Rev. Peter A. Williams

I’m writing to let you know how pleased we are at Grace and Holy Spirit Church here in Cortland, New York, with the support we received from your firm for our capital campaign.

We are especially happy with the consultant working with us.  Though we know our congregation is a bit smaller and has a lower annual support level than many churches you work with, we have come close to our goal of one million dollars.  As of this week, we have raised $900,000! It really looks like we will reach the full million.

 

The consultant’s assistance was a critical part of the effort. In a small congregation which is currently also in the middle of working on reconstruction from a fire, there were not as many volunteers available to help with the campaign as we would have liked to have. The consultant was undeterred, worked with us, and helped us figure out an approach that would work in our situation.

 

We are grateful for some of the creative ideas the consultant had to help us reach the goal, such as encouraging our main tenant, the Cortland Loaves and Fishes meal program, to contribute to building improvements we wanted to make in the areas they use the most. They made a big commitment! Our biggest giver to the campaign was a long-time member family that owns a business which is a major employer in our town. Your consultant prepared the presentation for me to share with them, and I was surprised at how quickly they responded affirmatively to our large request.

 

True to the Klote method, the consultant lived in Cortland for several weeks, attended all of our church services, and got to know our people. He had a great sense of how to approach people, and who the key people might be to support the work of the campaign. He took a task many people would find burdensome and overwhelming, and he made it a great adventure for us! Many who were at first skeptical about the cost of a professional consultant are now fully in agreement that “it was definitely worth it!”

 

Thanks again, for the services of your agency!