Capital Campaign and the Four Trains

Four Trains Leave the Station…

Does it sound like those old math puzzles? The ones I could never solve about a train leaving Chicago? Well capital campaigns are even more complex, as four trains leave the station. They leave at different times, travel at different rates, and vary their speed. Yet they all need to arrive at their destination at the same time.

Here are the four trains:

• Governance and Polity train: These station masters ensure that the whole project navigates toward, and helps to fulfill, the larger vision of the organization. All of the trains need to be going in the right direction! They engage the constituents at key points to ensure they are in touch and representing them. They insure that all of the policies and requirements of the organizational key documents are adhered to. They decide what is included in the eventual goal: facilities, paying down debt, a special fund, and/or programmatic expansion. And they are the ultimate fiduciary, so all of the trains are their responsibility.
• Stewardship train: these train conductors implement the campaign itself – with preparation, volunteer recruitment and training, communications, leadership engagement, materials, timelines, strategies, recognition and thanking. These folks involve all of the constituents for a whole-organization project. From pre-planning to wrap up, this train is in constant motion.
• Finance train: the folks on this train ensure that the financial systems of the organization are clear and robust enough to handle unusual circumstances and considerably more money than usual – coming in, being processed, budgeted, tracked, and going out. They address the organization’s financial policies and make recommendations to the board. They also look at short term loans, during the project, and the possibility of a long term loan and the implication of that debt burden on the annual budget.
• Facilities train: these train engineers analyze the current and future needs of the building & grounds and create plans to fulfill them. They engage the constituents to gather ideas and help set priorities. They formulate plans, estimate costs, and coordinate with specialized professionals. Their plans are only finalized after the campaign is completed.

Capital campaigns are ambitious undertakings and people are often overwhelmed by the scope at the beginning. That is why a good guide to the process is extremely helpful, and should be engaged early on – so you don’t have to go back and correct missteps. That is what we do at Stewardship For Us, so let us know if you see a capital campaign in your future.

By the way, there is still room in our webinars next week: Capital Campaign: Is your Congregation Ready? See a description, times, and sign up here.

Mark Ewert is a stewardship consultant with the Stewardship For Us team. Mark can be reached at mewert@stewardshipforus.com, via the UUA’s Congregational Stewardship Network, (http://www.uua.org/finance/fundraising/index.shtml), or through your regional staff.