Time is Running Out For a Fall Capital Campaign

The clock is ticking and time is running out for a fall capital campaign!

What?  As I write this it is mid-May.  How can time be running out?  Here is a basic truth you need to realize as you think about planning a capital campaign…

The more time you give to the planning process the more likely you will be to have a successful campaign.

Here is another truth…

It will take longer than you think!

There are two calendar dates that form windows of opportunity for fall campaigns.  The first is the start of the school year when summer vacations are over.  The second is before Thanksgiving and the madness of the Holiday season.  While there is time to hit both these windows of opportunity the clock is ticking!  You need to be well into your planning at this point IF you are to give yourself time for a successful capital campaign.

The more time you give yourself now the less rushed you will feel this fall.  Hurry is the death of many a good idea.  So, starting earlier in the process allows you more options and flexibility.  If you wait until the last minute your options are few and you have to go into rush mode.  That is when many a mistake is made and significant dollars are lost.

By now you should be close to choosing your partner.  Potential churches that are considering us are in the midst of the final stages of picking a partner.  If you move that decision process into the summer you are narrowing the window of opportunity.  The more time you take to choose a partner the more that window shortens.  Ideally, by the end of May, your campaign partner should already be in place and working for you.

Major Campaign Mistakes – Here are a few of the big mistakes churches are making with regards to their capital campaign.

• One of the major mistakes churches make is thinking that they have more time than they actually do.
• Another major mistake is thinking that the process of a campaign is easy.
• Many think only of the public phase of a campaign rather than the essential building blocks that lead up to that phase.
• Finally, many have unrealistic views of what their potential for raising funds is because they rush through the process without doing pre-campaign work.

No sales person can tell you in the sales cycle what your potential is for raising funds!  If they quote you statistics they are giving you a sales answer.  The true answer to nearly every question you ask is, “It depends!”  There are so many factors that go into a successful campaign that no one can truly give you an exact figure.  Be wary of those that claim a church can raise 1 and a half to 3 times their operating budgets.  That simply is not true!  To truly know what your potential is there is a lot of work to be done.  This leads me back to my point, that time is running out!

Good campaigns take time to put together and the more time you give to your campaign the more likely you will be to have success!  So, realize it is later than you think and that the time to act is now!

We are ready to go are you?

Mark Brooks – The Stewardship Coach