Many churches today are facing aging facilities. While their communities are still full of people who need reaching, their finances don’t allow for the renovations to keep their facilities in working order. It’s important for these churches to take action now.
Every church, at some point, will need to raise funds above and beyond its normal operating costs. For the last few years, I have warned denominational leaders and church leaders about this coming wave of church closures and our need to act now to prepare for the future. The urgency is heightened because our key donor group, Baby Boomers, is moving off the stage. While their giving is still strong, it’s important to make the most of this opportunity now.
It might surprise you, but raising capital dollars has never been easier. When I started in the stewardship ministry in the last century, the process of raising capital dollars was much more complicated—at least, we made it complicated. Today, with online giving, collecting those commitments has never been easier. At least with our platform and tools at OnlineGiving.org, campaigns are easier. Here are two ways we make capital campaigns easier to manage.
Every capital campaign begins with some type of collection of commitments. You may ask members to write down on a card what they will pledge to give to your campaign over the next few years. The total of those cards is what you might see coming in. This total is important in planning and executing the building process. Yet, it has been a cumbersome and expensive process. The cards must be designed and printed, which takes time and money. They then must be distributed, which also takes time and money. Finally, they must be processed, and records of what is given for the campaign must be kept to keep members abreast of where they are in terms of fulfilling their commitments. Again, it is a cumbersome and time-consuming job. While it was cumbersome, it was necessary to see those commitments turned into the funds you need to complete the project.
At OnlineGiving.org, we have made this process simple and easy. The entire process can be done through our platform, from communicating the vision and importance of your capital campaign to collecting pledges to seeing the money come in from those pledges. Members and attendees can use their cell phones from anywhere in the world to commit and pay towards fulfilling their commitments. Since encouraging my clients to move towards online pledging, I have seen the number of pledge commitments increase significantly. Why? The easier you make it for people to make a commitment, the more apt they are to do so. Then, people who make a commitment always give more to a campaign than those who do not make a commitment. And, just like making it easy to pledge increases pledges, so does making it easy to give towards their pledge. You will find they are more apt to complete their pledge when giving is easy.
Let me share with you one other major difference we can help with your capital campaign. Back in the day, helping members keep abreast of where they were with their pledge was another cumbersome detail that often was ignored. You risk losing significant dollars if you don’t keep those who pledged updated on their progress. We would encourage follow-up letters to be sent out periodically. That meant someone not only had to write the letter but also had to check the pledge total against receipts towards the pledge. It is another cumbersome process that few take the time to do. Our ChMS integrations make it easy for churches to track giving and communicate to members where they stand. And your members don’t need to wait for you to tell them where they stand. They can check their giving records from their phone, computer, or smart device anytime.
Utilizing these tools has helped church leaders run more successful campaigns, thus raising more dollars for ministry. Because of today’s technology and our understanding and use of that technology, we at OnlineGiving.org have developed the best platform in the industry to run and support capital campaigns. With our tools, we can help you prepare your facilities for the next twenty-five years of ministry. Boomers are retiring, and now is the time to challenge them to step up for the next generations. We are here to help!
For a free demonstration of how our platform and tools can help you in your next capital campaign, contact us at (615) 206-4000 or support@onlinegiving.org.
The Stewardship Coach
Is your church considering a capital campaign? It might surprise you, but raising capital dollars has never been easier. Let us show you the ways our platform can make your campaign easier and more successful!https://t.co/aAbW5OZY4q pic.twitter.com/7DEqFsOxFq
— Online Giving (@onlinegivingorg) May 31, 2024