We send this letter to acknowledge the excellent work and help that the consultant is providing to our Church and School Capital Campaign. Through his leadership and teaching, we have a real chance to achieve the vision expressed in our plan for a “Firm Foundation and Bright Future.”
From the beginning of our relationship, the consultant was ready and able to assist with both large and small tasks. He set an aggressive schedule and kept us on time. At our weekly meetings he was prepared with up to date progress information, supplied us with materials, answered our questions, and helped us devise strategies to address campaign issues.
His knowledge and patience was evident in the instruction and role playing he provided to our Steering Committee as we learned how to conduct our campaign. Teaming the two communities, Church and School, could have been a challenge. The consultant skillfully brought us together to focus on our shared mission.
We frequently called upon his experience with other church and school communities, to equip our volunteers with ideas and answers to address the sometimes difficult questions they get as they reach out and ask for pledges. He was able to interpret the motivation for those questions from a number of angles, expanding on what the question might really be about and giving us options to respond.
The $4.5 million target for the campaign is a challenge and seemed beyond our ability when we started. To reassure us, the consultant often pointed out examples and strategies used by other churches and schools that your company has advised. His persistent encouragement throughout the quiet phase of our work helped us generate $1,910,000. The celebration announcing that accomplishment and opening the campaign to its public phase was a great success.
Recruiting volunteers and soliciting money is never easy. The consultant’s creativity and good humor made those tasks achievable. His presence in our campaign was a blessing to us all.
We are now in the public phase. We are much more on our own and still have a way to go. Although the consultant is no longer on site, he has remained available through phone and email. It is also our good fortune that his new assignment keeps him in the DC metro area.
We are very pleased with the work your company has provided so far. Thank you for assigning the consultant to our project. We are better equipped and more successful because of his service. Please let us know if you need any additional information or have additional advice to share.
Co-Chairs
Christ Episcopal Church
Rockville, Maryland
703-399-0518 
info@jdklote.com 
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Carmel Lutheran Church kicked off its ‘Hearts Compelled To Share’ capital campaign in record style. As of January 25th just 73 families of the more than 900 in the church had already committed $3.75 million dollars. That total represents not only the best kickoff to a campaign at CLC, it also represents the best campaign in total even though only 8% of the congregation has pledged so far.
The previous best campaign was just four years ago when CLC collected a total of about $3 million in pledges from over 425 donors.
"Jim Klote, president of James D. Klote and Associates, a capital stewardship consulting firm based in Fall Church, VA, appears on the big screen during his "All Things New" presentation at this year's Annual Conference session. Klote and Associates will conduct free stewardship education workshops for churches in all 18 districts of the conference this fall.
Participants listen attentively during the church stewardship workshop at Wright's Chapel UMC.The Virginia Conference sponsored series of stewardship workshops in each district is winding down, with two more district gatherings remaining in November.
