Now that the planning study for the Funding for the Future campaign has concluded, here’s a brief look at where we are in the process, including what has been done so far and what happens next. View a slide show for an overview.
Here is a timeline of the process so far, and looking slightly ahead to a decision point:
- September – Bishop High holds a preliminary meeting to ask people to serve on a campaign committee.
- October – The committee reviews consulting firms who would conduct a planning study to advise the diocese on the feasibility of a campaign. The committee reviews three companies, interviews two, and hires RSI Stewardship as its consultant.
- Early November – An RSI representative, Mr. Terry Goolsby, meets with the committee to plan for the study.
- November 14-15 – Bishop High introduces the Funding for the Future campaign process in his address at Convention; RSI has a booth at Convention.
- Mid-January through mid-February – The case statement describing the campaign is drafted. RSI conducts interviews, focus groups, and online surveys to collect feedback on the statement from as may people throughout the diocese as possible. Invitations to complete the online survey go out through email and postal mail to congregational leaders and clergy, with the request that they be distributed to all members and announced from the pulpit for two Sundays. The survey is made available through the diocesan website as well.
- February 15 – The RSI online survey concludes.
- February 15 through mid-March – The RSI consultant tabulates and analyzes information collected through interviews, focus groups, and surveys.
- Early March – RSI gives preliminary results to the campaign committee
- March 19 – RSI gives a complete report of the results of the study and presents recommendations to the campaign committee. At this time, the committee will consider the results of the study and the consultant’s recommendations and decide how to proceed.
What are the options?
Once the committee reviews the input provided by people throughout the diocese through the interviews, focus groups, and surveys, they will also consider the consultant’s recommendations. While the recommendations have not yet been presented, there are essentially three directions the committee could choose from in proposing the diocese’s next step:
- Launch the Funding for the Future campaign as it is currently described in the statement included with the survey.
- Make changes to the campaign’s description (priorities, goal amount, or timing), and launch the campaign with adjustments.
- Put the campaign process on hold.
Who decides when or whether to actually launch the Funding for Future campaign?
After reviewing the survey, interview, and focus group results and hearing the consultant’s recommendation, the campaign committee decides what they believe should happen next. Their decision will largely depend on the input and views given by everyone throughout the diocese who participated in the study.
The campaign committee’s decision, however, is not the final word. The committee will then propose the next step they recommend to several other governing bodies in the diocese. These others who must also weigh in on the decision are the Bishop, the Executive Council, the Corporation of the diocese, and the Standing Committee.
Stay up to date:
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