Questions are important and so are the answers! We frequently receive questions from pastors, church members, board members wanting to know some details relating to a capital stewardship campaign. We have indicated some of the typical questions that seem to show up most often and applied our take on those questions. If your question is not listed here, then we would invite you to email us your question and we will get back to you as soon as we are able.
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When is the best time to launch a capital campaign?
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It is important to prepare the congregation for your campaign. The preparation may involve explaining the "who, what, where, why and when" of the campaign. The preparation may also involve some teaching of biblical principles as well. Having said that, the fall and spring are frequently selected for campaigns as the fall is a time of new beginnings following the summer holidays. A campaign launched in January has appeal in that it will help to break up a long winter and help lift spirits after the Christmas and New Year holidays come to an end. Launching a campaign in January also helps people to focus on the spring months ahead. |
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Should our church manage the campaign or should we use a fundraising consultant?
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This is an important question. The answer depends upon how large your capital campaign will be and whether you have the staff and volunteers available to help and manage your campaign. This first thing you should do is assess your leadership pool and determine if you have the leadership talent available to help you. Also, even if you have the leadership talent in the church they may not be available to help. Take the time to quietly assess and investigate the availability of your leadership pool.
In addition, look at the potential leaders in your church. These individuals could be a great asset and by involving them in your capital campaign you are building future leaders for your church. If I was the pastor or the campaign "chair" I would definitely use this opportunity to develop new leaders in the church.
As for the second part of this question, you may want to consider using a consultant if you don't have the leadership pool to draw from. But, it is important to know that most consultants will tell you what to do and it is up to the people to do the work. The consultant normally doesn't do the work. the consultant will advise you and help develop strategies and promotional materials in some cases.
The drawback is that most consultants are very expensive and the people do the work. It is for that reason that we developed the QuickStart Program to teach church leadership exactly what they need to know in order to manage the campaign. So, this brings us back to developing people within the membership of the church since they are the ones who will end up doing the work anyway. |
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Do fundraising consultants charge a commission against the money they raise?
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I don't know of any consulting firms which charge a client a commission based upon what amount of money is raised. That is not to say it isn't done - I just don't know of any. Normally, a consulting firm will charge a fee based upon the amount of work to be done, number of meetings to attend, transportation costs, production and printing costs, overhead, and some degree of profit for the company. Usually, the fee ranges in the 3% - 5% of the goal sought but is not presented as a commission, rather it is presented as a fee for service. I don't know of anyone charging a fee against the money raised.
I do not like commission fee structures as they tend to foster self interest of the consultant which will result in applying pressure to members of the congregation to give more money than they would like to give. A capital stewardship campaign should be based upon biblical principles and not coerce people to give.
At Master Financial Planning Services Inc. we charge a fee for service to manage the campaign plus out-of-pocket expenses at cost. The out-of-pocket expenses may include printing, video production, and some travel.
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Do fundraising consultants guarantee I'll reach my goal?
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No! There are too many variables in the mix for a consulting firm to guarantee that you will reach your goal. For example, some people may not do their job properly or at all and the leadership may not follow-up to ensure that the task in question was completed. Also, it is possible for the leadership to cut corners in order to speed up the process, and it is a process, and thereby miss important elements that could affect the outcome of the project.
At Master Financial Planning Services Inc. we guarantee to stick with your church and make the necessary changes to the strategic plan and your tactical posstion to help you achieve your goal. We consider our involvement with your church as a partnership and in that capacity and spirit we will work with your leadership team until we ge the job done.
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What is a feasibility study?
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A feasibility study is a combination of a written survey and/or an interview with a representative cross section of your congregation and leadership. It endeavors to discover the degree of support for your stewardship campaign as well as a level of financial commitment to your campaign. If done properly, the leadership team will gain valuable insight into what people are actually thinking, whether the people in the church will become involved in the campaign, and whether they will support the campaign financially. There is also many other important facts revealed during the feasibility study.
A feasibility study also gives the church leadership an opportunity to seek feedback to questions that the board would like to present to the congregation about the expansion, various programs or other issues affecting the church. |
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Our church is a long way from your offices. How could we hire you when there is so much distance?
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We would travel to your church to meet with your board and leadership as well as to provide training for the various committees you require in your campaign. However, much of that and addition work can be done "on-line" through our web site. Using the latest conferencing technologies enables us to help more churches even in remote parts of the world. Distance is no longer a deterrent to a successful relationship. |
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When I order your products, when will I receive them?
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All of our fundraising materials and products can be downloaded to you immediately. If you request printed materials, it could take from 5 to 10 business days to arrive. You would be given a tracking number to follow the shipment. |
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How much money will our church raise in a capital campaign?
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That is a difficult question to answer because there are several variables involved. For example do yu have any major donors capable of making a generous "lead" gift to your campaign? How has the "giving" been in the church over the past three to five years? What is the average income of the people in the church and the surrounding community?Do you manage your own campaign or do you bring in a consulting company? There are more but this will give you some idea.
The unspoken general rule is if you follow the procedures and campaign strategies outlined or if you were to hire a consulting fim you should target for 2 to 3.5 times your annual income. Again, this is a general rule and should only be used to "ballpark" a number.
A properly conducted feasibility study is more apt to give a better number which will reflect the actual outcome of your campaign.
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How will a capital campaign affect my regular giving from the congregation?
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A capital stewardship cmpaign should help your giving in the church. People are taught to make a commitment "over-and-above" their regular giving. For the most part this is accomplished but there will always be a few who will simply mark their giving envelope to the campaign and ignore their regular giving. Fortunately, there are not very many people who do this. In one church we even saw an increase in the regular giving during the capital stewardship campaign. |
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When I download your fundraising materials and products, what can I copy?
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Great question and thanks for asking. All materials are copyrighted. However, we understand you will need to distribute information to all campaign participants. You may make copies of educational, training and promotional materials for use with the capital stewardship campaign in your church. We ask you not to loan it out or give it to another pastor, church or consulting firm.
Also, in compliance with the copyrighted material, use of the material in whole or in part for inclusion or for the creation of other materials without proper copyright documentation, reference and credit to Masterfinancial Planning Services, Inc. is prohibited. If there is a question about usage rights, please contact us for specific permissions. It is our goal to assist you in any way we can.
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