Nicholas and Susan Jones

Permit us to add our voices of deep thanks for the wonderful counsel and hard and effective work of your consultant during St. Thomas’ 125th anniversary capital and annual stewardship combined campaign during the fall of 2014. He was with us literally 24/7 from August through November and even up to early December.

Both of us are retired development officers for various organizations, and the Klote approach is unique to any campaign in which we have participated as either staff or volunteers. There were plenty of skeptics (perhaps the two of us, to some extent) as to the “overly ambitious” goal of $2 million; the reality that we have few, if any, parishioners who can be the 1% who give 25% (and various combinations thereof); and the sheer chutzpah we needed to take on such a monumental task. But it worked, and the consultant made sure it would work. We did as he told us and voila!

Our gratitude and congratulations also go to our rector, the Rev. Craig D. Uffman, Ph.D., who carried out the painstaking research and intensive interviews that ultimately led up our engaging James D. Klote & Associates, Inc. In addition, as you know, Fr. Craig made over 100 campaign visits — visits that so many times turned into invaluable pastoral calls.

St. Thomas’ isn’t quite “there” yet (Gertrude Stein’s remark that there’s no “there” there to the contrary), but we have confidence that 2015 will see us attain our goal. The “little stuff” toward the end always is the most difficult phase.

Our very best wishes to the Klote crew. Hear! Hear!