What Makes You Qualified?

After interviewing with churches and non-profits for several years I thought I had heard every question. “Why spend money to raise money, how much can we raise, how will this affect our weekly giving”—all of these questions I have heard dozens of times. (BTW, the answers to the three questions are you will raise more, it depends and no affect.) 

Recently, however, someone asked a question that had never been asked before. “What makes you qualified to do this?”

I answered two things. First, campaigns require a certain level of sophistication, expertise and attention to detail. Some ministers I have met through the years would make excellent consultants and others would be hopeless. One must know how to manage a large project and be flexible enough to adjust when problems arise, which is a given in any campaign. A consultant must enjoy working with people and following up on details at the same time. And then there is simply the knowledge required. How exactly do we do this?

Second, and most importantly, I am qualified to do this because I believe in it; I believe in the power of a well-run campaign. Campaigns change congregations for the good. Increased generosity, renewed commitment, enthusiasm, excitement, greater time spent in prayer—all of these things take place during a good campaign.

Are campaigns a great way to raise two to three times your annual giving over a three year period? Absolutely! But they are so much more and that is what excites me about working with a new church. I know all of these good things are going to take place over the coming months of the campaign.

To use sales language, I believe in the product. I have seen it work in congregations where I have ministered and in non-profits and churches we have served as consultants.