Nathan Hartke

I am writing to say “thank you” for the wonderful experience we have had with our consultant over the past months. In our journey through the Readiness Assessment and Capital Campaign, he has been both a professional and personal joy to work with.

As we interviewed Capital Campaign firms earlier in the year, we knew we wanted to work with a consultant who would walk with us through the process, rather than give us a binder and turn us loose. For many of us, this was our first time working through a Capital Campaign. We were looking for a firm and consultant who were committed to being our cheerleader; willing to stretch us and push us a bit. We were also looking for a highly relational approach. From our perspective, more important than the dollars raised are the people involved in the process, and maintaining good relationships with the congregation throughout the journey.

Our consultant is a hard worker and is as committed to our success as we are. It was a sad day for us when he left, because he has become part of our family. He has a high relational capacity, and builds relationships with people very quickly. He jumped right into a whole range of ministry events to engage with people, to build relationships with us. His professional skills as a fundraiser are outstanding, but his personal skills in relationship building are better (and that is not to diminish his fundraising skillset at all!).

The consultant inspired a sense of “we can do this” in his time with us. He has a great sense of humor, is organized, communicates well, trained staff and volunteers well, and put many hours in behind the scenes to ensure our success. He also has a great sense of when to lead, and when to equip others to lead in the process.

Raising significant dollars and building stronger relationships with people along the way aren’t exclusive events. We have learned that in our time with our consultant. We highly recommend JD Klote and Associates for anyone looking to accomplish those objectives over the months of a Capital Campaign.