amount, 20 pledges were more than
$24,000 each. The unassisted campaign had only received one such pledge.
Why Go with the Pros
This story is typical of what happens to churches that use fundraising
organizations. According to Resource Services, Inc., self-directed campaigns
commonly raise only one-tenth to one-third of what professionals raise. Why
can fundraising organizations achieve so much more than churches that try
to go it alone? Professionals in the field suggest these reasons:
Proven performance. As the track records of the following companies
show, they're experienced in raising money for churches.
-
James Varner, vice president of Resource Services, Inc., says his
company served more than 300 churches last year.
-
John Hewett of Cargill Associates says his firm has helped more than
2,000 churches raise at least $2.8 billion since 1976.
-
Jim Sheppard, president of the Genesis Group (formerly Miller Linscott
and Associates), says his group has helped hundreds of churches since 1988.
-
Robert Hallett, president of TLC Ministries, has received many letters
of appreciation for services rendered since starting the company in 1990.
-
Gary Arnold, president of Church Fund-Raising Services, says that
organization and its predecessor, Church Development Center, have done more
than 5,400 church campaigns since 1948.
Expertise in a unique field. Companies that raise money for
schools, businesses, or nonprofit organizations often fail when they try
to do church campaigns. According to Hallett, that's because many companies
assume that fundraising methods are the same for all organizations. "They
overlook the distinctive nature of the church," Hallett says.
One thing that's unique about church fundraising is changing patterns of
giving. Church fundraiser organizations deal with that by stressing stewardship
education and spiritual renewal in their campaigns, Hallett says.
Varner understands church giving patterns too. He says people respond to
the ineffective but oft-repeated bricks-and-mortar and dollars-for-a-new-building
message by reducing their regular giving to meet capital giving. Resource
Services addresses that problem with stewardship education materials for
people of all ages.
Tailor-made programs. First United Methodist Church, Duncanville,
Texas, needed $1 million to purchase land and build on it. The senior minister
researched what professional organizations had done with churches and decided
to do his own campaign.
He raised $200,000. After three years, the church called Resource Services
to revive the stalled project. The company raised more than $800,000.
The reason self-directed campaigns often fail is that what works for one
church won't necessarily work for another. Professionals treat each church
campaign as unique. They have the tools to research a church and build a
program to fit. And they constantly monitor their procedures to improve them.
Earned respect. A Baptist church in the Midwest wanted to enlarge
its building and improve its parking lot. The building committee of the church
prepared construction plans and suggested a fundraising organization.
When the congregation was asked to approve the plans, some people questioned
the suggestions of the committee. They even challenged the competence of
committee members. After considerable debate, the congregation approved the
plans. When dissension arose over how to do pledge subscriptions, however,
the entire project collapsed.
The meeting might have gone more smoothly had the church hired professionals
to introduce the capital campaign. Congregations who give their own people
a hard time will often back off when addressed by people who clearly know
what they're doing and graciously make that expertise evident.
Consistent support. "Your zeal, faith, dedication, and seemingly
inexhaustible energy have served Orthodox Christians now and for years to
come." That's what members of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Cross
in Belmont, California, wrote to Church Fund-Raising Services after a successful
campaign.
Consultants from that company took a hands-on approach to the church's fundraiser
campaign. They advised church leaders on proper procedures. They helped with
campaign literature, training, and congregational presentations. They offered
guidance on follow-up activities. The company even provided a full-time resident
campaign manager to assist the church during the critical part of the fundraising
campaign. In short, the company took the load of fundraising off an already
overworked minister, business manager, and financial secretary.
Money savers. What a church saves in not hiring a professional
fundraising company may be eaten up by the cost of going it alone. Hallett
says that the $30,000 to $40,000 fee professionals charge is little compared
to "the extra costs involved with interest on the money not raised, projects
delayed or scaled down, disappointments, missed opportunities for the
congregation to develop real ownership of their facilities, and lost giving
potential opportunities."
For Those Who Go It
Alone
For churches that do their own campaigns, these suggestions can professionalize
those efforts:
Do your homework. Evaluate church membership and giving records
to determine how ready your congregation is for a capital campaign. Let that
research guide what program you design.
Communicate. Even the most committed givers need information
to make a decision about a capital campaign. So communicate! State the answer
to this question clearly and succinctly: "Why is it important for our church
to do this now?" Offer information about the project multiple times in multiple
ways to reach the maximum number of people in the congregation.
Enlist the right leaders. A capital program will rise or fall
on the strength and commitment of the men and women leading it. So choose
leaders wisely.
Involve the congregation. Laypeople in the church must take
ownership of the campaign in order for it to succeed. Involvement is the
best way to take ownership. A well-executed campaign tries to involve at
least 50 percent of a church's laity.
Allow adequate time. A farmer wouldn't plant seed one week
and expect to harvest a crop the next. Likewise, it requires several months
to grow commitments in a congregation. Prayer, information, inspiration,
encouragement and involvement are key ingredients of the process.
Stress the spiritual. When presenting a need, emphasize spiritual
renewal and personal growth in giving—not the amount of money you need.
This allows you to emphasize giving above and beyond contributions for the
church budget and to stress that people should not borrow from regular giving
to meet financial campaign contributions.
Follow up on pledges. The campaign doesn't end after you receive
enough pledges. Getting people to fulfill long-term pledges requires continual
attention.
Help Along the
Way
If the sheer magnitude of goal-setting, team management, recording pledges,
battling opposition, and providing literature becomes overwhelming, don't
despair. You can still call in professionals to help. No one understands
better than they do how to conduct a capital campaign.
Quentin Wagenfield is a freelance writer living in Cedar
Rapids, Iowa.
Fundraiser Organizations
Cargill Associates
800-433-2233
Church Fund-Raising Services, Inc.
800-826-2048
Resource Services, Inc.
800-527-6824
The Genesis Group
800-233-0651
TLC Ministries, Inc.
800-473-5352
TWB
800-251-4220
Copyright © 1998 by the author or Christianity Today International/Your
Church. For reprint information call 630-260-6200 or e-mail
yceditor@yourchurch.net.
May/June 1998, Vol.44, No. 3, Page 56
|
Subcategories
of Finance & Law
|
 |
 |
|
 |
|
Your Church
Home | Archives | Contact Us | Subscribe | FREE Newsletter
| 
