Timing Is Everything

Is there still time to hold a stewardship campaign?

Every August we get calls from churches and other Christian ministries asking if we can help them on their capital stewardship campaign in the fall. The answer is of course yes. Yet you have to wonder why they are just now getting around to making plans for something as crucial as raising money. Many call that late because they donít understand the time that goes into a campaign. When asked how much time should a campaign take there is not one answer that fits every situation. However, typically a good campaign from planning to execution runs around six months. We have some clients that their process has taken over a year. The more time you give the process the better the results will be. It is why we continually advocate to ministries that they start their planning sooner rather than later.

Still the question remains is there ever a time that you can move the process forward more quickly? You may find yourself in a situation where you have to do just that. The following is a check list that we as consultants would be asking you.

When can you move forward quickly?

Here are some thoughts that might be helpful to you.

The need is pressing. Need is a trump card to everything. Often the situation is out of your control. You would love to have months to plan and prepare but the situation you are presented with requires fast action. I once worked with a church that was told by the state highway department that they had six months to find a new place of worship! While we would loved to have taken much more time for the campaign, due to the pressing need we had to move quickly. I have another client now that has been told by the bank that they will not loan them money until commitments have been received. The land that fell into their lap requires they move fast and the bank has dictated a capital stewardship campaign first. So, what usually takes at least three to four months or more is being boiled down to a matter of weeks. Itís not the best scenario but sometimes you simply have no choice.
The project planning is finalized. Before a donor is going to give you additional money they are going to want to know that the project makes sense and can be successfully accomplished. Questions like how much will this cost? How long will it take? Has the bank approved a loan? Those and many other questions need to be answered. If the plans are still just written on your napkin donít expect your donors to start giving to your dream just yet. If your project appears to them like a moving target that changes from one week to the next they will not give to your campaign. Good planning evokes confidence in donors leading to whole hearted sacrificial commitment.

When it comes to asking people for money you have to let them inside the engine room to see what is going on. The more information you can share the better their confidence that you can pull it off and the greater will be their financial commitment to that dream. While you might not know every detail tell them what you do know. Admit what you donít know and stress your plans for finalizing all plans. The key is to give them confidence in your planning ability thus earning their gift. The ability to successfully move forward quickly depends on how well you have planed.
Your leaders are firmly on board. Tell me where your leaders stand about your project and I can tell you how your campaign will go. If your leaders are on board the congregation will follow their lead. As I tell pastors, it is not the vote in the sanctuary that matters itís the vote in the parking lot! Leaders that are on board with the project and its time line will be echoes of your vision and passion. They in turn will bring on board those in their circle of influence. You can never by pass your leaders in the race to get the campaign finished. You need a plan to bring leaders up to speed so that they can in turn help the congregation come up to speed. This is true whether you have six months or six weeks for your campaign time line.
The calendar is clear. If you are too busy to give your undivided attention to the campaign you will never be successful. If in the midst of the campaign you have a trip planned to Africa, I actually had a pastor do that once, you are too busy for the campaign. There must be nothing on the calendar that competes for your time or the time of your congregation. If you are launching new ministries, new worship service times or gearing up for the living Christmas tree your campaign will take a back seat to those activities. The average donor can only process so much at one time. You have to ask yourself if raising dollars to build that new building or buy that piece of land is more important than you preaching at your friendís church. If the campaign is not a priority on the calendar you can be sure that it will not be a priority in the mind of the donor and will be seen as just one more program. What will result will be a campaign that is less than successful.

I once worked with a church whose pastor was simply too busy to do the work required for the campaign. He never found the time to give the process what it badly needed, himself! The campaign while marginally successful did not raise quite the dollars they hoped for. When I arrived to work on their subsequent campaign three years later I stressed that the pastor must make time for the campaign. He promised me he would and he did give all of five days of his calendar for meeting about the campaign. Would it surprise you to find out that their second campaign was even less successful than the first? There is always a lot of finger pointing after a less than successful campaign but too often it is an over crowded calendar that is the culprit. A successful campaign will require the key leader in the organizations undivided attention. You can go on vacation after the campaign is over not in the middle of it!
You can simplify the process. If your church requires many different committees to sign off on every decision a quick campaign will probable not work. If you have the idea that you will need to utilize multiple teams to organize and communicate the vision then a quick campaign might not work for you. Campaigns on a fast track are more platform driven than team and task oriented. You have to be able to simplify the process or it will be impossible to hold an effective campaign. Some churches simply can not move that fast or be organized that way. If yours can not you are better off waiting.
You are ready to go now! A decision must be made immediately. You donít have time for countless committees to approve your plans. You canít interview company after company. You canít think about it for weeks on end ignoring the stewardship partners call day after day. In short you canít dilly dally around. Every week you delay a decision robs you of valuable time. It further backs you into a corner and makes it all the more difficult to have a successful campaign. If you are not ready to move immediately you might want to slow down the process so that you will not make mistakes.

Get it done right, not on time! We live by that mantra at The Charis Group. We believe that the best results take time. Given time you will raise more money than if you hurry the process. Hurrying to the finish line often causes you to miss a base or two along the way. Ultimately that haste can lead to a less than successful experience. Mistakes made in the process will cause your donors to view you as not being a good planner. This can and will result in a loss of confidence that will show up in their commitment to your ministry. Start early to avoid what we call million dollar mistakes.

Mark Brooks

Check out my new blog The Stewardship Coach. I regularly post articles ranging from how the economy is impacting donations to leadership thoughts. By signing up you can get regular updates each time I post a new note.

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