Placed in a garden, commended to one another, and given everything in the world for their enjoyment, Adam and Eve began human history as good stewards. Only one thing was asked of them – to return back to God in thanksgiving what they had been given. This offering to God brought forth even greater joy – human freedom. We know the sad result. Adam and Eve chose to grasp the world for themselves and forgot to offer it back to God.

It is possible to interpret the entire history of the people of Israel as the failure to be good stewards. Only in the Virgin Mary do we see good stewardship return. "Let it be to me according to your word." She offered herself and her life to God in humility and thanksgiving.

In her Son, the Lord Jesus Christ we encounter the Good Steward. In His perfect offering to His Father of all joy, all obedience, all love, all acceptance and all life, the sacrament of stewardship is restored. It is in His good stewardship that we now share: "Thine own of Thine own, we offer onto Thee, on behalf of all and for all." This is the fundamental teaching of the Church on stewardship. Good stewardship therefore is the wise management of the resources given to us by God and the sanctifying offering of these resources to God the Father in His Son Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit.

On a more practical note concerning corporate stewardship management, most Orthodox parishes struggle to fund bare bones operating budgets. Parish budgets rarely include such essential line items as mission, evangelization, charitable giving, humanitarian relief, or theological education. The same parishes have little or no understanding of how to fund the construction of a new church or a major renovation project. Parish endowment efforts are poorly planned and improperly executed. Bingo, raffles, parish "dues" and minimalist stewardship practices plague Orthodox Church life and seriously constrain the growth of Orthodoxy in North America. In some parishes the annual ethnic festival rivals the importance of Holy Week in terms of parish member participation. A hefty percentage of the parish operating fund may be underwritten by this all-consuming event. In other parishes an unending sequence of fundraising projects becomes the raison d’être of parish life. Consequently, non-Orthodox visitors may perceive Orthodox parishes as wholly self-serving – and they may be correct! One is not surprised therefore, to find a Church that is under funded, preoccupied with its own self-sustenance, jealously guarding its own resources and in many places shrinking in membership.

An Orthodox consultant who is professionally trained and well experienced serves many useful purposes in the development of a parish or church organization.

The consultant as coach. Parish and church institution strategic planning is a rare event in Orthodox Church life. A parish is exceptional if it even engages in occasional "long-term planning". More common but no less complicated and challenging is the capital campaign – especially on the million dollar or multi-million dollar levels often seen today. These are not activities for which priests and bishops have been trained. Lay leadership is often inexperienced or untaught in the prerequisite skills. An expert consultant, well-versed in Orthodox Church life, can coach members of the church leadership as well as the fundraising team to take on their roles with greater confidence, authority and understanding of the methods and the processes of nonprofit development.

The consultant as change agent or catalyst. Inertia, vested interests, precedent, previous fundraising methods or mistakes, fear of failure, and community perception are all challenges to necessary change. Every organization has its naysayers – those whose refrain is: "That won’t work here", "We tried that", or "We don’t do it that way." It is often easier for an objective voice – especially one that speaks from experience and knowledge – to implement the required change that will bring success to the enterprise. It is the consultant’s role both to challenge the assumptions, thinking and methods that inhibit church development, and to affirm and validate the assumptions, thinking and methods that enable positive church development. To do this, the consultant must be versatile, mobile and innovative, all the while working from a deep and broad knowledge base. At times it may be necessary for counsel to articulate an alternative point of view based upon professional training and experience in numerous campaigns. Sometimes it is the consultant’s role to say what needs to be said, not necessarily what some may want to hear.

The consultant as expert. Every parish council or governing board member will have an idea about how the church institution should conduct a planning phase or raise the money in a capital campaign. This is good. One hopes for parish council and governing board involvement. When the consultant arrives, there is almost always an existing plan for capital fundraising. Often it is closely linked to naming opportunities and based upon general appeals, banquets and a grandiose "launching event." Oftentimes, what in the profession is called "the easy money", has already been collected at an early dinner or social event hosted by the priest or leading layperson. This is when the difficulty begins. What happens after the "easy money" is raised? At least 50% of the inquiries made to Stewardship Advocates come from parishes and church institutions that are stalled in campaigns. They may have raised the first $1 million in a $4 million capital campaign and can get no further. (Please click here to read why the early use of counsel enhances the prospects for success.) A consultant is blessed with distinctive qualifications stemming from professional training and comprehensive experience in a very special branch of learning. The consultant serves as an authoritative expert to whom church leaders and the faithful can turn for expert counsel. It is the consultant’s role to bring skillful and effective action to bear on difficult, unfamiliar and complicated issues. In the case of Stewardship Advocates, in addition to professional degrees directly related to church development, consultants have completed comprehensive training and education in strategic planning, all aspects of fundraising, board development and specific strategies of nonprofit advancement.

The consultant as sage. Church leadership can be extremely frustrating and lonely. Every priest or bishop feels as though he is always swimming against the strong current of secularism and relativism – often completely alone. Priests and bishops are educated and trained to lead communities from Egypt to Israel, as it were, from slavery to freedom in Christ. Faced with the practical and project based need to build community consensus, define and prioritize community objectives, raise an enormous amount of money or lead a once-in-a-lifetime parish development project – one can easily feel overwhelmed.

The laity in turn often bring tremendous energy, enthusiasm, dedication, special skills and determination to the planning or fundraising task. However, expertise in a related field such as public relations, financial planning, accounting, business development, sales, or marketing still lacks the requisite expertise in nonprofit development theory and methodology. Those who have learned fundraising in other environments such as hospitals, higher education, libraries, the political arena, volunteer organizations, or special causes very rarely have managerial or practical experience in major gifts, planned gifts or multi-million dollar capital campaigns.

Someone, therefore, must bring objectivity to the process. Someone must have the ability to conduct a careful and thorough analysis; the capacity to perform diligent inquiry and prospect research; to be the listening ear; have relevant erudition, mastery of a highly specialized process, expert discernment, professional knowledge and wisdom.

This is the problem: the average capital campaign has a two-year preparatory phase and a three- to five-year execution or fundraising phase depending upon the length of time granted to honor pledges. Most parishes and dioceses want to cut short the preparatory phase. This is a grave error.

There are twelve essential preconditions to a successful capital campaign. These include good major gift prospects, committed leaders, a written strategic plan (implying solid community consensus on future development), a capital project that is carefully researched and clearly delineated, defined fundraising objectives, capable staff (and adequate staffing), demonstrated organizational "success", an effective and ongoing annual giving program, active major donor cultivation program, a compelling case for support and sufficient technology.

A strategic planning process directly addresses seven of the necessary twelve preconditions. It facilitates commitment in community leaders; it delivers a written plan; it initiates research on project feasibility; it begins to define (and prioritize) fundraising objectives; it demonstrates organizational "success" or credibility; it creates an opportunity for major donor cultivation and begins to build the compelling case for support. The process positions a Church organization to undertake a successful capital campaign. Much of the research has now been completed, consensus has been built, and major donor prospects that have been incorporated into the planning process now see themselves as a critical part of the solution.

How many times have we seen a proposed building or renovation project passed in a general assembly only to learn at a later date that people are voting "no" with their pocketbooks – especially major donors who hold the keys to success or failure? Strategic planning builds authentic community consensus.

Capital campaigns are also predicated upon an effective annual giving program, thorough project research and cost analysis. Parishes and organizations that do not have an effective annual giving program face an extremely difficult uphill challenge to complete a successful capital campaign. People who have not yet learned to give regularly, generously and cheerfully to the operating budget of a parish have even more difficulty making a five-, six- or seven-figure gift to a capital campaign. For a campaign to be successful, these major gifts will be needed. Often these take several years to bring to fruition. All of these details and many more belong to the "pre-campaign" phase.

Have you heard of the 80-20 rule? That 80% of the money comes from 20% of the people? Look at membership giving in your parish. It is almost certainly close to this ratio. In a capital campaign the rule is 95-5! Ninety-five percent of the money comes from 5% of the people. Stewardship Advocates can assist you to implement a professional and effective annual giving program and also major donor cultivation and solicitation.

Unfortunately, often a parish or a diocese does not begin to use professional counsel until just before the launch date of a campaign. Worse yet, many parishes or dioceses contact counsel after floundering in the initial stages of a very public and very problematic fundraising program. Premature launching of a capital campaign can result in confusion, uncertainty and early missteps that are difficult if not impossible to reverse. How many major gifts were lost due to an ill-advised and ill-timed approach to a major donor prospect?

It is important to implement strategies early on so that the highest giving potential is realized once the campaign begins. Just prior to the initiation of a capital campaign it is important to conduct a campaign planning study. This activity will provide important information on what key potential donors and community leaders are thinking and feeling about the project – thereby shaping and informing campaign strategy.

Capital campaigns are tough, difficult and challenging projects. If they appear expensive in terms of planning and preparation or in the use of a consultant, one must consider the costs to a community for a failed capital campaign. These include: unmanageable construction loans, burdensome mortgages, unrealized cherished dreams, erosion of confidence in the leadership, the purpose and mission of the parish or diocese falters and institutional vitality is lost. What of those who gave and did not see their dreams realized? They often respond with cynicism, pessimism, acrimony and blame. Unfortunately, capital campaigns offer ample opportunity for community divisiveness, hurt feelings, shortfalls, and uncompleted projects.

Early use of counsel can avoid pitfalls and get the campaign going in the right direction, asserting the proper priorities. Even if a parish or diocese elects not to utilize counsel, early conversation with a consultant alerts a parish or diocese to the options and possible consequences of poor preparation.

What it is. The strategic plan is a concise and formal management tool that addresses a set of objectives, and prescribes a plan of action to achieve those objectives. It provides a framework for decisions based on choices that are currently available. It has specific timelines, input requirements, and deliverables.

What it is not. It is not a tool to predict the future. It is not a tool to replace leadership and executive resources.

The process. The process presumes an organizational setting through which decisions will be made in an environment where much activity is taking place and where issues continuously change. It is a creative process that requires flexibility in thinking, sensitivity to diverse personalities, priorities and politics, as well as adaptation to changes and surprises.

Assumptions. Strategic planning is not an exact science.

Deliverables. It is an employable management tool that will provide:

Factors affecting the outcome.

Strategic Planning Considerations
For Your Church Community

A professionally managed strategic planning process
and a professionally written plan produces the "4Cs" of Strategic Planning: Consensus, Credibility, Confidence, and Clarity.

Why strategic planning is an invaluable parish development tool

The connection between strategic planning and capital campaigns

Benefits through workshop facilitation

What the process needs

What information needs to be provided to the process

Expectations of the process

Why Stewardship Advocates?

Why Capital Campaigns are Really
About Community Spiritual Development

How easy it is to disassociate a building or renovation program from prayer, worship, repentance and fasting. Nothing else in parish life reveals quite so starkly the false dichotomy we often draw between the material and the spiritual, the profane and the sacred, or business and sacrament.

Furthermore, as we plunge into planning, meetings, design, schedules and construction we do not allow ourselves to critically reflect upon how these processes may be affecting community life. Some clergy too easily delegate the entire matter to the laity. Some laity roughly shoulder the priest aside who wants to become more involved. And what of the massive fundraising efforts that accompany these projects? Are they propitiatory to salvation? Or are they millstones that drag us under the sea?

There are many challenges to community spiritual life and also many opportunities for spiritual growth. We should not forget that philanthropy and fundraising originated in religious life. All world religions profess a humanitarian concern and teach the responsibility to care for those less fortunate. All world religions also include an element of offering gifts and sacrifices to God. However, we must also remember that present theories and methodologies of professional advancement or development, as fundraising is often called, acquired their present form outside the formal boundaries of the Church in highly secularized settings. Furthermore, the very word "stewardship" has been hijacked by practitioners of professional fundraising, and used synonymously with "fundraising". Western Christian pastoralia is filled with techniques, methods, canned sermons, and programs designed to raise giving levels in parishes. Oftentimes, these are incorporated uncritically into Orthodox Church life. This modest article seeks to explain only a few of the ways that parish or church leadership can utilize the inevitable fundraising activities that must accompany a construction or renovation project to enable community spiritual development.

Let us first examine the spiritual challenges that a capital campaign presents to a community. As a parish community begins to envision its future, questions begin to arise concerning the very mission of the parish. Is it to sustain cultural values or to preach the gospel? Where does one end and the other begin? There may be many varying understandings of what the mission of the parish should be. Should capital funds be invested only in facilities that address the internal needs of the community or should there also be consideration of the need for outreach, evangelization, and service to the needy? Will we allow the capital campaign to be wholly shaped by institutional self-reference and parochialism?

In the very process of sorting out parish future priorities we find ourselves seeking a balance between the essential mission of the parish to worship God, proclaim the gospel, and care for the needy – which in fact can be accomplished with no buildings and no bell towers whatsoever – and the legitimate need for a sanctuary, community hall, classrooms, operating budget and endowment to enable, sustain and advance the mission of the parish.

How easily arrogance and pride enter into the discussions on the size of the buildings and their public display before the community. Ethical questions arise concerning gift recognition and naming opportunities. Do we put names of donors on icons? Why should someone who gives relatively little of their means but a relatively large gift in terms of the campaign goal be praised and honored when the poor widow who gives much of her means but a relatively small gift in terms of the campaign goal remains unacknowledged? The gospel teaches that appropriate recognition is possible – "Well done good and faithful servant." How can this be applied in a parish setting in a way that is helpful to salvation?

Family or clan competition can develop in terms of gifts and leadership. When one parishioner solicits another parishioner to give, people may feel that the decision to give or not to give is personal rejection. Feelings are ruffled. The temptation to judge people according to the size of the gift is always present. Oftentimes the well-to-do want a democratic form of fundraising – "Let each family give $5,000." Conversely, those who have less want the well-to-do to finance the project – "They have more money than they know what to do with."

Increasingly, capital campaigns include a planned giving component. Endowments raise a host of questions concerning their purposes, restrictions and effects they may have upon the long-term health of the parish. Will they lull us into complacency or will they fund aggressive outreach programs such as foreign missionaries, theological education, international service programs to help the needy and support monasteries?

Now, let us consider the opportunities that a capital campaign presents for spiritual development. Once again, the approaching capital campaign presents a wonderful possibility for the community to build consensus on its future priorities and achieve community agreement on the essential mission of the parish.

A capital campaign will test leadership. It is said that stewardship is what one does after one says, "I believe…". Beyond words, action is required. Is the leadership prepared to make genuine, sacrificial gifts of financial resources and genuine, sacrificial gifts of time and talents?

When a person is asked to make a meaningful gift, a gift that requires deep reflection, planning, timing, phone calls to an accountant or to an attorney and consultations with one’s spouse, then a person briefly steps into the eschaton – the place of judgment at the end of time before God. For what purpose were these assets being accumulated? Why were we building ever-bigger barns? In what measure are we grateful to God for all the blessings bestowed upon us? Are we prepared to acknowledge that it all really belongs to God and is only on loan to us? The answers to these questions present a significant opportunity for personal spiritual growth.

As can be seen, every spiritual challenge is simultaneously an opportunity for spiritual growth. The role of the priest in this process cannot be underestimated. It is his task to frame the capital campaign according to gospel teachings. He must lead the community in prayer and praise of God in such as way as to refer the entire project to Him. The priest needs to exercise wise and compassionate pastoral judgment as people begin to feel their resources and values stretched in unaccustomed ways. He must be on guard to identify those who are nearing the limits of their time commitments. The capital campaign will test his ability to translate a rather secular process into the theology of the Orthodox Church. The ultimate purposes and meanings of campaign activities need to be articulated and explained in light of the mission of the Church. It is too easy and too dangerous and too contrary to the gospel to separate the worshiping life of the Church from the overwhelming process of conducting a capital campaign.

It is only when community physical development is integrated into theology, worship and spiritual development that a community may advance further upon the way to salvation.

You do not know how to raise major gifts. Your campaign goal seems insurmountable. You wonder how you will get there. "We need expertise!" is the refrain of some board members. How tempting it is to hire someone to raise the money and wash your hands of the entire process.

Consultants play an invaluable role in the fundraising process. Even famous universities, such as Harvard or Stanford, which employ hundreds of professional fundraisers, will also retain a consultant in a capital campaign. They value an independent and objective point of view. A consultant can design a campaign, bring many years of experience to the process and initiate new forms of fundraising. They give shape to a campaign and properly assert priorities. They manage the fundraising process – especially the highly specialized art of major gift fundraising. They both challenge and affirm present thinking. Yet these institutions do not expect the consultant to raise this money. They understand that their boards and their advocates should raise the money.

Why is it disadvantages to hire someone to raise the money? There are many reasons. First of all, there are two goals to every solicitation – receive the largest gift possible and enhance the relationship with the contributor. When an outside consultant is hired to meet with major donor prospects to raise the money, both goals are lost. The person to ask for the highest gift possible is the socioeconomic peer solicitor or the priest or bishop, not a paid solicitor. The CEO (priest or bishop) or the lay leader (parish council president, diocesan council chair or campaign committee chair) should deepen the relationship with the major donor on behalf of the institution or fundraising project. This cannot happen with a hired solicitor.

When the campaign is over and done, donors do not feel any closer linkage to the institution. It is the paid solicitor who has developed the relationship. Furthermore, the prospective major donor may recognize the role that the hired solicitor plays and therefore devalue their gift, preferring to give more to those directly invested and involved in the project. Some donors feel that when a paid professional solicits them, some of their contribution may go to his or her commission. This is not a desirable scenario. Donors need to feel that their entire gift goes to the project.

There is another very important issue to consider. Every professional fundraising consultant knows that the best person to make the solicitation is the person most likely to receive a "yes". It is so much easier to turn down some unknown entity, some "hired gun" than it is to turn down a dear friend, a colleague or the senior church advocate – the bishop or the priest – the one with whom they must continue to relate. The highest probability of success is when a peer asks a peer – when a friend asks a friend. A paid solicitor is neither of these.

When a board or a fundraising committee surrenders the fundraising process to a paid solicitor, then they are much less invested in the "success" of the project. "If we succeed or if we fail it is his or her fault, not ours."

The very best scenario is when friends and advocates of the parish or the diocese raise funds for the church organization. Not only does the major donor prospect encounter the genuine and authentic advocate of the organization or fundraising project but the voluntary fundraisers themselves often deepen their own commitments to the project. Very often the fundraiser increases his or her gift as a result of advocating for a heartfelt project!

One possible compromise is to ask the consultant to assist your fundraising teams by ascertaining if it is the proper time for the solicitation, testing the assumptions of the fundraising teams, verifying prospect information, and strategizing concerning the approach. The consultant can also accompany the teams on the visits to monitor the events and suggest next steps with the prospect following the cultivation or solicitation visit.

All of this leads to the inevitable next campaign. To whom will the prospective donor respond positively a second time: to a new paid solicitor or to a friend/advocate who has socially maintained a relationship? A major donor who gives once is the most likely candidate to give again. These are important, even critical relationships for charitable institutions – parishes, dioceses and organizations. Take heed!

Utilize the services of a professional consultant, yes. Ask him or her to raise money for you if you must. Invite him or her to accompany your solicitation teams on their calls. However, do not expect that the consult will entirely relieve your board or your advocates of the primary responsibility of raising the money. More importantly, the consultant will teach you how to raise major gifts, will formulate strategies with you, will keep the campaign "on point". He or she will assist you with the invaluable experience of many years of fundraising.

Why a Priest Should Confidently Ask Parishioners
for the Financial Support of the Parish

"People will think that I am doing this to line my own pocket." "People will think less of the priesthood." "I will be indebted to those who make large gifts." "I will make people cynical. They will say, ‘All the priest ever talks about is money!’" "I will be accused of showing favoritism in the parish." "When people say no, I will feel personally rejected." These and many more comments I have often heard from my brother priests and father bishops over the years. I too have felt these concerns. This brief article seeks to offer a thoughtful response, for I no longer feel this way.

Jesus asked people for money – and much more than money. To the rich young man he said, "Go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." (Mt. 19:21) To the apostles Andrew and Peter he said, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." (Mt. 4:19) To emphasize the ultimate sacrifice that may be required of those who follow Him, Jesus said, "He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me." (Mt. 10:37-38).

It is important that Jesus never asked for his own sake but for the sake of the poor or for the sake of the one who is asked – so that they will find salvation in God. When a priest asks a parishioner to make a meaningful gift for the operating budget, or to convert appreciated assets for a capital gift to fund a much-needed building, or to remember the church in his or her estate, he is not asking for himself, but rather for the glorification of God.

Like Jesus, priests unhesitatingly and on a regular basis ask parishioners for things much dearer and much more difficult to part with than money. A priest will call for repentance in a sermon. He may exhort a parishioner to forgive someone after 20 years of resentments. In the context of pastoral ministry a priest may ask a parishioner to address an addiction – and the need to give up something very dear indeed. He may ask a volunteer for an extraordinary gift of time in some major parish undertaking. Why is it so difficult therefore, to ask for the gift of resources?

We must remember this essential fact: the number one reason why people go to church is that they are asked to go to church. The very same thing may be said of parish financing and therefore of parish advancement, mission and service. The number one reason why people give is that they are asked to give.