Rumple Memorial Presbyterian Church completed a campus master plan, but they were unsure it could be funded. We launched a campaign readiness assessment and feasibility study to determine the church’s ability to handle the rigors of a campaign.

We started by evaluating the internal capacity of the staff, systems, and processes. We found that the current system of donor recordkeeping was not positioned to effectively handle multi-year commitments and would not suffice to support a campaign. Even as the study continued, we immediately took steps to help the church implement a new system.

As we tested the vision for the campaign with members, we anticipated that the maintenance issues would be widely accepted, but we were unsure whether the new fellowship hall would be embraced. Through the feasibility interviews we were able to help parishioners weigh the pros and cons of the new facility. Members decided the fellowship hall was a worthy project if it could be funded. It was seen as a secondary priority to the renovations.

Since the church had not conducted a campaign in decades, they were unsure whether members could support a capital campaign and the essential annual campaign. Some church leaders assumed that because the majority of full-time members are retired and seasonal members are connected to other faith communities, gifts to this effort would not be large enough to succeed. We found a very generous church family that was ready to support the full effort including the fellowship hall.

Equipped with a campaign readiness assessment that showed a path forward to a successful campaign, the elders approved a $5.3 million capital campaign and gave the Pastor authority to make the internal shifts necessary for the campaign to succeed.

We then moved to executing the campaign. We supported the development of campaign materials, helped staff set up systems for recording keeping and gift acknowledgement, trained campaign volunteers, and created strategies for solicitation during the quiet phase through the public phase. Throughout the campaign, we met regularly with leaders to keep solicitations on schedule and evaluate strategy along the way.

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