Amy Hillier

It has been such a privilege for me to work with our JDK&A Consultant on the “Building for Tomorrow” capital campaign at First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia.

 

I have been a member at First Unitarian for more than 25 years, during which we have continuously discussed the need to replace the roof on our 1883 building and to build an elevator. The last time our congregation undertook a significant building project was 1959, when they added the basement. As an urban church, we’ve always imagined ourselves as different from the wealthy suburban UU churches, relying on people with less capacity for financial giving and who tend to move frequently. Our consultant helped us reframe this narrative to
focus on the vibrancy of our community, in the process building our confidence to launch a $4 million campaign.

 

We at First Unitarian like to think of ourselves as exceptions, even exceptional. As a result, I was skeptical the Klote formula would work for our church. Our Klote consultant listened to my doubts and, in his gentle but clear way, assured me the process would work if we fully engaged with it. He patiently participated in zoom and in-person conversations with church leaders and our board, helping us navigate through some differences of opinion about capital priorities. And then he patiently walked us through the logic of the readiness assessment
and focus groups.

 

He helped us craft our story, starting with our slogan, “Building for Tomorrow,” borrowed from a favorite hymn. In creating our presentation for the focus groups, we drew from our rich architectural and political history, the inspiring and widespread use of our facilities, and the shared dreams from our visioning process. Creating and giving the presentation during our readiness phase is what made a believer of me. And just as he predicted, our
energy and confidence in raising $4 million grew through the focus groups.

 

In the advance phase, our Klote consultant patiently taught us how to conduct visits, absorbing all our resistance and insecurities and assuring us we could do it. By focusing on the community building aspects of the visits, he called on our best selves. Just as he predicted, the conversations during those visits have been rich and energizing. Just as he explained, I could feel our community becoming stronger. And I could feel myself growing, developing new skills and new relationships that made me feel more connected and more joyful about
being a member of First Unitarian.

 

He also helped us organize the biggest party to kick off our campaign I have ever experienced in our church. The delight of children jumping in a bouncy house in our sanctuary and families singing Karaoke from our chancel is something I will carry with me always. I love the vision of our church and our future that he has reflected back to us, one guided by love and hope and strength. Through all of this work, he has embodied
kindness and dedication. I am grateful for the friendship we developed and all he has taught me about generosity and faith.