Conshohocken UMC realized that they had several building projects that needed attention. Their main fellowship space needed HVAC, the praise band required a more permanent platform so that they could play safely, and the office door needed to be updated for safety.
Though these weren’t huge projects, there were several of them, and together they amounted to more than the small congregation could handle with their regular maintenance budget.
The congregation, which typically had 50-55 people worshiping in person each week, noticed that they had some new faces in worship. They felt an energy moving in the congregation, and discerned that momentum was building for something new. They decided to prioritize three key projects and hold a short-term capital campaign.
The trustees obtained quotes and realized they would need between $75,000 and $80,000 to complete all three projects. They decided to round up and set a goal of $100,000 for the campaign, which they called a “burst” campaign.
The leadership was very transparent about the nature of the campaign. They told the congregation upfront, “These are the projects. This is what they will cost. We’re holding a 3-month campaign to try and raise the money.”
Pastor Karen Bartkowski shared, “We aren’t going to bug you for a year, we aren’t going to come to your house, and we aren’t bringing in experts.” Instead, she and the leadership of CUMC invited people to see the value of the projects and find creative ways to contribute.
They invited retirees who had required minimum distributions to consider donating some of that to the church. They also encouraged everyone to gather up all the loose change in their homes and bring it in—which contributed $1,200 toward the campaign.
One church leader brought in a container filled with every coin he had picked up while running that year. Church members were invited to guess how much money was in the container, then contribute the amount of their guess to the campaign. The “winner” had the honor of donating $89, the total amount in the jar. However, several others who didn’t win also chose to donate. They made it fun!
The congregation was also blessed by two anonymous benefactors who donated $30,000 and $10,000. The church had no prior knowledge of these benefactors before the campaign began. This was proof that sometimes you just need to make the ask.
The $30,000 donation was given as a matching fund—those who gave watched their $100 become $200, $500 become $1,000, and $2,000 become $4,000. Instead of a thermometer to show progress toward the goal, they created a tree with leaves—each leaf representing $1,000 closer to the goal. Each week, during worship, they added leaves to the tree and discussed ways to support the campaign. Watching the leaves multiply, as donations were doubled by the matching fund, was very motivating.
In the end, they raised $89,000, enough to complete all three projects. The HVAC was installed on December 3, the praise band area is currently under construction, and the door will be installed by Christmas.
Rev. Bartkowski holds the success of the campaign lightly. She shared, “Some capital campaigns are easier to do than others. It helped that on the day the campaign kicked off, August 25th, it was 85 degrees in the fellowship space. The congregation could both see and feel the need for every project to be completed, and then easily imagine the impact their generosity would have.”
But to see it only as that would be to oversimplify. The leadership of Conshohocken UMC engaged the campaign with an open, honest, and playful spirit. Those intentions paid off. Small groups stepped up and planned fundraisers, anonymous donors provided matching funds, and in less than three months, the church raised more than they needed. When Conshohocken UMC took a step out in faith, God provided enough, and more than enough. May this church’s example encourage us to take similar steps of faith—trusting that the One who leads us to it, will certainly lead us through it.