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Annual Campaigns and Debt Reduction Campaigns should be

part of an intentional overall approach to Stewardship
When the words “major fundraising,” are
brought up at any leadership meeting (other
than for a capital building campaign), many
squirm in their seat and even consider bolting
for the door. But you do not have to dread the
process and you certainly do no have to do it
alone without good outside help. If unsure
where to start looking for help, please do not
have your staff Google something like Church
Fundraising Ideas That Work as that will only
bring up ways to raise tiny amounts of money
selling cookie dough, car-washes and
doughnuts, but are futile when it comes to raising large amounts. These types of Christian
fundraising ideas may be very helpful for the youth camping trip, but can easily undermine
major efforts to invite serious givers to fund the core vision and plans for your church, Christian
school or ministry. Major fundraisers for churches and ministries (like an Annual Campaign or a
Debt Relief campaign) require fare more than gathering a few good-hearted servants to donate
time to raise 3- and 4-figure amounts. If your leadership is seriously committed to moving into a
year-end campaign for budget and debt relief purposes, there are many professional
fundraisers for churches, schools and ministries (sometimes just called church capital
campaign consultants because of the volume of churches) that can lead you through a
successful major fundraising initiative. And like our name, we can surely come alongside you
to develop effective church fundraising materials, but more on that later.

Martin Luther said, “There are three conversions a person needs to experience: The
conversion of the head, the conversion of the heart, and the conversion of the pocketbook.”
But let’s be honest, the topic of major stewardship initiatives are hard for ministry leadership to
press into with their congregations or supporters. It is especially for pastors who may think that
teaching on it can appear self-serving, poor-mouthing and more. Maybe the reason that major
annual fundraisers for churches, Christian schools or ministries are difficult to approach is
because so little (in the past) has been taught on the topic of stewardship (or grace-filled
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generosity). Many church capital campaign consultants will tell you that the topic stewardship
(our worship through the generous handling of money and possessions) is so prevalent in the
New Testament that it’s hard to miss, and that a bold and confident approach to teaching it’s
principles is imperative to growing a culture of generosity. In his article “Money and Motives,”
Greg Laurie says, “It is worth noting that money is such an important topic in the Bible that it is
the main subject of nearly half of the parables Jesus told. In addition, one in every seven
verses in the New Testament deals with this topic. The Bible offers 500 verses on prayer,
fewer than 500 verses on faith, and more than 2,000 verses on money. In fact, 15 percent of
everything Jesus ever taught was on the topic of money and possessions — more than His
teachings on heaven and hell combined. Why such an emphasis on money and possessions?
There is a fundamental connection between our spiritual lives and how we think about and
handle money.”

Positively and boldly approach your Annual and Debt Relief

Campaign
Besides regular weekly and monthly
giving/support, an Annual Campaign (to help
meet or boost the operating budget) is often
the largest yearly revenue source for your
church, Christian school or ministry. That is
really good news. Unfortunately, too many
Christian organizations just share the current
year’s budget discrepancy with their
constituency, include a giving card and
envelope, and hope for the best. Recent
surveys show that this approach has proven
very unsuccessful and can lead to losing a lot of regular and potential givers, especially
possible large donors who want to give to something that matters, something that makes a
difference and is measurable. And, on top of not having a vision-based approach to their
Annual Campaign or Debt Relief Initiative, too often ministry leadership teams see the process
as something they are almost ashamed of.

With that mindset, it is no surprise that the utilization of communications is ignored for fear of
sending a negatively-perceived message. But unfortunately, no approach to communications
still sends a very clear message, and a bad one at that. Positively leveraging carefully
considered and planned fundraising materials to communicate the particulars of a vision, plan
and goals will eliminate the passive message that says, “we have no vision” or at best, “we do
not have a vision that we are excited about.” Churches, Christian schools or ministries that
experience successful giving to their annual and debt reduction campaigns do three things well
in the area of verbal and printed communications. These organizations reflect back on their
journey, are vision-driven and publicize the campaign. These essential elements (explored
in more detail below) should be top the list for ministry and church fundraising program ideas.
Your supporters want to understand what they are actually giving to. Make sure that your
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leadership gives them the necessary vision and generosity materials so that they can deeply
understand and embrace what you are envisioning to do with the funds. Take note from the
best Church Capital Campaign Consultants, potential supporters will give to a cause that
inspires them, and one they can believe in, before they will give to a mere institution. And if
you inspire your giving base, you may want to make ministry plans on how you are going to
leverage the increased funds, because a strategic Annual Campaign (even with a Debt
Reduction component) can far more than meet the year’s budget discrepancy and/or remaining
loan payoff!

Reflect back on your journey

Rev. 12:11 says, “And they have conquered
him (the accuser) by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony, for they
loved not their lives even unto death.” This
says that retelling your redemptive story has
power, and it is safe to conclude that this
applies to more than the incredible, unmerited
grace that awakened one’s individual faith,
but of all the ongoing graces that has allowed
the people (corporately) of your church,
Christian school or ministry to be used of God
in significant and measurable Kingdom work.
Looking back, in the hope of growing everyone in memorable gratitude and gracious living, is a
great endeavor and should be done over and over. But more than just the stories that relate to
the end-receivers of the gracious support of the donors, this is a great opportunity to celebrate
specific stories of how God has moved in the lives of those who have trusted Him through
giving generosly.

Good campaign communication materials give these stories a shelf life far past merely
speaking/sharing them publically. In successful fundraisers for churches and other
organizations, these documented stories offer traction to your teaching on stewardship by
showing how your church has helped to grow the God’s kingdom. They give donors an clear
idea of what their giving has done and/or will do as well as give inspire people to join you in
your call for their generous partnership. These stories, shared strategically on behalf of
communicating a larger vision, can help unify your diverse givers – especially in the context of
a church and Christian school where the donors SEE and SERVE with each other regularly.
Instead of dreading the Annual Campaign, look forward to it as a chance to share encouraging
stories, which will set you up to re-cast your vision!

Be vision-driven

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Biblical Christian stewardship teaches us, as
children of God who have received abundant
grace, that we are to willingly and cheerfully
join God’s in His redeeming work by giving
from the many gifts and blessings that He has
given us. Most Christian get that. But why do
so many churched, Christian schools or
ministries struggle to gain and sustain much
needed support? Proverbs 29:18 says,
“Where there is no vision, the people perish
(or, are unrestrained), but blessed is the one
who heeds wisdom’s instruction.” Biblical Fundraising (or stewardship), in light if this proverb,
means asking your constituents to consider financially and relationally joining you so that your
vision can become manifest. This requires the hard work of prayerful vision planning. Few like
to do it, but failing to do it is costly. Without a leader-led vision that people can get excited
about, it might be better to avoid the subject altogether and face the consequences later.

Remember, there is continual competition for the support of your current and potential donors.
A fresh or renewed vision (one that lines up with God’s redemptive mission, of course) is
essential every year to keep your constituents from moving partially or fully toward outside
solicitation for their once generous support. Your fresh or renewed yearly vision MUST BE
clearly and confidently presented, and it should be inspiring. All other ministry and church
fundraising program ideas flow out the larger vision and not the reverse. Your stated vision
should say, “we are not in survival mode!” A survey from the Lake Institute on Faith and Giving
showed that “survival” congregations (with declining attendance and just barely enough
finances) who went into a survival or maintenance mode for the past five years were more
likely to see a decrease in pledge amounts. Therefore, your vision should one that is faith-filled
and one that anticipates good days of growth ahead. It should be one that compels supporters
to join you. And less is more, so keep the core vision simple and understandable. Lack of
clarity in the vision (or how it is articulated) will surely affect the fundraising. And lastly, do not
make the huge mistake of sharing the budget needs before your vision casting is thoroughly
done, otherwise it will possibly be perceived as cold, possibly aimless and even heartless. So
strategize and plan for a well-received ministry vision for the upcoming year and watch your
supporters get on board with their heart and wallet to see it come to reality. St. Augustine said,
“Faith is to believe what you do not yet see; the reward for this faith is to see what you
believe.”

Boldly publicize your campaign

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Whether the support base of your church,
Christian school or ministry is 100 or 30,000,
effective ministry and church fundraising
design materials make a huge difference in
the receptivity of your vision and the call to
participate. Christian organizations can no
longer assume that their support base will
merely give because they always have.
Communications materials must be strongly
leveraged to ensure that the leadership’s new
vision and plans are clearly understood and
received. These fundraising materials MUST
be planned strategically and wisely distributed. Unlike some fundraising ideas for churches,
schools and ministries suggest, avoid doing one-time dump of the information that more like
asking your donors to drink from a full-on fire hose! Rather, incorporate a “drip method” of
communicating that gives them time to take in the information in small bits. Take a lesson from
successful advertising initiatives. Marketing communication pros understand that achieving
deeper buy-in of their client’s product or service requires not only clever and clear messaging
but multiple hits (drips) from a well-timed distribution. The same applies to your ministry vision,
and the invitation to fund it.

On top of a proven method of distributing your campaign story and message, the best ministry
and church fundraising materials are exciting and compelling. And even though your Annual
Campaign comes year after year, and requires renewed energy, invest the necessary time to
make your upcoming communications initiative different and engaging. Consider developing a
campaign logo that bears the yearly, vision-oriented title. Also, spend time to develop an
overall thematic background design that unifies the various campaign pieces (materials) and
makes a positive statement about the confidence of the leadership and it’s vision.

Imagine how much better this pro-active approach will be received than sending a passive,
negative message about your Annual Campaign and/or Debt Reduction. Be like the churches,
Christian schools or ministries that see successful giving to their annual campaigns because
they know that it is essential to make this time of year a high point in the spiritual life of the
church. They know that good communications, using a wide array of fundraising materials and
media to share the vision, are just part of a larger approach to cultivating deep and consistent
donor relationships. It cannot be overstated: good and consistent communication materials will
reaffirm your uniquely inspired ministry narrative and new vision for the road ahead, and will
bring about deep resonance with your families/supporters in a compelling way for increased
buy-in and pledges.

Besides a great communications plan, there are other very

helpful relational strategies that will multiply your efforts.

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Well-funded ministry organizations are
committed to communicate consistently (via
calls, lunches, letters and more) with donors
throughout the year, and see the Annual
Campaign as a helpful catalyst that is one of
the many necessary relational touches
required in good donor care. One writer
suggests that senior leaders may want to
personally visit and invest time in the
individuals and families of the giving “minority”
(the major donors!). He also suggests having
vision lunches and dinners a few times a year to stay connected and to keep supporters (of all
levels) up-to-date on the “work” and “fruit” of the vision. Search church fundraising event ideas
or ministry fundraising dinner ideas for thoughts on how others have planned and executed
these helpful donor events. Sending out quarterly newsletters, filled with compelling stories,
help people see the impact that comes from faithfully trusting God.

Being systematic in your commitment to your faithful supporters will more than likely lead
donors to actually increase their giving over time, because they feel so connected to the
ministry. Interestingly, one survey indicated that one-third of people who financially support
their church, Christian school or ministry give more generously when measurable
accomplishments are communicated to them.

Conclusion…
Annual Campaigns can be something to look forward to. With a commitment to share the great
things God has done in your midst, a fresh and inspired vision, and a commitment to leverage
thorough ministry or church fundraising design materials, your campaign can be spiritually
growing experience for you and your supporters. Rather than a dreaded “have to”, approach it
in a positive and faith-filled manner and expect your donors to get on board. And regularly
keep up with your faith givers all year long. When people see how God works through their
giving, there is usually a growing sense of gratitude for the opportunity to partner in His
Kingdom work.

Get in Touch: 678-820-3177

For information on church capital campaign materials for ministries and endowment click here.

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