FAQ
Q: Why should we use an outside Consultant for our campaign?
A: It has been proven many times that churches that use an outside consultant in their campaigns raise significantly more money than those that do not. Some people think that fundraising is simply asking people for money. It is that of course but behind the point of “asking” is project and congregational preparation, thorough communication of the worthy cause”, education and motivation and an efficient response process so that a response is received from every potential donor. To put together therefore a process which will maximize your potential an experienced Consultant becomes an invaluable asset. Consultant-led church fundraising in Canada has a long history, going back to 1946. We have, over the years, eliminated things that do not work and today the process we recommend is built on tried and proven principles of fundraising, adapted of course to fit a particular church situation as well as the Canadian environment.
Over the last number of years we have received many calls from churches that have tried to do it on their own, have not done well, and are now looking for help to maximize their potential. Harder and Associates is well positioned to help churches in this situation.
Q: How large does a project have to be for Harder & Associates to get involved?
A: Harder & Associates has worked with churches ranging in size from 30-40 families to over 5000 families. We do an analysis at the beginning which determines the process we recommend for your situation, from self-directed to a fully directed campaign.
Q: Are all campaigns conducted by Harder & Associates the same?
A: We do not use a “cookie-cutter” approach. Every church has its own DNA and it is very important if maximum results are to be achieved to customize the campaign to “fit” the church. All models we recommend of course stay within tried and proven principles of fundraising, but are tailored to meet the individual church's needs.
Q: Our last campaign did not go well. Should we try again?
A: A bad experience in fundraising does not mean that you do not try it again, just as having a bad Pastoral experience does not mean you never hire another Pastor. The over-riding principle is that money is needed to fund vision. We would recommend that you analyze your last campaign critically, assess the positive things that happened, and build on that. It may be that your last campaign failed because of a flawed process as opposed to a bad vision. We would be happy to help you with that assessment.
Q: How do we establish our financial potential?
A: It is very important, particularly in new building projects, to answer the question, “What can we afford?” To help you answer that question we do a Congregational Financial Assessment which looks at current donor statistics, establishes five year trends and evaluates congregational demographics. The assessment may also include tentative responses from key donors. Out of that analysis we give recommendations as to the amount you can expect to raise for the project in question. This CFA takes about three months to complete.
Q: How do we know if we are ready for a campaign?
A: When we receive a request for help from a church, the first thing we usually do is ask for specific information having to do with whether a church is ready to launch the project. This Information Request Form covers general information, church statistics, ministry focus, donor information and details about the proposed project. We analyze this information and then meet with church leaders to go over the issue of campaign readiness and help them construct a critical path for proceeding.
Q: When is the best time to run a campaign?
A: The best times to run a campaign are either in the Fall or Winter/Spring. For Fall campaigns we usually recommend that the preparation work is done prior to June. We then break for July and August and run the public phase of the campaign from September to mid-November. Winter/Spring campaigns are best run from January to mid-May. It seems to be very difficult to conduct anything intensive in church life from Victoria Day through the summer.
Q: Is it more difficult raising money for debt retirement?
A: If you take the whole range of church projects, the least motivational in terms of giving is debt retirement and the highest is relocation involving new construction. Debt seems to be an issue with older members but is a non-issue with the younger set. Churches often however need to deal with accumulated debt and if so we recommend that the campaign be not just debt retirement but should include other things which are ministry-focused to appeal broadly to the congregation. This will greatly increase your potential.
Q: How does Harder & Associates set its fee for service?
A: If we used a "cookie-cutter" approach, the fee would simply be set as a percentage of budget or as some companies do, make it a percentage of what is raised. We however customize campaigns for churches so the fee is set once the design of the campaign has been finalized. Once the fee is set it is a set fee for service and not a percentage of what is raised. The fee is paid out in equal monthly payments over the course of the campaign.
Q: What is the role of the Consultant?
A: The Consultant works with the church from the beginning, depending of course on how far the planning process has already developed, to assist in campaign readiness, set the design, finalize the calendar, identify the people needed to lead the campaign and then trains everybody that is recruited to serve. The Consultant also helps the Chair monitor the process to ensure that what is supposed to happen, happens on time and to the extent required. To help both Consultant and Steering Committee members, we produce a Training Manual which provides training materials for each Director. The Consultant provides a very hands-on approach throughout the entire process.
Q: Does Harder & Associates assist churches in raising money for budget support?
A: We provide four levels of assistance to churches for budget support.
We have produced an annual fund program we call Stewardship Plus. This is a self- directed program complete with a Training Manual and two video training tapes, one for training Home Visitors and the second for training leadership. Approximately four hundred churches have used this program, some of them with very dramatic results. One church recently ran Stewardship Plus "by the book" and increased giving over 60% from one year to the next.
We also offer a on-day training seminar called Growing Financially Healthy Churches, for Board members, Ministers and Finance and Stewardship leaders. This seminar has been offered regionally over 120 times in Canada and the United States with representatives from over 2000 churches attending. Check the Website for seminars that are being run across Canada.
We also offer stewardship resources in video and print format.
In addition to the above we do conduct directed budget campaigns for churches.
Q: How often can capital campaigns be done?
A: We are doing more and more back-to-back campaigns if churches do not have the potential to be debt-free in one three-year giving period. We have experienced almost as great a response in the second campaign as in the first. We generally say that churches renew their latent potential every four to five years.
Q: Is it important for Senior leadership to be involved?
A: Leaders need to lead and when they do, amazing things happen. Obviously the Board/Council need to lead the congregation through the entire process and need to be seen to be supportive although they may not take a specific leadership role in the campaign. Pastoral involvement depends on their own leadership style or maybe the ecclesiological model of the church. Some Pastors love fundraising and are very involved whereas others play a very minimal role. The bottom line for all Senior Pastors is that they need to be seen to be supportive and assist in the areas of setting and articulating vision and providing the educational focus for the overall campaign.
Q: What if our congregation is hesitant about becoming too proactive in "asking" for money?
A: Some congregations have a tradition of being very concerned about the confidentiality of member givings. It is assumed therefore by some that it is not possible to conduct a financial campaign that is Biblically sensitive and fully respects the confidentiality that some congregations are concerned about. The truth is that it is possible to accomplish both sensitivity and confidentiality because Harder & Associates works with church leaders to design a process for the campaign that fits the church. In other words, we do not push a set process but customize the program to incorporate member concerns.
Q: Does Harder & Associates work formally with any architects and builders?
A: We do not have formal contractual arrangements with any architects or builders. We have however worked on projects with many architects and can recommend some if asked. Builders are usually chosen locally once the financial campaigns are finished.