Reviews and Testimonials

“As a minister, engaging in my first building project/capital campaign, I found the expertise of our consultant immeasurably helpful. She provided what we needed, when we needed it, while empowering us to stretch our leadership. We could not have done it without her, yet we feel we did it ourselves. The sign of great consultancy!”

Rev. Lydia Ferrante-Roseberry, Boulder Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

Your work and presence and experience have been absolutely invaluable. You are worth ten times what we are paying you.

Rev. Elizabeth Stevens, UU Church of the Palouse, Moscow ID

Capital Campaigns can be times of high stress in a congregation. As a BIPOC minister, this time held extra worries for me. Rachel’s understanding of Unitarian Universalism and commitment to anti-racism and anti-oppression work helped us grow stronger from this campaign. It was a joyful, community-building experience that strengthened our shared ministry!
– Rev. Katie Romano Griffin, Senior Minister, All Souls, Indianapolis

Our capital campaign was much richer and more successful from having your guidance.

Jamie Sharp, Capital Campaign volunteer UU Society of Iowa City, IA

Impactful Guidance
Rachel Maxwell served as our fundraising consultant during a critical time for our
church. She motivated our volunteers with an array of proven training tools and
strategies, making everyone feel both empowered and equipped to take on the
challenge. Deeply knowledgeable about capital campaigns for churches of all sizes,
denominations, and histories, Rachel brought a wealth of experience that proved
invaluable in tailoring the campaign to the unique needs of our congregation.
Tailored Approach
A specialist in all facets of fundraising, what also sets Rachel apart is her refusal to use
a cookie-cutter approach. She invested time and effort to understand our steadily
growing congregation and the urgent needs of our aging facility. This personal
approach, combined with her comprehensive understanding of major fundraising for
faith-based organizations, meant every recommendation and strategy was relevant and
effective for us.
Enduring Results
We highly recommend Rachel to any church seeking a knowledgeable and genuinely
committed fundraising consultant with a track record of success. Not only did we reach
the capital campaign goal that emerged from her research and analysis, we are still
getting a steady stream of new pledges. Rachel’s expertise in guiding our campaign
was put to use almost immediately, but it is of enduring value.
— Ellen Mathia, Co-President, Board of Trustees, All Souls Church of Indianapolis

Rachel’s investigative work, presence and presentation have provided us with the clarity and direction to move forward in fulfilling our dream of radical welcome.

Patty Daus, Chair Building Task Force, UUCC, Columbia, MO

“We could not have done this campaign without Kay’s help. And at difficult times she offered great information and was a great coach to us.”

Larry Sherwood, Co-Chair of Combined Annual & Capital Campaign, Boulder Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

“Kay Crider was a terrific resource. Knowledgeable, inspiring and very down-to-earth. She helped us at each step, and was a calming influence when the anxiety started to rise! She helped us bring in both the annual pledge drive and the capital campaign drive, both exceeding our goals!”

Rev. Ruth Rinehart, Boulder Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

“Kay has been an amazing resource and having engaged her was one of the smartest decisions our board could have made.”

Jason Hall, Co-Chair of Capital Campaign, Conejo Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

“As a minister, engaging in my first building project/capital campaign, I found the expertise of our consultant immeasurably helpful. She provided what we needed, when we needed it, while empowering us to stretch our leadership. We could not have done it without her, yet we feel we did it ourselves. The sign of great consultancy!”

Rev. Lydia Ferrante-Roseberry, Boulder Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

“Kay Crider was a terrific resource. Knowledgeable, inspiring and very down-to-earth. She helped us at each step, and was a calming influence when the anxiety started to rise! She helped us bring in both the annual pledge drive and the capital campaign drive, both exceeding our goals!”

Rev. Ruth Rinehart, Boulder Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

“Kay gave us good advice … about the state of our financial picture and guidance about how best to proceed. We planned a clear campaign and made home visits which were well received. The service was a very good value for the cost and helped us a great deal.”  

President, Bozeman Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

“We could not have done this campaign without Kay’s help. And at difficult times she offered great information and was a great coach to us.”

Larry Sherwood, Co-Chair of Combined Annual & Capital Campaign, Boulder Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

Your work and presence and experience have been absolutely invaluable. You are worth ten times what we are paying you.

Rev. Elizabeth Stevens, UU Church of the Palouse, Moscow ID

“Kay has been an amazing resource and having engaged her was one of the smartest decisions our board could have made.”

Jason Hall, Co-Chair of Capital Campaign, Conejo Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

Part of Rachel’s success was definitely due to her personality and a trustworthiness and knowledge that came through in her interactions with congregants. Even though we didn’t go into a Capital Campaign as we were anticipating, our biggest financial problem ended up being solved.

Rev. Chris Hockman, UU Church of Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi TX

Your work and presence and experience have been absolutely invaluable. You are worth ten times what we are paying you.

Rev. Elizabeth Stevens, UU Church of the Palouse, Moscow ID

…some of your insights have shifted the way we are seeing things here and talking about our future. I feel like it was an invaluable experience.

Rev. Laura Smidzik, Michael Servetus Unitarian Society

The overwhelming response has been positive to not only your small group and one-on-one meetings, but various members of the congregation have given unsolicited responses in praise of your presentation following Sunday’s service – that you are knowledgeable – and “expert”, that you come across as warm, caring and empathetic, and that your insights are/were valuable or “right on.”

Administrator, UU Church of Asheville

“Kay has been an amazing resource and having engaged her was one of the smartest decisions our board could have made.”

Jason Hall, Co-Chair of Capital Campaign, Conejo Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

“Kay was excellent and provided a great deal of information. We’re looking forward to the next phase … ”

Steve Clem, Cascade Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

I would sum up the weekend with one word … outstanding! Thanks to you and the UUA for making such an excellent resource available to us here in Stow.

Roy Miller, Stewardship Chair, First Parish Church of Stow and Acton

Rachel’s investigative work, presence and presentation have provided us with the clarity and direction to move forward in fulfilling our dream of radical welcome.

Patty Daus, Chair Building Task Force, UUCC, Columbia, MO

“The service was a very good value for the cost and helped us a great deal. Kay provided direct advice about the state of our financial picture and guidance about how best to proceed.”

Amanda Cater, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Bozeman

“Our visiting steward program has been going great!  Lots of positive response. We are all enjoying getting to know others at a deeper level. We learned so much from you that has helped us be successful this year and will continue to help us in the future.”

—Pam Kisor, President, UU Community of the Mountains

Overall, Mark is the best consultant with whom I have worked with in our congregation over the years. He is very insightful, direct and helpful. It is very easy to work with Mark and he is very efficient with his time. And, he interfaces well with congregational members and friends.

Creighton Cray, Stewardship Leader, Community UU Church of White Plains, NY

Let me add my enthusiastic thanks for your very wise assistance to us. You helped us sort through some ideas and get the big picture, as well as getting some thorny details figured out. You also confirmed our basic approach to stewardship that increases our confidence and, indeed, energy going into the next campaign. We contrasted our meeting last night with the meeting two years ago and celebrated our progress.

Sue Wilson, Past President Universalist Church of West Hartford

“Kay Crider was a terrific resource. Knowledgeable, inspiring and very down-to-earth. She helped us at each step, and was a calming influence when the anxiety started to rise! She helped us bring in both the annual pledge drive and the capital campaign drive, both exceeding our goals!”

Rev. Ruth Rinehart, Boulder Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

“As a minister, engaging in my first building project/capital campaign, I found the expertise of our consultant immeasurably helpful. She provided what we needed, when we needed it, while empowering us to stretch our leadership. We could not have done it without her, yet we feel we did it ourselves. The sign of great consultancy!”

Rev. Lydia Ferrante-Roseberry, Boulder Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

“We could not have done this campaign without Kay’s help. And at difficult times she offered great information and was a great coach to us.”

Larry Sherwood, Co-Chair of Combined Annual & Capital Campaign, Boulder Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

I LOVED this workshop!! We who attended are FIZZING with inspiration and ideas. Mark’ facilitation was a revelation!!

Robin Lovrien, President of UU Church of Ellsworth, ME

Thank you so much. We had five members of the Board of Trustees from NWUUC – Atlanta, present in my living room for your webinar. We were hanging on every word, and we’ll be discussing your thoughts in greater detail at our upcoming board meeting, and going forward.

David Zenner, Board member, Northwest Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Sandy Springs, GA

Thanks again for a great workshop. Our team certainly left energized and imagining new possibilities for stewardship at First Church Boston.

Lisa Garcia-Sampson, Intern Minister

I found the webinar very helpful and informative. The sound quality was excellent and the slides/graphics were a real enhancement and easy to read. I would like to thank your moderator, Mark Ewert, for an excellent job.

Frank Holstein, Board member, Unitarian Universalist Church at Washington Crossing, NJ