A recent study of over 1,000 churches across the United States who had recently completed capital campaigns revealed that seemingly subtle differences in the ways various churches approached their campaigns yielded startling and significantly different campaign results. The study was conducted in June-July 2010 by Volkart May & Associates, a Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota based marketing and market research firm.
Most will agree that a Readiness Assessment / Feasibility Study is one of the important first steps in assuring a successful Capital Stewardship Program.
The benefits of a Readiness Assessment are numerous. Your church receives valuable feedback on the plan before you start a campaign and solicit pledges.
Members of your congregation or parish are engaged in a thoughtful evaluation of the needs for a proposed Capital Stewardship Campaign. It creates an opportunity to test the leadership of your church to assure unanimity.
The Readiness Assessment also creates an opportunity to take the case to the people in a clear and concise manner.
The current economy has shut down many a builder's dream. But imagine this -- a church construction firm that's doubling its business.
It's hard to imagine that a church construction firm could grow in these tough economic times. But that's exactly what Church Development Services has done. Last year, it did $4 million worth of work. This year, they expect $7 million.
During feasibility studies, a number of things surface and are set into motion. For example, the congregation's thoughts regarding the presented vision are heard.
As a result, some of the presented plans might be tweaked. Others may be left behind.
In addition, church participants are challenged to begin thinking about sacrificing additional resources of time, talents, and money to assist with a potential capital stewardship campaign. Some church members are enthusiastic and excited about giving more.
The web is constantly evolving and as a dynamic firm we continue to evolve with it. We listened to you and incorporated your feedback for a richer and more rewarding web experience. We are thrilled to announce the launch of our new website and invite you to visit us at www.jdklote.com
See a short video where I explain how we can help you achieve your goals in mission and ministry with full-time, resident-directed campaign stewardship counsel. We also encourage you to download a complimentary copy of my published book, 'Stewardship: The Proven Path'.
Please register on our website to receive JDK&A's quarterly email newsletter, "Perspectives", which will cover topics such as conducting Capital Stewardship Campaigns, pre-campaign planning, conducting Feasibility Studies, and many other topics of interest to church leaders.
Visit our 'Clients' page to learn more about the amazing results of the churches with whom we have partnered.
We hope you enjoy browsing the new website and help us make it better by sending us your comments and ideas. You can contact us through the website or by emailing us at info@jdklote.com.
Blessings,
Jim Klote, President
When church leaders decide it is time to embark on a Capital Stewardship Campaign, one of the first questions should be whether or not to use an outside consultant. Those who have been involved in a major capital campaign without the service of an outside consultant can attest to the difficulties of conducting the campaign in addition to all of their regular duties. Those who conduct the campaign on their own tend to raise approximately one times annual giving.
Capital campaign achievement is a function of certain fundamentals. These fundamentals are:
It is not unusual for the church leaders who are faced with a pending campaign to have one or more uncertainties about these fundamentals in their particular circumstances. The following represent the most common of these uncertainties:
York, PA - St. Matthew Lutheran Church held a groundbreaking ceremony on April 18'th. The ground breaking was the culmination of years of planning and the faithful support of St. Matthew's members to a capital campaign the church conducted - a campaign assisted by the stewardship consulting services of James. D. Klote and Associates. Many members attended the monumental ceremony and celebrated their campaign progress. Special words were shared by Campaign Co-Chair Lavern Brenneman and Senior Pastor Kevin Shively.
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