My pastor Tom Elliff use to say that Christianity was only one generation away from extinction.  You only need to look at Europe to see what that looks like.  Beautiful churches that are empty on Sunday.  Some would say that we here in the US are well on our way to becoming just like Europe.  Like old age I want to fight against that happening.  Maybe as the End of Time approaches it is inevitable but I want to work hard to not see it happen on my watch.

With the increasing secularization of America and the decline of Christianity comes the challenge of the decline in giving.  The truth is that giving to religion, while still the largest percentage of charitable giving, is far from what it once was.  As this current recession works itself out many are wondering what the immediate future holds.  What about the next generation coming up?  Will they step up and fill the gap when soon the Matures, those born before 1945, die off?  Could giving be one generation away from extinction?

Recently a new study was done one how people connect with charities and how they give.  It was conducted by Edge Research polling over 1,500 people.  The Chronicle of Philanthropy published an article about the study in it’s March issue under the headline, “Charities Must Adapt Appeals to Reach Young Donors, Poll Finds.”  Among the findings were these facts:

• Younger donors were more likely to say they would increase their giving this coming year than older people, the majority of whom said their giving would remain the same.
• Members of Generation Y, born between ’81 and ’91, were less likely than older people to say the economy had affected their giving, in large part because they had less money before the recession.
• People born before 1965 were most likely to keep up-to-date on charities from mailings, while younger people said Web sites were a more important source of information.
• Older donors give more and to more groups.
• Generation Y gives on average $341 to an average of 3.6 groups.  Generation X gave on average $796 to 4.2 organizations, Baby Boomers gave on average $901 to 5.2 groups and the Matures gave on average $1,066 to 6.3 charities.

There were other interesting tidbits in the report as well.  Like…

• Donating at the Supermarket or retail store was the primary way all generations give to charity.
• Mobile text giving while gaining significance still ranks only 14% of the way younger people give.
• Direct mail gains the most gifts from Matures, 77%, Boomers, 52% and Gen X 43% compared to Gen Y’s 26%.
• No one way surfaced as THE  way to gain gifts.
• Charities must begin focusing on every generation not simply the Matures.

I found the article interesting and helpful.  It confirmed some things that I had suspected.  One thing it showed was the Social Media is on the rise but is still far from being the standard way to gain younger people’s donations.  It may be HOW we give in the future but it will not be that we necessarily give BECAUSE of Social Media.  Social Media may become the new check card of the future.  How many checks do you write these days?

The were other interesting tidbits but the one thing I came away with from the study was hope.  Hope that perhaps we can push back the fear of becoming that generation that sees giving become extinct.

What this study has shown is that two generation groups that in the past many have worried about are indeed stepping up to carry their weight.  I remember reading lots of articles about the future demise of giving due to the selfishness of Baby Boomers and the disillusionment of Gen X.   The Edge Study revealed that the average amount given to each generations top charity was as follows:  Gen Y – $161, Gen X – $272, Boomers – $211 and Matures – $280.  It appears from this that the two generations that many have worried about for years are beginning to step up and pull their weight.  Hope for the future.

What would account for this?  While I have no definitive proof I do have some hunches.  One is that as we mature we tend to view things much more differently and less selfishly.  As we age frankly we earn more and have more.  Giving on what I made in my twenties was far less than what I am making in my fifties as an empty nester and am able to give.  I am sure there would be other reasons but these are a few that to me make sense.

The real question however remains, could giving be one generation away from extinction?  The answer is that it could be but it does not look to be so in the immediate future.  When asked by the Edge Study about their giving next year the most oft answer by all generations was that their giving would remain the same.  Only 4% and less said they would decrease their giving.  Still we should never take any donor for granted.  What this study has shown is that all generations can and will give.  They each have specific ways in which they BEST are attracted to give though there is no ONE way.  At the end of the day however you, the one looking for their dollar, have to convince them that your cause is worthy of their gift.  By telling your story, what God has called you to do, in a clear, concise and compelling way, you can push back the generation of extinction a few more years.

Remember, great vision reaps great gifts!

Mark Brooks

President and Founder

The Charis Group

Last week I made a presentation to a large denominational church in the Midwest.  After I shared how wonderful I was and why they should engage us I opened it up for questions.  One of the questions asked might have cost me the contract.  I was asked how many of the churches we worked with last year met their goal for raising funds.  My answer was that none of the churches we worked with had set a goal.  I went on to share the reasons behind this and what the churches ultimately accomplished and that everyone was happy with their partnership with us.  The question back to me was, “If you don’t set a goal how will the people know if the campaign was a success?”  Fair question.  I am not sure my answer under the gun helped clarify my position.  So, as I have thought about it here is my further reflection.

I am in favor of what works not what has always been done. I frankly told the church that if they wanted to set a goal for their campaign I had no problem with that.  The real question is however, do goals work?  Do they indeed help people realize success or failure?  Why set goals?  If most campaign consultants are honest the reason they recommend goal setting is that campaigns have always had goals.  To even question why you ought to have one is foreign to their thinking.  However if we are honest we will find that much of what is recommended to churches in terms of a campaign structure is dated from the 1970′s.  Times have changed and so must our campaign process.  The issue is not to be different for the sake of being different but for the sake of being more effective.  To that end let’s evaluate what the value of goals are.

Goals do not motivate giving. Let’s say that your church is in a three million dollar campaign.  How much do you think you would commit to that three million dollar campaign?  Think about that for second.  You might even write down an amount.  Oh, excuse me did I say three million?  I meant six million.  What will you commit now?  Will it be double what you first thought since the “goal” amount is now double?  For 99% of us the answer is our commitment would not change.  Frankly the M word, million stretched us.  Adding a few more million does not mean I can or will commit any more.

Having a goal as a motivator is something churches did back forty years ago.  As a pastor I stopped having high attendance days to beat our all time attendance.  I found that my people were less and less motivated by hitting some arbitrary number.  The same is true for giving to a capital campaign.  Dollar amount goals do not motivate your people to give more.  This isn’t a track meet.  Raising funds in a campaign is a spiritual process not a numerical exercise.

Setting a goal can back fire on you. In my over twelve years of experience setting a goal more often than not has come back to haunt the church for setting the goal.  What happens if you don’t hit that arbitrary mark?  Do you not go forward?  I once had a pastor get up and tell the people that unless they raised two times their operating budget they would not build the building.  They failed to hit that mark falling just a few thousand dollars short.  What did they do?  They of course went ahead and built the building.  However that pastor will have problems the next time he makes a statement or sets an arbitrary goal like that.  His members will remember the last failure.

Many use situations like that as a sort of Gideon’s Fleece to help them determine the will of God.  Gideon was one of the worst leaders in the Bible and yet we seemingly want to always put the fleece out.  If you are not careful setting a goal can become a fleece that if you miss people will think God has spoken against your project.  Setting a goal and not hitting it is one of the worst set backs you can experience on the road to seeing your project fulfilled.

Goals vs. Needs. So, what do I recommend.  I first start by sharing that donors have two broad questions in mind.  The first is, Does this make sense?  In other words does it fulfill our vision?  The second is, Can you pull it off?  There they are asking what the plan is.  So, I would start with the need.  In the instance of the church last week the need is to pay down their debt of nearly $10 million.  I would then tell why this is important and how the church plans on paying it down.  What difference will my gift make?  The ultimate goal if you will is $10 million.  That is over four times their annual operating budget.  That is probably more than they can raise in one campaign.  Remember, Lakewood Church, the largest church in North America, needed more than one campaign to raise $100 million they needed to relocate.

State your need and then seek to answer the questions that donors would have.  So for the church I was at last week I would help them by thinking through what questions donors have and how to answer them.  For instance, How much are we trying to raise?  As much as possible to pay off as much as we can as fast as we can.  Every dollar you give means one more dollar released for ministry.  The more money we pay off our current indebtedness gives us more options for the future.  They could frankly say, we would love to be able to raise at least, X, Y or Z.  Doing so would enable us to do, A, B and C.  Help donors see what their gift will mean towards reaching the churches vision not hitting some numerical goal. That more than anything will be a true measure of success.

In my experience this approach has been far more effective in helping answer donors questions and thus motivate them to give.  If setting goals works for you set them by all means.  Again, I am not oppose to setting goals IF they make sense at that church.  I do think however that you will have to address the issues listed above.  In the end I know that what motivates people to give is not a goal but a vision that inspires.  My advice is to work on communicating your vision not working on some goal.

Just some thoughts.  Now if only that church will sign the contract!

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

If you have ever been rejected either by a college, job application, church or a proposal take heart.  Some of America’s greatest minds and most successful people were rejected.  There is a great article in Wednesday’s Wall Street Journal about the college admission rejections some of America’s leaders received.  Consider this…

Warren Buffett was rejected by the Harvard School of Business.

Today Show co-host Meredith Vieira was also rejected by Harvard.

Harold Varmus won a Nobel laureate in medicine after Harvard’s medical school rejected him, twice.

Ted Turner was rejected by Princeton and Harvard and later dropped out of college all together to go on to make millions.

The list goes on.  You perhaps have your own story of rejection.  No one likes to be rejected but it happens.  The point of the WSJ article was not to focus on rejection so much as it was how these individuals did not let that stop them.  The article reminded me of my former boss, John Maxwell’s book “Failing Forward.”  The real question is not whether you have been rejected or not but what you did with that rejection.  Failure and rejection do not have to stop you.  It also reminds me of the teaching of Bill Gothard who has a section in his seminar about the Death of a Vision.  Gothard taught from the life of Abraham that God often allows the vision that we have to die first so that He can do a refining work in us to resurrect that vision later.

The one thing that I do not like about what I do is that I first have to “sell” a church to partner with us.  I am not a salesman.  I am a consultant.  I often lose to other firms with salesmen as a result.  Some tell me I am too  honest.  For instance what other firm frankly admits that they sometimes lose?  I hate to lose.  I hate it most because I believe with all my heart that we are the best firm.  Why would you chose anyone else?  Yet, it happens.  The key is what do I do about that rejection?  Here are some things that I do that perhaps you might do also when rejection comes your way.

First, I try to not let it affect my perspective of who I am. Do not let rejection define how you view yourself.  Getting rejected does not mean you are a loser.  It means that whoever rejected you simply did not see your true worth.  When churches reject us for whatever reason I do not let that deter me in my belief that God has called me to this ministry and fully equipped me.  I believe I am the best stewardship consultant in America.  Just ask my mom she will tell you!  Seriously, I know who I am and I do not let rejection derail my dreams.

Honestly review why the rejection took place. Every time a church chooses not to partner with us we call back to ask why.  Most of the time we get some lame excuse that we were simply not a fit.  Well, what does that mean?  I would rather hear the truth, as painful as it might be, than some sugar coated phrasing.  Knowing why you are rejected helps you avoid the same mistake in the future.  Some mistakes are out of your hands.  I can not combat a lie by a competitor or a decision by a church simply to do nothing.  I can however listen and probe to find out what about our presentation did not meet the churches expectation.  I then learn how to do a better job of presenting who we are the next time.  While it might be tough to hear, if you do not listen to the reasons for rejection you will never be able to move forward without that review and reflection.

Work harder. I find that when we lose a potential client it causes me to work harder.  Perhaps that is my escape mechanism but it works for me.  I write, read, review and generally get busy.  What I do not allow myself to do is the very thing I want to do, nothing!  A pity party will not add revenue to our bottom line.  So, get up and get back to work.

Keep your eye on the vision. When I began The Charis Group I had a simple audacious goal, to revolutionize the stewardship industry.  I had grown weary of the abuses of many firms in the field.  Most stewardship firms just pump out pre-packaged programs.  They sell trinkets and bobbles instead of true strategic consulting.  I hated the way pastors too often viewed us, a necessary evil.  I wanted to change how business as usual was done.  Who was I to dream that dream?  Some days I wonder.  Yet it is still the dream God placed in my heart.  One church at a time we are attempting to do just that.  Some churches don’t see what we see and reject us a partner.  I wish them well.  I believe at some point they will wish they had those Charis boys at the table.  I will be back to talk with them in a few years again offering our services.  In the mean time I move to the next potential client that needs our help.  I have a dream and I will not let rejection or that other big R word, Recession, stop me.

I am reminded of Proverbs 24:10 that says, “If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength.”  In your own ministry there will be times of rejection.  Some will chose to leave your church for another or not join yours.  They may give their money some place else.  Instead of such rejections causing you to slow down or give up all together, use that as a learning time.  Use the rejection as a tool to spur you onward towards your goal.  History is filled with example after example of people who were rejected but are now viewed as a success.  How will you respond to the rejections of your life?  Your response says a lot about your strength.  So, get back up and get in the game!  Use the power of rejection to fuel you towards success.

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

This week I met with a church that runs over 1,000 attendees each week at it’s two locations.  When I asked if they regularly updated their leadership the response was that they did so once a month.  How many people attend was my follow up question.  About fifty was the answer.  Fifty out of 1,000?  While I am not sure of the content of the “leadership” meeting one has to wonder why the low turn out?  I remember back in my pastoral days that when we held a business meeting there was always a mass exodus for the parking lot before the meeting began.  Why?  I am sure there are a lot of reason.  Members might simply trust you to do the right thing, feel it is something not meant for them, be too busy to attend, or even not really care.  However I think most of the reason is that, well our meetings are more often than not, boring.

The sad reality is that much of what we do at church gets graded by our constituents as just that, boring.  I will frankly admit that if you are holding monthly meetings you probable can not make each one tantamount to going to the movies.  Passing out popcorn might help but still business is business and it can be, well, boring.  My point here is that we need to rethink how we engage even our leaders.  Doing so with your leaders will spill over into the whole congregation.  If we need to do this with our leadership base you can be sure you need to do so with the entire congregation.  One result will surely be a much more robust offering plate.

How can the church, which has an eternal message, be boring?  How can something as exciting as interacting with God the creator of everything be reduced to boredom?  There are a lot of reasons perhaps but here are some causes in my mind.  We slip into boredom in our approach when…

We routinely do something week after week or month after month.

We take for granted events and people.

We fail to see what we are doing as vital and important thus reducing it to necessity.

I could go on and on but then you only give me a few minutes of your time so I think you get the point.  In what ways does this all come back to impact us.  More importantly since I am the stewardship coach how does this impact your offering plate?  Let’s take the above points and apply them to two issues in church life that are vital but are often abused into boredom.

Informational meetings. Whether you call them business meetings, leadership updates or whatever too often they are simply a boring regurgitation of facts and numbers.  Here is a thought, make them exciting.  This week as I met with the church in my opening of this blog I talked to them about how to incorporate excitement into their meeting.  I talked to them about making the meeting a link between what the church is doing and accomplishing and the donations people give to support it.  Make the meeting visionary and the response will be different.  By casting a compelling vision in your information you give donors more of a reason to give to your ministry.  Always when you are introducing facts or figures make a beeline to people’s lives being impacted.  Giving is not simply about paying the preacher or keeping the lights on it’s about impacting lives for the Kingdom.  Work hard to make your meetings exciting and you just might see more people attend.  More people attending will mean more contributions in the plate.

Offering time. Sadly one of the most boring points of our service is the offering.  Why do we spend so little time in planning and preparation here for something that is so important?  If your offering time is boring don’t be surprised if the plate is not as full as you would like it to be.  I am not talking about Hollywood sensationalism here.  I am again talking about giving those in attendance a real reason to want to give to your ministry.  Too many churches never do anything different when it comes to the offering.  If you are using the same old approach don’t be surprised if you are seeing a decline in your offerings.  Make the offering time exciting, informative and even fun.  Avoid boring offering times and I will submit to you that the plate will be fuller.  If giving is so important why is the offering time so dull and boring?

For more about super charging your offering read my past blog post, “Elevator Pitch Your Offering To Success.”

While it might be tough for us to admit people vote with the feet and with their dollars.  If your meetings are not well attended.  If your offering plate is running a little bit lighter.  It could be that for whatever reason you have become boring.  I can assure you that being boring can and will cost you money.  Spend some time today thinking how you can energize your message and your offering for this Sunday.  The money you bring in just might keep your ministry afloat.

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

March madness has sports fans clinging to their TV sets.  Emotionally last second shots have made the difference between one teams dreams continuing on and another going home.  For a non basketball fan like myself I only like to watch the last few minutes of a close game.  I like to see how both teams respond when the clock is ticking downward to zero.  True champions emerge at that point.  Games are won or lost at that point.

Whether you realize it or not the same can be said for your decision to move forward on a project or on raising the funds for that project.  Right now we are in the final stages of talking to various churches about fall campaigns.  I feel sometimes that the church leaders we are talking to think they have all the time in the world.  The truth is that the clock is ticking and time is running out.  One of the classic mistakes of the church is to fail to plan far enough in advance.  As a pastor I was often so caught up in the tyranny of the moment, Sunday’s sermon, that I would often not think about planning ahead.  Then I would find myself scrambling to either catch up or simply not fall behind.  Don’t let the clock run out on you.

As you think about the possibility of your project and a campaign to support it here are some factors to consider.

Start sooner rather than later. I could line pastors up that would tell you their only regret is that they did not start the process sooner.  Even if you are just thinking about a project it is not too early to talk to us.  You might think that you have all the time in the world but in actuality the clock is ticking.  Acting now will save you heart ache later.

The more time you give the process the better the result will be. In my over twelve years of doing this the most successful campaigns have been those that have not been pressured by time.  While sometimes timing is out of your hands, if the bank demands a campaign now, you should never hurry the process.  Haste is the death of good planning and good planning is the key to a successful campaign.  Not only will the process be smoother and more effective if you give it more time but you will enjoy the process more.  When you delay starting you are only creating more work in a shorter time frame for yourself.

The more time you have the more flexibility you have. One reason I like to have more time is that sometimes you need to push the pause button.  As you begin planning for a campaign it is not unusual to discover obstacles that need resolving before you move forward.  You will run into obstacles.  Having more time gives you the flexibility to adjust and adapt without impacting the campaign.  Narrow time frames lock you into moving forward no matter what.  Obstacles sometimes can not be removed and can adversely impact the amount raised.

Six months is the average time span. Can we do campaigns in a shorter times span?  Yes, but they will not be as effective as if you start sooner.  I like to have at least six months.  In three months you can in some circumstances pull off a successful campaign.  However again you will feel the press of the campaign to a much greater degree.  Sometimes you have to move faster than you would like.  However if you can, give yourself more time.  You never know when you might need to push the pause button.  The ultimate goal is to have a successful campaign not simply get it done.  At The Charis Group we are committed to getting it done right not on time!

So, if you are even considering a fall campaign NOW is the time to start.  By starting I mean you should already have your campaign partner selected and begin the work process.  Every week and month you delay this decision, you endanger the effectiveness of your results.  As always we would love to talk to you about how we can help.

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

Last night I was watching the Fox News program “Geraldo at Large.”  He was reporting on the debate on the health care bill and the Tea Party protests at Washington D. C.  Some in the crowd had yelled racially charged statements at African American congressmen as they walked by.  Others appear to have called Rep. Barney Frank, an admitted homosexual, an insensitive name.  Geraldo had on my friend Mike Huckabee and Al Sharpton.  Rivera asked Mike his take on those types of protesters.  Mike called them idiots.  Mike went on to explain that they represented a minority of those in attendance.  Still however you will see that this type of idiot will be how the whole protest will be characterized, as racist, out of control and dangerous.  Instead what it showed was that there is an idiot in every crowd.

That is exactly what they are, idiots.  Here is why I believe they are idiots.

Only an idiot would use a racially insensitive name that they know that person would find offensive. The N word should never be used by anyone at any time.  It’s offensive.    By using words such as that you show that you are really the one who should be considered an idiot.  I am reminded of the old child hood taught, “I know you are but what am I?”  Using the N word is tantamount to having a big I on your forehead.  You know what that stands for.

While I do not believe homosexuality is an acceptable lifestyle I do not believe I have the right to call a homosexual a name that they would find offensive.  I can disagree with your lifestyle and still be civil towards you.  Calling a homosexual a name only shows what a lack of manners you have and in the end shows you too have a big I on your forehead.

The few idiots in the crowd endanger the message of the crowd. Too often the media will focus on extremes thus making it look like those represent the main stream.  If you have watched much footage of the Tea Party movement you will find that it comprises all segments of American life.  I have seen a lot of video footage for instance of African American speakers at these rallies and many in attendance in the audience.  Yet many on the far left want you to believe that the Tea Party movement is a racist group.  MSNBC regularly makes this charge.  A Dallas Tea Party group comprised of many African Americans and Hispanics pointed out that their organization had more people of color than MSNBC’s all white network line up.  Never mind facts however it’s the idiots that get the attention.

Yesterday’s outrage at the Capital will only give the Left fuel for the public dis-service.  Whether the Left likes it or not their is a growing anger in America today over how Washington handles the Peoples business.  Lumping all protesters into one racist lump by showing only the idiots is an attempt to marginalize a movement that has some very pertinent points.  So, the idiots at the capital played right into the hands of the Left handing them their talking points last night as they once again attempted to marginalize honest objections to this bill.  In the end the message sent by the main stream media is that only the uneducated, racially insensitive are against this bill.  The idiots sunk the weight of the protest before it even had a chance.

So, those that used the N word and who accosted Rep. Frank have done their cause a dis-service.  They rightfully deserve a label.  For those of us in the church and even those who oppose this health care legislation, we must call those idiots out.   Mike Huckabee was right on they are idiots.

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

A popular ad on television by a credit card company asks, “What’s in your wallet?”  My question today is what is in your retirement wallet?  How prepared are you for retirement?  If you are just starting out in ministry you might not even be thinking about that kind of question.  If you serve a in a main line denomination you might have a retirement account set up for you automatically.

That was my case as I served Southern Baptist churches for over twenty years.  While my pay was not always very high every church put money in a retirement account for me that the state denomination added to.  So, without much effort on my part I was able over time to put more than the average American into a retirement fund.  At 26 I really did not think about it.  At 53 I think it about it more.  Whatever your station in life you need to think about your retirement now not later.

While I have made some bad financial decisions in my life, buying my wife a new car the month the recession began, in my retirement funds I have done fairly well.  Last year in my main retirement account I actually saw my money grow by 26%!  The other fund that I have, that has about 5% of my retirement has seen a 50% growth in the last 12 months.  While I am not a genius I have paid attention to my accounts and as a result while others are still recovering from huge losses I have seen gains.

Here some tips from an amateur…

Make regular contributions. The key is making contributions that over time will amass into a large amount.  Most planners will tell you that you should be looking at least putting back 10% of your annual income.  While that might not seem possible at first you can start somewhere and graduate up.  The older you get the more you need to look at putting money aside.  Frankly the last two years have been a challenge for my business but I have still put something into retirement every year.  Consider it a tithe to yourself and make whatever contribution you can.

Stay in it for the long haul. A lot of people pushed the panic button during the Panic of 2008.  Wise investment counselors kept telling their clients to stay the course.  Over time investments would return.  One of my smallest accounts did see a 38% decline in value.  I am now $1,600 away from seeing that investment return to its 3rd quarter ’08 value.  While I wish it had not suffered the loss it did at least it has come back.  My guess is that your accounts are showing similar results.  Stay the course!

Keep a watch on your investment. Every Saturday morning I look at my retirement accounts.  I know pastors that never look at their account.  During the Panic of ’08 I talked with a pastor who had his money in a highly speculative fund.  He kept it there throughout the entire quarter hoping that the markets would turn around.  I had been in the same fund, which indeed gave great returns.  The difference was that in the summer of ’08 I moved out of aggressive funds and went very safe with my money.  That fall when everyone else was losing 38% I was actually making money, .05%!

Here is my point, if a fund is falling like a rock, get off the rock!  The only way you can know that is if you manage your accounts.  Most if not all funds you invest with have tools that give you great advice.  Take advantage of those tools to better position your investment.  It is your money and your future after all.

Avoid day trader mentality. Day trading got a lot of attention as many saw the Stock Market as a way to get rich quick.  Most lost not only their shirts but their house as well.  Unrealistic goals with your retirement account could lead you to wild speculative moves that might mean in retirement you eat beans and weenies instead of an occasional steak.  While I do regularly look at my account, once a week, I do not obsess over it.  Day to day fluctuations are not my concern.  My ultimate retirement, still many years away, are my focus.

While I eagerly await the return of the Lord Jesus I am aware that it might not happen in my life time.  A wise steward plans for the future.  What plans for your future are you making now?  The decisions you make today can and will impact you and your family years from now.  Take charge of your future!

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

I led a webinar the other night for Urban Awareness USA.  My topic was on capital stewardship campaigns and how this current recession is impacting them.  There were about thirty plus people signed in.  Webinars are a cool technology tool but you can’t see the people in attendance and usually you can’t talk to them either.  After my presentation there was a time for questions to be written in.  Many of the questions came from small churches.  Today I began to get some feedback from the participants about the webinars effectiveness.  Overall they were very positive.  However one said the following…

“Although the instructor has tons of experience, I feel that this session was not as beneficial to smaller churches.  I just felt it did not live up to expectations for me; a pastor of a small but growing congregation.”

Ouch!  I was reminded of the old saying, “Other than than Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?”  As a speaker you never want to hear that your presentation did not hit the mark.  Part of the problem for me in speaking to churches is that the range of those in attendance differs so vastly.  One question from the webinar came from a church with a $1.2 million dollar budget.  So, its very difficult to make your presentation fit everyone.  So, as I have been thinking about what I could say to this person I thought it might be a good post for a blog.  So here goes…

Small has nothing to do with the ability to raise money. I like what the person wrote in about their congregation, “small but growing.”  It shows me that though their numbers might be smaller than Joel Osteen’s they are thinking big.  Too many churches think small and remain small.  I have also seen too many smaller churches assume that they can not do this or that simply because they are too small.  If you are not careful this bleeds over into your ability to raise money.  If you have living, breathing members you can raise money.  The question is not smallness.  The question is, “How compelling is your vision?”  Small churches can and do raise money.

Start with what you have to get to where you want to be. One of the questions the other night from a small church said, “We only have fifteen adults in attendance.  How can we raise funds?”  My counsel was that while ultimately you might need to add donors to your base you could still raise funds with what you have.  Let’s say that a small church raised five thousand or ten thousand dollars above their operating needs this year.  That is five thousand or ten thousand more than they had.  They can put that into an interest bearing account and raise more money the next year.  If however they sit around and say we are too small to raise money they will never have any money.  Even the hand full of members you might have can and will give more IF the vision is compelling enough.

Let me add that I would begin now, even with fifteen adults, to teach and model biblical stewardship.  Create a positive climate of stewardship with those you have and teach that to everyone who walks into your church.  Help them become fully functioning disciples.  Slowly as you do this you will see more people come thus giving you an even greater pool of donors to draw from.

The question is not CAN you raise money.  The question is HOW LONG will it take you? Let’s say that my goal is to drive a Cadillac.  At present my budget might only allow me to buy a Chevy Malibu and a used one at that.  I can still drive my car and go places just like a person who owns a Cadillac.  I might not look as good as they do but it gets me there.  I can work on my Malibu and sell it to get a better car.  I can put money away until I can afford my dream car.  I don’t have to give up my dream of that car.  I simply have to realize that it might take me a few years.  The same is true for your church.

The lack of money is never a good excuse for the lack of ministry. Just a final thought.  I know we Americans love our buildings.  However, it is a mistake to think that simply because you do not have the facilities like Joel Osteen that you can not do  ministry.  Perhaps you could rent out a room at a hotel and hold your services there.  Many churches bring in portable structures for space until they can afford to build.  There are multiple options for you to consider that will allow you to accomplish ministry for the Kingdom.

Once when I was a pastor we had to cut our budget drastically.  As I met with our staff to explain the cuts I could see the look of disappointment on their faces.  I said to them, “This gives you an opportunity to really grow as a minister.  You get to learn how to trust God for your resources.  You also get to be very creative in your approach to ministry.”  I am happy to say they responded well and we continued to see growth.  The next year the budget increased and the staff got a raise.  Don’t let money, or the lack of it stop you from pursuing God’s best for you.

Help for small churches

This post is not designed to answer all the questions a small church might have.  However I have made a vow that we will help any church that asks for our help for free if they can not afford our fee!  While many don’t believe me it is true.  Let me explain…

Free Materials – On our website you can download every article that I have ever written and sent out.  You can sign up for the monthly The Stewardship Coach.  You get tons of advice for free that way.  Not only that but every blog I have ever written is on this site for you to look over and review.

Free Manual- On our website you will find a button that allows you to request a free capital campaign manual.  What nearly every company charges you for we will give to you for free.  Our free manual gives you all the basics you would need to operate a campaign on your own.  I never recommend that but I am a realist.  I know many will not pay us to help them.  So, rather than see you fail totally I decided to give away the manual.  All you have to do is give us your contact information.  Free means what it means, it’s free.

Free email support – Ok, now I am really crazy, but here is what I will offer you.  If you are a small church of less than 100 in attendance in addition to our free manual I promise to answer every email question you send me about how to do your campaign.  Based upon my schedule I will also be willing to talk with you about your needs by telephone.  What other firm will do this for you?  The catch?  There is none.  I am trusting that God will honor my commitment to you the small church.

So, now there really isn’t an excuse.  There is help for you the small church.

Mark Brooks

Founder and President

The Charis Group

Recently I was asked, “We have a $1.2 million dollar annual budget. Our recent capital campaign saw pledges totally $500K. The project is going to cost us $6 million. How can we raise more money?” My response was, hire me! After a few laughs it was time to get down to really answering the question. Time prohibited giving a detailed answer but as I have thought about it I realize that this question is one that many have. So, taking this question as an example let’s review what this church needs to do.

Check your expectations. Many stewardship firms vastly over estimate the percentage of how much a church can raise and thus give churches an unrealistic expectation. The claim of an average of one and a half to three times your annual operating budget is almost always sales talk. The real average, if they know at all, is more likely to be between one to two times your budget. That is particularly true for this recession. Raising more than two times your budget is ALWAYS driven by large gifts. So, at first glance I would say the church in question would have at best seen a campaign between just over one to two million. Still even with a realistic expectation pledging less than one times your annual operating budget does seem low. So, I would then…

Evaluate the response. While we typically look at the overall dollar amount pledged to gauge success or failure to a campaign there are a lot of other factors to look at. For sure you want a high amount to be pledged. Yet I am always interested in how many commitments were made. I want to know what percentage that represents out of the entire donor base. I then want to look at what my leaders did or did not do. We always look at the top yearly donors to a church to see what their response has been to the campaign. If your leaders are not on board with the campaign you can be sure the rest of the congregation is not either. Evaluating the segments of your donor base provides a beginning point to understand why a campaign might not have been as successful as we would have liked it to be.

Probe for reasons why the campaign was not a success. This church knows that the campaign was not all that successful. The question is why not? I always tell pastors that there is a hand vote to authorize building but the true vote is when I pledge and give my dollars to the project. For some reason members of our example chose not to participate. A wise leader will find out why.

In my experience there are several broad categories of why campaigns fail. Here is a quick list…

• Problems in the past that have not been resolved.
• Problems with the pastor in the minds of hearts of donors.
• Problems with the process of how the campaign unfolded.
• Problems with the project. Typically either they don’t think you need it or think something else is needed first.

While you should have determined what potential land mines were out there first you still need to know what the disconnect is in the campaign.

How do you do that? You ask. I would gather my ministry leaders around me, whether it is deacons, elders or my board and simply ask them what they are hearing about the campaign. I always ask, “Tell me what you are hearing?” That allows the person to tell me what they have heard but also what they think without it getting personal. Honestly seek out the reasons why people did not commit and then work for a solution. You must realize that it might take you time to resolve the issues and that might mean delaying your project for some time.

Avoid this problem in the first place! For those of you reading this you have the opportunity to avoid the example given. How?

1. Hire a professional. Studies have shown that we can help you raise more funds than if you do it on your own.
2. Properly assess your donor capability before the campaign. The bulk of our work is way before we even ask people to make a pledge. We spend a lot of time helping our client churches have a good understanding of what their capacity of giving is. We spend a lot of time talking with their key leaders determining what issues if any need to be resolved BEFORE we ever announce the campaign. Preparation at the front end will help alleviate heart ache at the back end. This is one reason why you need to begin the campaign process much sooner than you might think.

While the times we live in might be challenging you can still raise funds during this recession. We have scores of clients that have done just that. They have done this however by wise planning and execution. Don’t let the above example be your story. Call us today to see how we can help you.

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group

Yesterday afternoon a pastor that I am helping with a capital campaign called me with great excitement. “The meetings I am holding with my top donors are going incredible!” he said. For the last few weeks we have had him segment out his top donors and meet with them between services for a light brunch. “The people love the time with me and we have found since starting these meetings that our offerings have gone up by $2,000 a week,” he further related. “Every pastor should do this,” he exclaimed.

Indeed every pastor should. Most would never think about it in the first place and many that do think of it would dismiss it as showing favoritism. They believe in treating everyone alike. Treating all your donors alike might sound spiritual but in truth it’s just throwing away an opportunity to raise more funds to fuel more ministry. The only one you are hurting is you!

George Barna in his old but still excellent book, “How to Increase Giving in Your Church,” addresses this issue. He says, “Effective fund-raising churches refuse to treat all people as equals.” He then lists various ways in which congregation can and should segment their donors. The point is not to show favoritism over one group but to provide effective communication to each group. You will find that your top end donors see, hear and feel opportunities to give differently than those at the lower end.

The fear I hear most expressed in why not to segment your donors is the belief that doing so violates Scripture. Often James 2:1-4 is quoted. Yet the thrust of this passage is about showing favoritism and has nothing to do with properly segmenting your congregation. Segmenting donors does not mean you will be giving them the best seats or succumbing to their wishes. It simply means that you recognize that God has given them a treasure that others might not possess.
The old illustration my mentor Dave Sutherland use to give is that the choir director would never ask him to sing the closing solo to the Easter musical. Dave was not offended at that obvious segmentation of the congregations’ gifts and skills. At the right moment a bad singer can sink the whole production just like a good singer can bring it home. You need the right person singing the solo for your musical. Guys like me have a great voice for the congregation and need to be left, in the congregation! In the same way we need to recognize that some have a capacity to give that others do not.

In “Passing the Plate: Why American Christians Don’t Give Away More Money,” the authors found that Five percent of Protestants give 56 percent of all that is given. In capital campaigns, it is my experience that the number can be even less. This is one reason you need to consider segmenting these donors and establishing a relationship with them. Their gifts will sink or float your boat!

A painful example

Several years ago I worked with a church in a large Midwestern city. This church had several members that were wealthy. Many of these members were on national boards and ministries as a result. While the church I was working for “only” needed to raise $8 million that was still a major undertaking. They realistically had the potential to raise that amount if only they could get their message out.

We began working with the Senior Pastor about how to identify and approach those in his congregation who could give a significant gift. Doing this was a huge step for this pastor but he knew how important the project was to continue the ministries the church had envisioned. Frankly, we needed several million dollar commitments.

In our planning we had identified a couple of individuals that we felt had that kind of capability. One such member had made countless millions developing the side of town where the church was located. The pastor scheduled a meeting with this member and cast the vision of the campaign and shared the need. While he never asked for a specific amount this member did offer the following. He told the pastor that he had just committed a million dollars to Samaritan’s Purse, led by Franklin Graham. He further related how he and his wife had committed major dollars to the Christian University that they supported. He went on to tell the pastor that they would be making a $50K commitment to the church’s campaign. So, we went from hoping for a million to getting $50K! We were simply too late. Others beat us to the punch.

So, don’t treat everyone the same and thus get beaten to the punch. Your failure to recognize your key donors and to treat them appropriately could cost you the dreams for the future you have. Just as there is nothing worse than a soloist who cannot hit the notes, so also there is nothing worse than treating all donors the same.

Mark Brooks
Founder and President
The Charis Group