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IX. Resources When Doing a Building Program

A. Borrowing to Build: Steps in a Decision-Making Process | B. Capital Fund Drives

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B. Capital Fund Drives

INTRODUCTION
Whenever a church approaches a major capital project, it provides a very teachable moment in the life of that congregation to stretch people's financial commitment in support of that project.

PRESENTATION
It is a wise financial team that challenges the congregation to financial commitment in support of a new facility, expansion or other capital project. Most congregations find that a well orchestrated time of challenge can result in significant financial commitments over and above the normal giving to the operating budget. Experience would indicate that potential additional income from this capital fund drive could be somewhere between one and three times the church's operating budget. Example:

A church has a current local income of $100,000 per year. With a well orchestrated capital fund drive, that church could experience an additional $33,333 to $100,000 per year for each of the three years that pledges are received. That means $100,000 to $300,000 over that three year period.

Experience also dictates that churches receive substantially more income if they have an organized and well articulated campaign. This effort should have outside help in the form of a Capital Fund Drive consultant. Covenant congregations have historically worked well with one of four alternative consultant sources:

Don Fensterman - 952-432-8211
Don is an employee of the ECC and has assisted over 250 congregations in their campaigns.

Resource Services Inc. (RSI) - 800-527-6824
RSI is a fee based firm that has worked well with Covenant congregations.

Injoy - 800-333-6506
Injoy is a fee based firm that has worked well with large Covenant congregations.

David Erickson - 253-848-1139
David is a fee based individual working with congregations in the North Pacific.