The Ecumenical Stewardship Center
Capital Campaigns
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should any church use a consultant when conducting a capital campaign?
Capital campaigns require heightened energy, focus, volunteerism and funding while a congregation continues with its activities. Good consultation is a way of bringing needed leadership for this temporary surge of activity.
Capital campaigns also require a specific and regimented process. Someone has to make sure the process is designed adequately. They also need to make sure the process is followed if the campaign is going to achieve its goals. In most cases a consultant is better able to give the needed nudges to keep the campaign going and to succeed.
There are many types of campaign consulting firms out there. What is different about services available through the Ecumenical Stewardship Center?
Most firms are professional, committed, proven and will serve any organization well. One distinction is that some firms start with fundraising and try to ensure that education about Christianity and giving gets attached. begins with growing the giver’s heart[1], which in turn translates into funding for ministry activity.
Campaign service providers that are directly connected to a denominational family have the unique advantage of understanding the culture of a congregation in the same tradition. This shorter learning curve in understanding the client and providing professional excellence combines with a lower cost than many firms charge because overhead is considerably lower. These service providers have networked themselves under the Ecumenical Stewardship Center as a way to be more visible to North American congregations.
Three additional attributes make services available via the Ecumenical Stewardship Center distinguishable from its peers:
1. Every campaign is custom built for fit with the local congregation, including the selection of the best possible capital campaign provider.
2. Campaign services extend beyond the campaign, not just during the excitement of the commitment period.
3. Campaign services available via the Ecumenical Stewardship Center can adapt and troubleshoot as a campaign progresses. Unforeseen circumstances do erupt, and the flexibility of the network of experts brought together under the Ecumenical Stewardship Center means additional assistance when it is needed. Examples include campaign readiness assessment, congregational facilitation, congregational systems, facility master planning, and even architectural design. The result of this collection of expertise means this network of capital campaign providers can also assist congregations where previous campaigns did not achieve their desired goals. The Ecumenical Stewardship Center is also a source for workshops, seminars, original research and training for numerous professional fundraisers.
With some consulting groups you meet the salesperson, but a different person actually conducts the campaign. Is this the case with the providers who are available through the Ecumenical Stewardship Center?
No.
The consultant is with you from beginning to end. Should additional expertise be desired based on the specific nature of the campaign; it is under the watchful eye of that consultant.
Why do services available from the Ecumenical Stewardship Center cost more than some firms and significantly less than others?
Less expensive services are usually subsidized or are offered as a loss-leader. Such services are sometimes subsidized by private income or they are offered by a design-build or financial services agency that bundles campaign consulting as a value-added to the services for which you do pay.
Those that cost more usually have fixed costs associated with marketing, overhead and keeping a sales force employed. The Ecumenical Stewardship Center has developed a network of experts who offer their services with shared administrative costs that helps to keep costs down.
What should we know that we might not think to ask?
This network of providers available under the Ecumenical Stewardship Center seeks to understand the history and context of each congregation’s ministry, praying for the congregation’s vitality and welfare, and strengthening its resolve to be faithful. This network of providers is particularly concerned that the congregation’s relationship with its denomination is strengthened rather than diminished, that its operational funding needs are not compromised because of the campaign, and that capital campaign services are thorough. Payments can be spread across the course of the campaign with final payments come after the campaign is concluded.
On occasion a congregation sometimes discovers it likes the campaign design but is not happy with the consultant. It is important to know whether they can request someone different if this is the case. This network of providers under the Ecumenical Stewardship Center has this capacity.
This network of campaign providers also has access to talented musicians and speakers who may be able to add to the strength of your opening or closing campaign celebrations.
Capital Campaign Services Comparison Table
(Complete the table to compare attributes of various firms and determine which firm best suits the needs of your congregation)
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Ecumenical Stewardship Center
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Firm B
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Firm C
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Firm D
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Customized, Proprietary or modular
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Customized
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Recognized
industry leadership
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Bundled or separate services
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Separate
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Campaign Fees
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Normally, $20-40k
all costs inclusive.
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Payment in installments
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Available
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Process design
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Readiness Assessments
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Facility master planning
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Stewardship education
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Campaign follow-up included in price
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Ability to withdraw from the contract
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Ability to withhold final payment if dissatisfied
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Ability to request a different consultant
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Architectural Services
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Musicians and Speakers for Opening/Closing Celebrations
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Other Criteria?
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Other Criteria?
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Other Criteria?
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[1] See Growing Giver’s Hearts: Treating Fundraising as Ministry, by Thom Jeavons and Rebekah Basinger, Jossey-Bass, 2000. The Ecumenical Stewardship Center