Your time is running out!
Do you still have time to hold a spring capital campaign? The sales answer would be yes. The truthful answer is, it depends. If you are interested read on…
Yes, there is still time to get in a spring capital campaign BUT you need to act quickly! Every day you delay to make a decision about your campaign makes it a bit more difficult to have a campaign in the spring. If you miss this window of opportunity you will be pushed back into the fall. What that means is the loss of thousands of dollars. In this post I want to lay out some key thoughts to help you plan for a potential campaign this spring. First let’s look at…
The Window of Opportunity for Spring Campaigns – You have basically two time frames by which you can hold a capital campaign…
Before Easter – April 1st is Easter. So, pledging should be finished no later than the Sunday before, March 25th. To hit this time frame you need to get moving ASAP!
Before school dismisses – The final window is before school dismisses and everyone is in summer mode. Typically this should occur before Memorial Day which is May 28th.
As I write this it is the first month of 2018 and most pastors, staff and lay leaders are recovering from the busy time of Christmas. The last thing on your mind might be a campaign. To have any chance at a successful campaign you need to begin planning NOW! Another key thought to understand is…
Most mistakes made in a capital campaign occur weeks and months before the launch of the campaign. Effective planning is essential for a successful campaign. You cannot hurry the process. Too often churches wait until the last minute to start thinking and planning for their next capital campaign. Next let me share with you a cardinal truth to capital campaigns success…
The more time you give yourself to planning your campaign the greater degree of success you will have. So, the clock is ticking even though we are still essentially at the start of the New Year. Not all campaigns are alike. Some take longer to plan for than others. Typically I advise a minimum of three months from start to finish. The more complex the project, what you are raising money for, the longer the period of time needed to prepare and plan. Here is a final key thought…
Doing it yourself WILL limit what you will raise! I could line up pastors who thought they would save money by doing their own campaign only to find out that they were wrong. Campaigns can be complex. An expert in the field can help you avoid potential mistakes. They also keep you accountable to be on target and on time. If for no other reason this legitimizes the fees firms charge you. The value we bring to the table will more than pay for the fee.
If the fee is an issue I am one of the leaders in establishing break out partnerships that allow you to get the help you need for a price you can live with! Contact me today at, Mark@charisgivingsolutions.com I am ready to help you hit the spring window for capital campaigns!
Mark Brooks – The Stewardship Coach