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Wyden Your
Horizons!
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The newsletter of VanderWyden Consultants, Inc.
Headquarters: 118 Westchester Drive, Amherst, Ohio 44001 |
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Additional Offices in Los Angeles, CA and Atlanta, GA
Toll-free Phone: 888-245-5826
E-mail:
Bill@WydenYourHorizons.com
Web: www.WydenYourHorizons.com |
September 2004INTRODUCING OUR NEWSLETTER…
We are pleased to present our first edition of Wyden Your Horizons
(unsubscribe instructions appear at the bottom of this page). We hope this
new publication will be a useful resource for churches and non-profit
organizations who need assistance with their fund-raising efforts. In
each issue we will provide suggestions about how to increase the giving
of your members, updates on fund-raising trends, and inspiring stories
about churches we have worked with recently. Please forward this to any
family, friends, colleagues, and co-workers who may be interested in
subscribing themselves.
Our Staff has over 100 years of experience in this field, having conducted
over 350 successful fund-raising campaigns. We use a process that involves
no-pressure on members, that focuses on "faith-raising" rather than
fund-raising, resulting in members giving wholeheartedly far more
generously than with other consultants’ processes. Consequently, our
campaigns often set records in fund-raising, enabling churches and
organizations to dramatically Wyden Their Horizons by raising the funds
they need to expand their ministries and services. We’re happy to provide
this resource as another way of sharing our expertise and insights. |
INSIDE THIS ISSUE...
1. Update on Current Fund-Raising Trends Click
2. In The News: More Families Falling Into Poverty Click
3. Scriptures about Giving Click
4. Support for Operating Budget Campaigns Click
5. Congregational Success Story -- 55 Households Raise Over $655,000
Click
6. Congregational Success Story -- 4 Successful Capital Campaigns in 8
Years Click
7. Recommended Book on Stewardship Click
8. About VanderWyden Consultants, Inc. Click
9. Subscribe / Unsubscribe Instructions Click |
UPDATE ON CURRENT FUND-RAISING TRENDS...
Even though the national economy has been showing some signs of
recovery, many churches and organizations tell us that giving to their
organizations is down significantly. They suggest that fund-raising has
become more difficult since personal wealth has shrunken dramatically
during the recent recession. However, we have found that there are ways to
overcome this trend.
Our staff has conducted many successful campaigns during recessions and
difficult economic times. We have found that the “Case” for the need for
the campaign, and the level of commitment of the members to the
organization, are the key determining factors that produce successful
fund-raising campaigns, enabling the organization to overcome existing
exterior economic conditions. In fact, the organizations we have worked
with in the past couple years have had great success in their
fund-raising. We can provide the guidance required for you to make a
strong case for your campaign and the professional services that can
enable you to achieve success in these difficult times. Top
"Successful Fund-raising is Cause and Effect:
Make a strong Case for your Cause and you will be Effective!" |
IN THE NEWS: MORE FAMILIES FALLING INTO POVERTY...
Last year 35.8 million Americans were living in poverty, an increase of
1.3 million over 2002. The poverty rate for children rose to 17.6%,
meaning 1 in 6 children are now living in poverty. Forty-five million
Americans were without health insurance, an increase of 1.4 million more
than the previous year. In 2003 the Federal Government defined poverty as
an income of less than $18,600, for a family of four. A lost job, a new
child, unanticipated medical bills can push a family into poverty. The
need for the resources that churches and non-profit organizations provide
is escalating geometrically! Top |
SCRIPTURES ABOUT GIVING...
Proverbs 3:5-10, Mark 12:41-44, Luke 6:38, 19:1-10, II Corinthians
9:1-15 Top |
SUPPORT FOR OPERATING BUDGET CAMPAIGNS...
We have now perfected our Operating Budget Campaign process. With our
guidance churches can increase their giving by 10-25% over existing giving
levels in the first year, with significant increases in the following two
years. This service complements our Capital Fund Campaign process that
raises more per campaign than other consultants, and can enable you to
raise as much as 3 - 13 times existing giving levels. Top |
55 HOUSEHOLDS RAISE OVER $655,000 FOR FIRST FACILITY...
This past spring we completed a very inspiring campaign with Lord of
Life Lutheran Church in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Lord of Life is a new
church start that has been meeting in two triple-wide trailers for several
years while aspiring to raise the funds for its first facility. Having had
discouraging results with other consultants, they decided to use our
services.
Our challenge was to enable them to Wyden Their Horizons by conducting
a campaign that would raise the funds required for a permanent facility
when they only had 55 families in the church. We provided our professional
services, and the members responded faith-fully and wholeheartedly,
raising $657,350.
The congregation is now finalizing architectural plans for its first
permanent facility. Ed Slavicz, The Campaign Chair, commented, “Their ‘Joy
of Generosity’ Campaign Plan was a complete success, and the training we
received was excellent. It truly is Fund-raising through Faith-raising. It
was amazing to see the growth in the congregation’s faith!” Rev. Julie
Frank, Pastor of Lord of Life, stated, “This was my first Pastoral Capital
Fund Campaign experience. Rev. VanderWyden led us with ease and grace. The
campaign had a tremendous positive impact on all of our ministries and on
our members’ morale.” Top
"The problem in fund-raising is never a shortage of
funds,
but rather a shortage of faith in God’s abundant providing." |
4 SUCCESSFUL CAPITAL CAMPAIGNS IN 8 YEARS...
The Federated Church of Chagrin Falls, Ohio has
successfully completed four Capital Fund Campaigns since 1996. They were
able to fully renovate their aging original facility, to purchase land for
an additional new campus, build a Family Life Center, and create a Prayer
and Memorial Garden at the new location. These 4 campaigns raised $9
million dollars, and during the same period, giving for Operating Budget
needs tripled. Top
"Stewardship is what a person DOES after saying, 'I
believe.'" W. H. Greever |
RECOMMENDED BOOK ON CHURCH STEWARDSHIP
Rev. Dawn Shippee, Pastor of North Church of Portsmouth UCC, N.H.,
recommends Michael Durall’s book, Beyond The Collection Plate: Overcoming
Obstacles to Faithful Giving, as an honest, inspiring critique of the
systemic disabling attitudes and processes churches use in their
fund-raising.
She suggests the book as a “must-read” for Pastors and Stewardship
Chairs to enable them to open members’ minds and hearts toward faith-full
giving. We are helping North Church with three campaigns – two of them to
renovate the church’s historic “North Church” downtown facility, involving
the Portsmouth Community, and the congregation; and a second
congregational campaign to renovate and add a sanctuary to the church’s
suburban-setting campus. Top |
ABOUT VANDERWYDEN CONSULTANTS, INC...
Our Capital Fund Campaign Services can enable you to raise the funds
required to expand your facilities so that you can provide increased
ministries to more people in your congregation and community. Our Staff
has helped churches increase their giving by over 1,300% to expand their
facilities. Our process has proven effective in all denominations and
involves no-pressure on members to give. You can Wyden Your Horizons!
Top |
SUBSCRIBE UNSUBSCRIBE INSTRUCTIONS...
To subscribe to this newsletter, send any email to
Subscribe@WydenYourHorizons.com. To unsubscribe from this newsletter,
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Unsubscribe@WydenYourHorizons.com.
Doing so will generate automated replies from our database, requiring a
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not receive or click the link in the reply email, you will not be
subscribed or unsubscribed.
You can also contact me directly by replying to
Bill@WydenYourHorizons.com.
I will be happy to respond promptly and accommodate your requests.
Bill VanderWyden
VanderWyden Consultants, Inc.
118 Westchester Drive
Amherst, Ohio 44001
Toll-free Phone: 888-245-5826 (888-Bill-Van)
E-mail:
Bill@WydenYourHorizons.com
Web: www.WydenYourHorizons.com |