Church Capital Campaign

Capital campaigns can help a church develop a way to increase funds for much-needed church capital improvements and acquisition of property. Below is a more detailed explanation of the value of capital campaigns. If you have additional questions, please reach out to us at foundation@vaumc.org or via phone: 804.521.1121.

Why should my church run a capital campaign?

1. A capital campaign is a great way to challenge congregants to grow their giving and missional engagement. Many church members are still giving the same amount they were giving five, maybe even ten or more years ago. The good news is that they are giving. The bad news is they’re in a rut. A capital campaign rooted in vision and presented authentically can help your members get out of that rut and, in most cases, provide a very visible, tangible benefit of their giving.
2. A capital campaign focuses on encouraging gifts from assets as they consider their legacy. The largest pocket of cash available is not income but accrued assets, like appreciated stocks or a qualified charitable distribution from an IRA. Most think of giving from their income – and miss the major impact of a legacy gift or planned gift. Very few have large cash reserves or discretionary funds to give during a capital campaign. However, assets that have grown in value over time are prime for supporting long-term mission and ministry through a capital campaign.
3. A capital campaign provides a tangible buy-in to the vision. Church meetings and informal gatherings in the parking lot are full of instructions about what the church should do. But there is a difference between saying that someone should do something and actually stepping up to the plate and paying for it. Good stewardship espouses that if it isn’t important enough for the congregation to pay for, it isn’t important enough for other church funds to be used.
4. A successful capital campaign will preserve the bequest for endowing and enabling future ministries. A capital campaign can be a great time to engage the congregation in thinking about the long-term ministry of their church – and the legacy and gifts they would consider in designing their estate, also known as planned giving. Setting up an individual endowment, for example, can enable ministries to be funded using the interest earned on the original total sum of the gift. Endowments are a wonderful way to increase the long-term stability of a church’s programs.

Questions about creating your church’s capital campaign? Contact our team today!