Passionate Steward - 10th Anniversary Edition

134 THE PASSIONATE STEWARD
of stewardship but of the issues driving the current need to conduct
a campaign. Generally helpful though the literature on fundraising,
campaigns, and stewardship may be, no book or manual on its own
can provide an approach that respects the particularities of an
individual parish.
The Development Study is therefore critical in eliciting the
information necessary to design a successful, stewardship-based
campaign. If the appropriate information is not collected in the
Development Study, the campaign plan will be experienced as little
more than a generic method superimposed on a generic “donor
base.” This is what we mean by a “process-driven” approach. The
Church, however, has a higher calling, which is to structure its work
in a way that attends to the needs of people. The Development
Study should therefore touch not only on matters about which the
parish would like particular feedback (e.g. program or ministry
satisfaction, ideas about space utilization), but at a minimum:
• What problems or conflicts exist in the parish that might
detract from a campaign?
• What does the parish do well that can be communicated
effectively?
• What impact will the parish’s history of stewardship and, in
particular, past campaign experiences have on the proposed
campaign? What issues need correction during the
campaign?
• How does the parish understand stewardship values, and
particular program or project needs? What specific education
must take place to satisfy parishioners’ need for accurate,
sensible and stewardship-driven information?
• Whom will the parish embrace as campaign chairs and/or
co-chairs? (Encouraging parishioners to select the chairs is
critical, whereas historically the chairs were appointed, and
the parish asked to accept them.)