One of the most effective church fund raising programs to raise money for a building fund is a capital campaign

Churches do fundraisers for a variety of reasons, and using a variety of fundraising programs. Church fund raising programs include bake sales, selling cookbooks, candy bars, or cookie dough.  Churches also sell pies or do the famous chicken dinner funraiser.

However if a church needs to raise money for large capital purchases, especially if they are raising money for their building fund, the most effective fund raising program will be a capital campaign.  No other method is as effective, will raise as much money, or is biblically sound as that of a capital campaign.

Capital Fund Raising Campaign

Capital projects (such as construction, renovation, relocation) require a great deal of fund raising, something that is difficult for the church to do if you are selling candy bars or chicken dinners.  After all, one might well imagine it takes a lot of candy bars or chicken dinners to build a church building!  When the church is selling a fundraiser product it is essentially trading a product for cash.  Not only does it have to “move a lot of product” to raise a significant amount of money, there is no spiritual component to fundraising in this manner.  If you are looking to do a raise money for your building fund, you need to look beyond the bake sale and chicken dinners.  You need to look for a church fund raising solution that will provide the maximum spiritual and financial benefit! The money you need to build is probably sitting right in front of you each Sunday.  Follow this link for more information on biblical fund raising.

Church Fund Raising For Programs and Ministries

As any Google search will prove, there are a number of church fundraisers that can raise money for things like youth programs, mission trips, and other programs and ministries.  These church fundraisers can include reselling products like cookie dough, cookbooks, candles, pizza, candy bars, popcorn, etc.  Other church fundraisers can include things like car washes, rent-a-teen, rummage sales, or bake sales.  While we do not discourage these types of fund raisers for the uses stated herein, nor do we discourage them from use in a building program, with one caveat… the capital campaign must come first and be the focus and priority of the church, what you do after that as far as fundraisers is icing on the cake.

What is a Church Capital Campaign?

A church capital campaign is a carefully choreographed spiritual endeavor that produces financial fruit through a dedicated offering above and beyond the current tithes and offerings. A professionally facilitated church capital campaign will typically raise between one and three times the church’s current annual income over a traditional 3-year giving period. A capital campaign is an important part of every church’s financial strategy, whether it is looking to raise money for construction or to retire debt.

A biblical capital campaign will Honor God and respect your congregation. A successful church capital campaign will first bear spiritual fruit, which leads to increased giving of the the members time, treasure and talents in supporting the church’s vision and mission.

In summary, if you are looking to raise significant money to purchase land, build a church, renovate, or retire debt, the best church fund raising program is a church capital campaign.

Church Capital Campaigns Are Biblical!

I love it when people challenge the concept of a capital campaign because they don’t see the term in the scriptures.  It presents a wonderful teaching opportunity on a topic that is very dear to God, the stewardship of our money.  Many complain that they don’t see capital campaigns in scripture. And while the words “church capital campaign” does not appear in scripture, in these circumstances I am quick to let people know that the word “trinity” does not appear anywhere in the scriptures, yet it is a fundamental doctrine of Christianity.

The bible provides us with a wonderful scriptural basis for a church capital campaign.  In fact, in the Abundant Giving program, we provide a presentation entitled, From the Tabernacle to the Temple to Today that illustrates this.

(The following is an excerpt from the Abundant Giving Training & Resource Manual)

“We have two excellent church building examples in the Old Testament – those of building the tent of the tabernacle and the building of the temple. These examples, along with those provided in the minor prophets regarding rebuilding the temple and the walls of Jerusalem provide an excellent foundation for biblical fundraising. 

Giving for Building the Tabernacle

“Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: ‘Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering. And this is the offering which you shall take from them: gold, silver, and bronze; blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goats’ hair; ram skins dyed red, badger skins, and acacia wood; oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense; onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate. And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it’” (Exodus 25:1-9).

“Then everyone came whose heart was stirred, and everyone whose spirit was willing, and they brought the LORD’s offering for the work of the tabernacle of meeting, for all its service, and for the holy garments. They came, both men and women, as many as had a willing heart, and brought earrings and nose rings, rings and necklaces, all jewelry of gold, that is, every man who made an offering of gold to the LORD. And every man, with whom was found blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, goats’ hair, red skins of rams, and badger skins, brought them. Everyone who offered an offering of silver or bronze brought the LORD’s offering. And everyone with whom was found acacia wood for any work of the service, brought it. All the women who were gifted artisans spun yarn with their hands, and brought what they had spun, of blue, purple, and scarlet, and fine linen. And all the women whose hearts stirred with wisdom spun yarn of goats’ hair. The rulers brought onyx stones, and the stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate, and spices and oil for the light, for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense. The children of Israel brought a freewill offering to the LORD, all the men and women whose hearts were willing to bring material for all kinds of work which the LORD, by the hand of Moses, had commanded to be done” (Exodus 35:4-5, 21-29).

“Then Moses called Bezalel and Aholiab, and every gifted artisan in whose heart the LORD had put wisdom, everyone whose heart was stirred, to come and do the work. And they received from Moses all the offering which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of making the sanctuary. So they continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning. Then all the craftsmen who were doing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work he was doing, and they spoke to Moses, saying, “The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the LORD commanded us to do.”  So Moses gave a commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, “Let neither man nor woman do any more work for the offering of the sanctuary.” And the people were restrained from bringing, for the material they had was sufficient for all the work to be done–indeed too much” Exodus 36:2-7.

These verses teach several important principles:

1. God said to give an offering for the building of the sanctuary.
   1. In addition to their tithes, and offerings.
   2. Specific for building.
   3. Led by the church leader(s) (see also Exodus 34:29-32)
2. The expectation was all would give.
   1. Not compulsory, a free will offering.
   2. A gift from the heart (see also 2 Cor 9:7)
3. Not equal gifts.
   1. Some offered gold, some silver, some bronze.
   2. Each as they had ability.
4. Giving was ongoing:
   1. An initial offering.
   2. A continued offering.
   3. They gave until the job was done.
   4. Giving had to be restrained!

Giving for Building the Temple

“Furthermore King David said to all the assembly: “My son Solomon, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced; and the work is great, because the temple is not for man but for the LORD God. Now for the house of my God I have prepared with all my might: gold for things to be made of gold, silver for things of silver, bronze for things of bronze, iron for things of iron, wood for things of wood, onyx stones, stones to be set, glistening stones of various colors, all kinds of precious stones, and marble slabs in abundance. Moreover, because I have set my affection on the house of my God, I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, my own special treasure of gold and silver: three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses; the gold for things of gold and the silver for things of silver, and for all kinds of work to be done by the hands of craftsmen. Who then is willing to consecrate himself this day to the LORD?” Then the leaders of the fathers’ houses, leaders of the tribes of Israel, the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the officers over the king’s work, offered willingly. They gave for the work of the house of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze, and one hundred thousand talents of iron. And whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the LORD, into the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite. Then the people rejoiced, for they had offered willingly, because with a loyal heart they had offered willingly to the LORD; and King David also rejoiced greatly” (1 Chronicles 29:1-9).

Important Principles:

1. David, as leader of the corporate body of Israel (church), prepared in advance for the building of the temple.
2. David personally and publically attested to his financial support.
3. David both encouraged and challenged others to do the same.
4. David saw giving to the work as an act of consecration (sanctify, dedicate).
5. Those in charge or in areas of responsibility gave; giving started at the top and worked its way down through the people. Quoting from Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary, ‘Those who would draw others to do that which is good must themselves lead. Those especially who are advanced above others in place and dignity should particularly contrive how to make their light shine before men, because the influence of their example is more powerful and extensive than that of other people.’ “

(end of excerpt)

Please contact us with any questions regarding our theological beliefs and how they apply to the capital campaign.

Abundant Giving is unique in providing a wide range of church capital campaign delivery options.  These options allow you to get the best capital fundraising solution that will meet your church’s unique needs and budget.  We provide capital fundraising solutions as unique as your church.

With the recent addition of the Abundant Giving Small Church Campaign, we now provide a specialized capital campaign option for smaller churches that need to raise funds, but don’t need the complexity and cost of a typical church capital campaign.

With the variety of options available, you can trust our experienced capital stewardship consultants to meet both your campaign budget and ongoing support needs.  We will work with you to determine which solution is the best for your church and then work with your church to a spiritually and financially successful conclusion to your church capital campaign.

Church Capital Campaign – What’s Included

Regardless of the size of your church, your experience at fundraising, your campaign goals, or giving patterns, the core components of the Abundant Giving Capital Stewardship program are essentially the same for all of our service offerings.  These core components will be customized or scaled to the church, but all are a fundamental part of every campaign

The Core Components of Every Abundant Giving Church Capital Campaign:

First and foremost, every campaign is based on two fundamental pillars: The Word of God and Best Practices. Abundant Giving has as its central core verse 2 Corinthians 9:8, “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.”  The most effective encouragement for sacrificial giving comes directly from the unchanging Word of God.  Best practices are those ever changing methods of effectively communicating these spiritual truths in a relevant manner and that have proven themselves effective in exhorting sacrificial giving.

• Pre-campaign organization, timeline development, and goal setting including job descriptions and org chart.
• Abundant Giving Campaign Manual and Resource Guide (view table of contents).
• Ongoing coaching, training, and support.
• Periodic follow-up over the whole giving period (typically 3 years).
• Choice of themed capital campaign communications  materials customized for your church.
• Digital press ready artwork, ready for professional printing or in-house printing.
• Education Material: Pastor Driven Stewardship by Dr. Rod Rogers.
• Evaluation copies of small group/Sunday school studies.
• DVD with sermons, sample materials, resources for directors, articles, forms, letters, and digital copy of the manual.
• 3 months of unlimited telephone and email support.

Campaign Options

We offer solutions for every budget, circumstance and size of church.  Abundant Giving has been used by churches as small as 60 in attendance, to raising over $9.5 million in a single church campaign.

Abundant Giving Capital Campaign – Small Church Edition

The Small Church Edition of Abundant Giving is designed and optimized specifically for churches that have under 100 adults in regular attendance. It is priced and designed specifically for the simpler and unique dynamics of the small church which needs to raise money for special projects such as building, renovation, or land purchase.  It does not require a large and available staff or committee.  Flat fee is based on the scope of work and complexity of the engagement and includes the core components above and creation of a reduced set of communication materials.

Capital Campaign Coaching Engagement

Ideal for small to medium sized churches (typically 100-250) adults with prior experience at successful capital fundraising that are looking for a proven process and the assistance of a coach to provide assistance and guidance in the process.   This customized program is designed for churches with experienced, capable and self-starting staff and committee members who need less less in-depth training and assistance but want someone to shepherd them through the process in order to avoid mistakes and to maximize results.  Flat fee is based on the scope of work and complexity of the engagement and includes the core components above with the creation of standard set of communication materials.

Traditional Capital Campaign Consulting Engagement

The traditional consulting engagement is designed for churches of any size with limited experience,  churches of over 300 adults, or campaigns with an added level of complexity due to tight time lines, higher giving goals, past issues with fundraising, limited staff availability, or other factors. This customized campaign provides a higher level of on-site assistance and consultant involvement in the day to day and week to execution of the campaign to insure the highest level of spiritual and financial benefit to the church. Flat fee is based on the scope of work and complexity of the engagement and includes the core components above with the creation of standard set of communication materials.

Contact us today to request a no obligation review of your church’s situation.

The Abundant Giving Small Church Capital Campaign is a version optimized specifically for churches that have regular attendance of approximately 100 or fewer adults or less. 

The Small Church Capital Campaign is priced and designed specifically for the unique dynamics of the small church culture and church needing to raise money for special projects such as building, renovation, or land purchase.

The Small Church Capital Campaign consists of the following:

• The Abundant Giving Training & Resource Manual – Small Church Edition
• Pastor’s Resource DVD
• Education Material: Pastor Driven Stewardship by Rod Rogers;  Preparing To Build by Steve Anderson.
• Evaluation copies of small group/Sunday school studies
• Selection of 3 design options for the templated communication materials, customized with church information (see image, below)
• Press-ready communication materials, ready for printing, either professionally or in-house.
• All this PLUS 3 months of unlimited coaching via telephone and email.

Pricing

Please contact us for pricing or to discuss whether the Abundant Giving Small Church Campaign is the right solution for your church’s capital fundraising needs.

We do not post prices online because you may not have the context in which to understand what a great value we offer. To slightly adapt a proverb, “one man’s price may seem high until you hear that of his competitor.”

We’d love the opportunity to help you understand which of our options is right for you and to discuss the cost of a campaign. Contact us to receive our options and pricing information and competitive analysis.

Small Church Capital Campaign Communication Materials Included in the Package

(customized for your church)

Small Church Capital Campaign Communication Materials

Stephen provided excellent resources and tailored the campaign to fit our needs. On the rare occasions his recommendations were not taken, he quickly deferred to the church leadership and emphasized that his job was to help us make the best decisions for our situation. In light of the many campaigns Raleigh Road Baptist Church has conducted, it is high praise indeed that THIS campaign is considered by many of our long time members to be the best campaign to date. I am pleased to give Stephen Anderson and AMI Church Consulting Services my strongest recommendation. ”

Pastor Rob Pochek, Raleigh Road Baptist Church, Wilson, NC

Click here to view all capital campaign client testimonials

As a result we not only had a marvelously successful campaign, but we also grew both individually and corporately. I can heartily recommend Steve both professionally and personally. A year later he continues to be both a mentor and a brother. We are grateful to God for bringing Steve and AMI to our fellowship!”

Pastor Wayne McDonald, Metrocrest Community Church, Coppel TX

2011 Update

A couple years back you led us through our first-ever capital campaign. May/June of 2012 will be the end of that, and our plans have taken quite the turn. First, our current pledges are running at nearly 100 percent in follow-through. That has built a cash reserve that we thought was going to be applied to our first building project. In God’s providence, this July a local area church contacted us. For a variety of reasons, they have chosen to close. They asked if we were interested in their existing facility! Long story short, we are acquiring an existing church for half what it was going to cost to build our own! And because of the good work you led us through, and the continuing faithfulness of God’s people, the funds were available to make this happen! Thank you for being such a huge contributor to God’s work in our midst. Without your leadership and counsel we would not have been in this position. God has used you to bless us, and we pray His blessings upon you! Well done !

Click here to view all capital campaign client testimonials

Randy Smith Pastor, Teacher Grace Tabernacle, Lake Como, NJ