A Little Help with What Some Think is the Most Difficult Part of a Capital Campaign

Since becoming an executive pastor in 2004, I've run several capital fundraising campaigns. I've had plenty of experience with them. I've also had the privilege of helping other church leaders with stewardship strategies and capital fundraising campaigns for their churches.

The last campaign I helped a church with, I'm happy to say, went very well. They were able to raise 120% of their goal over a 3-year period. I have to add that their success was mostly due to their efforts, with me only helping them along the way. I guess I can say that I put a good "plan" on the table. So, I'll take a little credit.

Anyway, as their consultant, I was asked to help them name their campaign, and so I did a little research on the topic of "naming capital campaigns." I found an interesting article from way back in 2003 and decided then that I would write about it here at some point.

Here's an excerpt from the article ...

Good…so far. But the big question is: do you really have the guts to move to the next step, which is…Board authorization? Soliciting the lead gift? Recruiting the campaign chair? All quite important…but let’s get serious. Each of those is a piece of cake compared with the dreaded, terror-provoking process of (shudder): Selecting The Campaign Name.

We’ve all witnessed it: campaign staff locked away for hours…days…weeks in windowless rooms wallpapered with fiendishly scribbled-on flip-chart sheets. Daring souls venturing forth with a timid “Hey…I’ve got it…what about…?”, only to be pelted with office supply projectiles. And then finally coming up with a name, only to be sent back to the drawing board by some sadistic trustee proclaiming “I don’t know…it’s not jumping off the page at me…”

Here's an alphabetized listing of Capital Campaign Names. Perhaps you'll find it helpful for your next campaign:

A Harvest ... Just Begun
A Step To The Future
A Time to Build
Answering God’s Challenge
Beyond
Beyond The Building
Boundless
BRIX: Building Relationships in Christ
Build The Vision
Building Faith and Family
Building For The Harvest
Building On The Cornerstone
Building on the Rock
Building With A Mission
By My Spirit (Zechariah 4:6)
Cannonball
Catch The Spirit
Catch The Vision
Celebration Of Commitment
Celebration Of Growth
Cornerstone
Count On Me
Experience God’s Will
Exponential
For Such A Time As This
Forward In Faith
Foundations For The Future
From This Cornerstone … Our Ministry Grows
Fulfilling the Vision/Fulfilling His Vision
God at Work
God’s Timing ... The Dream Continues
Growing By Faith
Hands-On The plow ... No Turning Back (Luke 9:62)
Leave A Legacy
Let Us Go Forward In Faith ...
Love Made Complete
Make A Joyful Decision
Momentum for the Millennium
Mountain Movers
NextGen
Possessing The Land
Pray, Respond, Rejoice
Reaching Up ... Reaching Out
Reflecting God’s Glory
Run With A Vision
Share In The Joy
Share The Excitement
Share The Vision
Soar In Faith
Together In Victory
Together We Share The Adventure (Joshua 1:9)
Touching Tomorrow Today
United We Build
Upon This Rock