Rev. Ronald Burcham

I knew from the first conversation that you and I had that your method of conducting a Capital Campaign was unique in todays world.  I also knew that I liked the approach.  Having nearly completed our Capital Campaign my opinion is unchanged.  In fact I am even more certain that your approach is the correct approach.  For me the highlights of the Campaign are as follows:

 

• Focus Groups are key to a successfully start.
  Offering dozens of focus group meetings before the official campaign begins is essential.  It not only gave people the opportunity to catch the vision for the project, but also invited them into the process.  We gained insights we would have otherwise missed and the congregation has real ownership in what we are doing.  Our consultant was incredibly skilled and essential to success of our focus groups.  He took the time to get to know our vision and the proposed building project in depth.  Therefore he was able to guide the development and content of the focus groups.
• Equal Sacrifice different gifts is honoring to people and pleasing to God.
  Every member and regular attender is valued the same.  From the person who pledged a million dollars to the family that pledged three thousand dollars everyone received the same personal visit and were valued equally.  This is key for me since God has blessed each of us differently so what is a sacrifice for one person is different for another.  The consultant modeled this well for us, treating every member with the same respect and graciousness.
• Full time on site consultant makes the difference.
  Our Campaign would not have had the same result if we did not have the consultant with us full time.  He truly became one of the staff and a member of the congregation. We on staff consider him a friend and are sad to see him leave. I know a good number of the people in the congregation feel the same way. I have said on more than one occasion that he is hardest worker I have on staff.  He kept the campaign going, provided me with weekly reports, and was constantly encouraging the whole team.  A large degree of our success is attributable to our consultant.

 

In the end this campaign was much more than raising funds to complete a vital ministry expansion.  Yes, we raised a large amount of capital to allow us to construct our new building.  We also raised the awareness in our congregation of our vision for ministry and where we believe God is leading us.  Our members are more engaged in the mission of our church and are excited about it than ever before.