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Capital Campaign & Fundraising
Fundraising and Capital Campaigns are completely different programs, similar only in that they both raise money for a building program. Fundraising is where the church offers a service or product such as candy bars, chicken dinner, or car wash in exchange for a contribution. A church capital campaign, on the other hand, is the application of biblical stewardship principals to meet a Kingdom need through regular freewill offerings over and above current tithes and offerings.
Capital Stewardship campaign
What is a Capital Campaign?
Many churches have a misconception of what a proper capital campaign is, and is not. A capital campaign is designed to help raise money for large capital projects such as construction, renovation, or the purchase of big-ticket items such as vans, organs or playgrounds. A properly run capital campaign will effectively raise money from within (and potentially outside) the congregation through giving above and beyond the current tithe and offering. Most importantly, a capital campaign is about spiritual growth and a biblical understanding of a topic that is of great emphasis in the scriptures - stewardship.
What a church capital campaign program is not is a high-pressure sales pitch used to "fleece the sheep" of their money. In fact, the focus really is not on money, it’s on communicating a Kingdom need and then meeting that need through the proper stewardship of time, talents and treasures. When God created man, He gave us our mind and our emotions, and with salvation, His Spirit. A capital campaign must address these three sides of man and provide intellectual facts and emotional involvement joined together, and based upon, a biblical understanding of God's perfect plan of providence through stewardship.
What You Should Expect
Based on the history of thousands of churches executing capital campaigns in the past several decades, the typical church should expect to experience most or all of the following in a professionally run campaign:
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A greater understanding of God’s perfect plan of providence and stewardship, with a corresponding dependency on His Word.
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Increased faith and trust in the promises of God
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The effective working out of God's promises resulting in spiritual growth.
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A greater sense of unity and purposefulness in the congregation.
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A pledge commitment of 1 to 3 times the current annual income in tithes and offerings (typically around 2 times).
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An increase in normal tithes and offerings of 10 to 15%. (This may dwindle over time if stewardship principles are not taught on a regular basis).
Additional Resources:
A complete capital campaign in a box with support models that meet the budget of even the smallest church as well as the needs of larger churches. Visit www.OurCapitalCampaign.com for more information.
Fundraising
While a church fundraising program can certainly supplement a capital campaign, it should never be considered as an alternative to one. The two reasons for this are 1) there is no spiritual aspect or benefit, and 2) you will raise far more money through the purposeful, regular sacrificial giving of a capital campaign than through fundraising. After all, it takes a lot of candy bars or spaghetti dinners to pay for a new church building.
A church fundraiser can take the form of services for contribution (car wash, rent a teen, etc.) or it can be in the form of selling goods with the net proceeds going to the church. Bake sales, church dinners, and cookbooks are traditional, and have the advantage of seeming more homey and old-fashioned, however other fundraisers provide income over a longer term and can supplement more traditional forms of fundraising.
Popular fund raising programs include selling candy bars such as World's Finest Chocolate, cookie dough, pizza, and gifts from catalogs. I recommend using a reputable company such as QSP Readers Digest for your church fundraising needs. Readers Digest is an American icon, and this division of their company has helped non-profits raise over 3 BILLION dollars.
Additional Resources:
For more church fundraising information, visit ChurchBizOnline, or