Responding to a Stalled Campaign
“I will go before you and level the mountains; I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron.” (Isaiah 45:2)
Who said it was going to be easy? Since when was faith easy? And when was raising an unprecedented amount of money not difficult? Few campaigns have a straight-up vertical trajectory with steady progress along the way. Almost every campaign comes to a point where it feels there is little progress, people have lost interest and no one seems like they want to give. Be patient. Trust in God. Continue to do the work and wait upon Him. In the meantime, here are some simple suggestions:
The Challenge
Fear
Complacency
Background “noise”
Legitimate concerns/complaints
Postponed/delayed pledging
Slow progress
Economic distress
Non-acceptance of the cause
Resistance to sacrificial giving
Major gifts not falling
The Response
Faith and trust in God
Vision and Energy
Listen but disregard
Listen/respond effectively
Diligent follow-up
Expect longer campaign by 1-2 years
Patience/pray for a turn-around
Preach/teach/converse/assert
Model sacrificial giving
Re-double efforts to identify, cultivate and solicit major donor prospects
Additional Strategies:
- Implement Legacy and Endowment program for long term solution and sometimes major gifts during the campaign
- Form Advisory Committee that opens doors and creates now opportunities
- Be sure that personal appointments and meetings are being secured and that impersonal fundraising is not the dominant method that is used
- Reach out beyond familiar faces to those perceived as well situated but rarely participate in church life