Capital Stewardship Campaigns: Campaign Models

This is part four in a series of articles on capital stewardship campaigns.  The first article asks the question every organization needs to answer before launching a campital program, “Are you ready for a capital campaign?”  If you have not read that one yet, you can read it here.  The second article looked at 10 factors that impact potential.  The third article outlines the fundamental elements of a capital stewardship campaign and things to consider in campaign design.  This article looks at four different campaign models and identifies their pros and cons.  

There are various ways in which churches can structure a capital campaign and implement a successful campaign model.  This model is the road map and the plan, and it is crucial it not only fits your church philosophically, but that it is also easily implemented to ensure success.

Misconceptions About Church Fundraising

Some churches believe that well-planned fundraising initiatives are inherently secular and don’t allow for a spiritual process. However, this is untrue. Effective planning doesn’t negate the role of faith; instead, it can be seen as a tool to help achieve the church’s goals, ultimately supporting the mission and vision of the church.

Another common concern is confidentiality regarding giving. While individual donations are indeed a private matter between the giver and God, the collective act of giving to the church holds broader implications. It’s a matter of spiritual discipleship and supports the operational needs of the congregation. 

Lastly, there’s often resistance to spending money to raise money. However, strategic investments in fundraising efforts can yield significant returns.  With the right help, churches can invest in resources to unlock its full fundraising potential. These investments are not a sign of distrust in God’s grace but a practical way to utilize available resources for the greater good.

Customization is Key

Successful fundraising campaigns require a tailored approach that recognizes each church’s unique characteristics. Generic, one-size-fits-all models often fail to achieve optimal results because they don’t account for a church’s specific size, denomination, authenticity, or location. Every church has its own distinct DNA, culture, and capacity to engage volunteers and members.

Therefore, fundraising models should be considered starting points, with customization based on established principles. Collaboration with church leaders is crucial for effective design. Their input ensures the campaign aligns with the church’s history, traditions, and values, fostering greater acceptance and participation from the congregation.

Church Fundraising Models

Historically, churches have employed a variety of fundraising models. Upon closer examination, these diverse approaches can be categorized into four fundamental models. Each model offers distinct advantages and disadvantages, which will be explored in the following discussion.

Model 1: Ask and Hope It Comes In

The “Ask and Hope” model involves minimal planning and relies on announcing a building fund and inviting contributions. This approach often operates in a vacuum, with little preparation of the congregation. 

The flawed premise of this model is that simply asking is enough. However, without adequate preparation, people rarely respond generously. Effective fundraising involves nurturing donor readiness through communication and engagement. Simply opening a building fund or sending a letter seldom produces the desired results. 

Despite its shortcomings, this model is frequently used due to its perceived simplicity and ease. It requires minimal effort and aligns with notions of giving confidentiality and a spirit-led approach. However, it neglects the importance of strategic preparation, which is crucial for maximizing fundraising success.

Model 2: The Congregational Dinner

Common in rural churches, this model involves a special dinner where the building project is presented, and attendees are invited to pledge their support. While this method is more proactive than simply asking for donations, it falls short in several key areas.

Firstly, it lacks an adequate communication process. While the dinner offers a powerful group setting, it’s less effective than one-on-one communication.  Additionally, the presentation may be the first in-depth exposure to the project for many, making it premature to request a financial commitment.  Secondly, this model often lacks leadership modeling.  Leadership modeling inspires others to give generously and sets the tone for the entire fundraising effort.

Finally, donor preparation is insufficient. Effective fundraising requires educating donors about the project and the biblical principles of discipleship and stewardship. This takes time and cannot be achieved through sporadic mentions or a single sermon. 

While some churches have found success with this model, it often overlooks crucial design principles that can significantly impact fundraising outcomes. Fundraising is not simply asking for money. It is taking the time to prepare the donor to respond to the ask cheerfully, joyfully and sacrificially. The dinner approach is positive in many respects, but it tends to also fall short in maximizing potential.

Model 3: Commitment Sunday

Churches using the Commitment Sunday model designate a specific date during a worship service to receive final pledges and announce the total. This approach fosters a sense of momentum and encourages giving.

Leading up to Commitment Sunday, the weeks are filled with sermons on stewardship and project details. This process prepares donors to make a meaningful commitment. A letter from the senior pastor, often accompanied by a project brochure and commitment card, is sent out beforehand.

Successful implementation requires careful preparation, usually coordinated by a dedicated committee. This process typically takes two to three months and involves thorough planning and coordination to ensure a smooth and impactful Commitment Sunday.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Commitment Sunday

Commitment Sunday offers a powerful, focused approach that can generate strong congregational response. When executed well, it creates a dramatic and impactful experience, motivating donors to give generously. It also provides some donor preparation, albeit limited, and encourages thorough project preparation and clear communication.

Problem 1: Short Window of Time

However, a major drawback is insufficient time for donor readiness. A few weeks of preparation may not be enough to fully educate and motivate all potential donors. This can limit the overall giving potential and hinder the campaign’s long-term success.

This explains why methods like simply sending letters or hosting a single congregational dinner often yield limited results. These approaches fail to adequately prepare donors, especially those who need more time to accept change. Effective fundraising involves a longer-term process that caters to diverse decision-making styles and allows time for donors to reach their readiness to give generously.

Problem 2: Lack of Proactive Leadership Modeling

Commitment Sunday often lacks a proactive leadership commitment process.  Strong leadership commitment, representing 20-25% of the congregation pledging 50-60% of the goal, significantly enhances credibility by establishing believability and encourages broader participation the rest of the congregation.

Problem 3: Limited Attendance

The assumption that everyone will attend Commitment Sunday is unrealistic. While attendance may be high in some churches, it’s often lower in many churches. This model falters when a significant portion of the congregation isn’t present to participate.

Problem 4: Incomplete Response

Even among attendees, not everyone will respond financially. When combined with those who don’t attend, this creates a challenge for addressing non-respondents. Maximizing potential requires obtaining a response from every potential donor, regardless of whether it’s a financial commitment or simply an acknowledgment of the opportunity to give. If the response therefore on commitment Sunday is seen as the final response and nothing remedial is done, it really does limit potential in terms of response and meeting your goal.

This model tends to work best in churches with high congregational engagement, such as megachurches and independent charismatic churches.

The Revised Model: An Effective Approach

The Wells organization introduced directed fundraising campaigns to Canadian churches in the late 1940s, revolutionizing fundraising practices. It’s evident that they incorporated many best practices still relevant today.  When Evangelical church fundraising emerged in the 1970s, they adopted and revised this model because it incorporates best practices, emphasizes donor preparation, focuses on education and motivation, includes leadership modeling, and utilizes effective communication techniques.  This model consists of four phases. 

Preparation Phase: Planning Process

This phase typically takes 6-8 weeks, during which the campaign design, calendar, and steering committee structure are finalized. Once the committee is established and trained, the campaign calendar commences. This phase also includes material development and volunteer recruitment, with the primary recruitment effort occurring during the communication phase if an every-home visitation is planned.

Communications Phase: Engaging the Congregation

Following preparation, an 8-week phase focuses on communication, education, and commitment. A key option in this phase is every-home visitation.

Option One: Every Home Visitation

Every-home visitation involves face-to-face and layered communication about the project and provides opportunities for feedback and questions. Done effectively, it lays the groundwork for campaign success. Face-to-face interaction is the most effective communication tool you have.

Option Two: Minister’s Letter and Video

Another popular option involves a letter from the minister, accompanied by a short video explaining the project’s purpose and vision. Congregants are encouraged to review these materials, seek further information if needed, and attend a scheduled public meeting for formal presentations. This approach ensures everyone receives essential information while maintaining a less volunteer intensive communication method.

Option Three: Focus Groups

Due to challenges with home visits, some churches opt for small group approaches, either leveraging existing ministries or creating focus groups. Multimedia and social media offer new avenues for effective communication. Recent experiences with online engagement during the pandemic have demonstrated the potential of non-traditional methods to involve and inform the congregation. Regardless of the specific approach, this communication phase aims to build understanding and ownership of the project, establishing a solid foundation for subsequent phases.

Intensive Phase

The intensive phase focuses on securing leadership commitments, integrating stewardship themes into sermons, and building momentum through motivational activities, culminating in a celebratory event. 

All kinds of events can be done; lunches, dinners, dessert buffets, chocolate buffets, barbecues, pancake breakfasts, Stampede breakfasts and just about anything you can imagine.  The issue is not the nature of the event but what the event is helping accomplish, celebrating collective commitment and building community.

Commitment Phase

Churches utilize various methods to encourage donations, from letters of encouragement during worship services to designated commitment Sundays. When the entire campaign prioritizes donor preparation, two key assumptions can be made following the celebration event:

1. The first assumption is that donors are prepared to make a decision. If the church has effectively prepared donors, the canvass becomes a simple process of facilitating the response.
2. The second assumption is that it is reasonable to expect a response from those that call your church, their home church.

The commitment phase concludes with an announcement of the total amount pledged, either during a special event, a worship service, or through other creative means. Then, the campaign shifts to the follow-up phase, where the focus is on collecting the committed donations and keeping the campaign alive in church life.