Overview of Now for the Future Campaigns in Churches
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Church Campaign Resources |
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Overview of Church-Based Campaigns |
Now for the Future; the Campaign for Silver Lake is a state-wide campaign to refurbish and upgrade the facilities at Silver Lake Conference Center. The campaign goal is $11.8 million plus a tithe of the funds raised to go toward the rebuilding of the facilities and programs at Back Bay Mission in Biloxi Mississippi that were largely destroyed by hurricane Katrina in 2005.
All of the churches in Connecticut will be invited join in this fund-raising initiative. Realistically, we expect that approximately 160 to 170 churches will be willing and able to organize their own Now for the Future capital fund-raising effort. The Now for the Future Campaign steering committee has established “fair share” suggested goal ranges for each of the churches in Connecticut, taking into consideration the number of members, the operating budget, OCWM commitments, and recent usage of Silver Lake.
Churches will move at their own pace through the following seven campaign Stages of Commitment (listed in sequential order, although some stages may be done more or less simultaneously). It is our hope and expectation that each church will complete the first four stages by year-end 2007.
1st Stage: Connect with the Now for the Future Campaign by designating someone to be your Church Representative for the campaign, a person who will personify the Now for the Future Campaign, and who, along with the pastor, will take the initiative to promote the campaign, build ownership among key church leaders, and be the primary contact person with the Now for the Future Campaign steering committee. [Church representatives can get help and resources by contacting Bev Hughes at 860.233.5564 x103 or toll free at 866.367.2822 x103.]
2nd Stage: Assess your own capital needs. Use the “Ministry Needs Assessment” brochure to start an envisioning process to determine what capital investment your church needs to ensure that its ministry will be vital and viable in the future. Consider whether to conduct a “Partnership Campaign” to raise capital funds for your church’s needs as well as for Silver Lake and Back Bay Mission. If it is to be a partnership campaign you will need to establish a process to determine the specific projects and costs to be included in the campaign. Use that process to build ownership among the members of your congregation. [For more on this please refer to campaign resource “Now for the Future Partnership Campaigns.”]
(The following 3 Stages will occur more or less simultaneously]
3rd Stage: Form a Campaign Committee. Do this as soon as you are able to identify the right person to lead the campaign. The primary responsibility of the committee is planning, and the secondary responsibility is recruiting people to help. Once you’ve got the right plan and the right people on board, the rest is easy. Members of the committee will take responsibility for the following tasks:
- Making own gift to validate own commitment and ownership
- Assembling and/or create campaign resources
- Publicizing campaign events and progress
- Organizing awareness and cultivation events
- Identifying, cultivating and soliciting potential major donors
- Establishing a realistic schedule for conducting the campaign
[For more on role of the Campaign Committee please refer to campaign resource “Organizing Your Campaign Committee.”]
4th Stage: Adopt your campaign goals in consultation with the Now for the Future Campaign steering committee. Consider using the two suggested upper range goals as your “basic” goal and “challenge” goal. A rule of thumb that is often used for setting church capital campaign goals is three times the amount of annual giving. What we know is that people give to those purposes they care most deeply about – they give from the heart. And that is why fundraising is about connecting donors to the purpose of the campaign. Commitment comes from owning the purpose. [For more on this please refer to campaign resource, “Achieving Your Church’s Goal.”]
5th Stage: Build ownership. This may involve holding information sessions, having a Silver Lake Campaign presentation, and identifying the best people to lead the Now for the Future Campaign in your church. Spread the word that your church is committed to the transformative ministries at Silver Lake: Christian formation among young people and adults and nurturing and developing future leaders of the church. Use the Now for the Future Case for Support, or develop your own Case for Support. Listen to feedback. Make appropriate adjustments. [Contact Bev Hughes at 860.761.7103 or toll free at 866.367.2822 x103 campaign resources or for help with a Silver Lake presentation.]
6th Stage: Implement the planned campaign according to the planned schedule. If the planning has been done well, implementing the campaign will be the culminating stage of a faith-building process that is fulfilling to both the donor and the solicitor.
7th Stage: Give thanks to God and Celebrate the generous response of God’s people who would re-build and re-invigorate the Church. In so doing we are reminded that this is God’s work which we do in response to the movement of the Holy Spirit who goes before us, and sometimes nudges us along from behind. And we are reminded also that we cannot say “thank you” too often to those engaged in this ministry.
