Forecasting Your Fundraising - Christianity Today

I‘m often asked, “When is a good time to raise funds?” For church leaders considering expansion projects, the obvious answer is, “Whenever you need them.” But that’s not necessarily true.

The old saying, “Timing is everything,” definitely applies to churches and major fundraising. For success, the right climate is essential.

By accurately forecasting the atmosphere and the congregation’s commitment to a project before making irreversible decisions, you can avoid severe turbulence.

Pea-soup fog

I recently worked with a church that wanted to raise capital dollars for a building on their current site and for a piece of land they would need for future relocation.

They had not selected a site nor did they know when land might become available. They had no idea of the actual costs involved—just estimates of what they thought would be within their budget.

The fundraising climate was foggy. The people could not see anything tangible. To raise funds, people must have a target! Before they are asked to give, the congregation must be able to visualize what they’re giving to and understand how it will benefit them.

The target must also be achievable within a reasonable period of time, usually two to three years.

Hazy days

Each Sunday one church in Maryland scrambled to cram their growing congregation into their quaint but too-small facility. During the week, their building also housed an elementary school.

In desperate need of classroom space for the day school as well as Sunday school, the planning committee solicited an architect who came up with a dream plan that included not only an educational building, but a new worship center. The staff and committee members were thrilled. There was just one problem: they couldn’t afford it.

The church knew what they wanted, but it wasn’t feasible financially. Had they proceeded with such a hazy view of their financial capacity, it would have been disaster.

The ability to raise funds is tied more to the spiritual commitment of the people than their income level.

Vision must be filtered through reality—a lesson the Maryland church learned just in time. Once the haze cleared, they saw they could solve their most urgent need by building only the educational facility. The worship center could wait.

Storm on the horizon

By all outward appearances, this large East Texas church was ready for a major capital project, but I had not been in the second training session more than a few minutes when I sensed something was wrong. The volunteers seemed disinterested, preoccupied, and conveyed absolutely no enthusiasm for the project.

Afterward, I voiced my concern to the pastor. “John, is something going on here that I don’t know about?”

“Not that I know of,” he replied. “I think we just have to move ahead and the enthusiasm will follow.”

Two weeks later when I returned for our next training session, John called me into his office.

“To put it politely,” he began, “a lot has happened since you were last here. It seems some of the deacons aren’t comfortable with my style of ministry and, well, they’ve asked me to leave.”

Stunned, I could think of nothing to say.

“I’m sorry,” he continued, “I’m not sure what to do about our stewardship program … “

Of course, there was only one thing to do—we stopped the campaign and refunded our fee. You cannot raise capital dollars during a storm! Sometimes you don’t know there’s trouble until you begin to ask people to consider sacrificial giving. Then, if there’s a storm brewing, a fundraising campaign will be certain to bring it out in full force!

Sunny skies

After personally conducting more than 175 campaigns, I’ve observed six signs that indicate sunny weather and good conditions for fundraising success.

1. Leaders have done their homework. Needs have been properly identified and the project will meet those needs defined and approved by the church body.

Before they even consider building, wise church leaders gather input from workers in every aspect of ministry. This helps them determine what type of space is most crucial to their growth and shapes both the content and timing of their master plan.

2. The people can visualize and understand the goal. The project should make sense to the vast majority of the congregation. Even though the frustration and inconvenience of inadequate facilities usually alert people to the need, it’s important to communicate why the leadership feels it’s best to solve the problem as they propose. Is it possible to add another service rather than expand? Would adding only an educational facility, a gym or additional parking be a less expensive alternative? The congregation should and will ask such questions.

It’s not enough for a pastor or the staff to be convinced; they must communicate how this project will best meet the concerns of the person in the pew.

3. The target is within the giving/borrowing potential of the church.

Need alone cannot justify a project. Entering into a capital fundraising campaign always contains risk, but if people feel the burden is too heavy, the project is doomed.

Early into a capital fundraising campaign, an Atlanta church began hearing rumbles from key members who feared the church was being overextended.

Wisely, the leadership had already determined not to compromise on the conservative debt-to-receipts ratio they had established from the beginning. They assured the congregation that unless they were able to stay within the financial guidelines, they would not proceed.

4. The congregation is unified toward the project. A tool that helped the church in Atlanta achieve unity was to conduct focus groups on relocation in their home fellowship groups. The idea wasn’t to “sell” the project but to listen to the people. The leadership learned certain issues, such as the financial concerns, were barriers to the whole- hearted support of the project and were able to address those concerns head-on.

As the leaders felt the heartbeat of the congregation, an amazing thing happened—the people began to catch the vision of what relocation could mean to them, their families, and God’s kingdom. When the time came to make a financial commitment, people were excited about giving and looking forward to the spiritual challenge it offered.

5. The pastor is visibly committed to the project. The Atlanta pastor, like most, was already over scheduled, but he made the campaign a priority. He attended at least part of every training session, allocated a portion of each service during the campaign to some aspect of relocation, and was available when his input was needed. His example clearly communicated that this project was important.

When considering a large project with heavy financial responsibilities, people need to know their pastor is with them, making the same kind of commitment he’s asking them to make.

6. The congregation has the spiritual commitment to sacrificially give over and above their present giving levels. How can we predict whether a congregation will be willing to give sacrificially?

While the income of the average parishioner is a consideration in what a church can afford, the ability to raise funds is tied more to the spiritual commitment of the people than their income level. Some of the most generous churches are the least wealthy.

For the climate to be right for fundraising, the church must be spiritually sound. Joshua 1:8 says if you observe all that is in God’s law, “then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

A stewardship program should not be about building new buildings but widening the circle of those who can be reached by the gospel. It’s a partnership with the Living God.

The people who understand that will be motivated to give, even beyond what seems humanly possible for them. Then is when God moves in and makes our “little” enough.

This is the perspective that can keep the atmosphere in a church stable—yes, even in the middle of a capital fundraising campaign!

G.C. Brown, a former bank president, is a consultant for Resource Services, Inc., of Dallas, Texas.