Beloved St. John’s community,
On Sunday, Michael Morrow and John Bellaimey led the community forum on a presentation of the results of the “Feasibility Study” we recently conducted at St John’s to assess the level of support for a proposed $2.5 million capital campaign and related building projects. (You can see the slideshow of that presentation here). Led by our capital campaign consultants the Vandersall Collective, we reviewed giving data, created a case statement, interviewed nineteen potential donors from St. John’s, welcomed surveys from other giving households at St. John’s, analyzed this data and made recommendations.
We were very pleased that 66% of people responded to the survey or interview requests (more than double the response rate needed to ensure valid conclusions). Of those, 71% were in favor of having the capital campaign; an additional 24% were in favor of the campaign but had thoughts to share; and only 4% were not in favor of having the campaign. And of those surveyed and interviewed, 84% were willing to contribute financially to the campaign; 16% weren’t sure; and only one person said they would not financially support the campaign.
Based on what people said in response to the survey and interviews, our consultants believe it is very likely we can raise at least $2.3 million, and a stretch goal would be nearly $2.6 million, more than what we initially estimated that we need. St. John’s members have also clearly communicated that they need more information about many of the projects proposed in the campaign, and we fully intend to provide that information. Most people seemed supportive of doing needed building repair work on the masonry and similar projects, and most people were supportive of providing a 10% tithe to outreach as we did in the last capital campaign. People had a lot of questions about other projects like upgrading the sanctuary, particularly about seating, proposed audiovisual improvements, and the proposal to incorporate more inclusive art to reflect our expansive theology.
The capital campaign team fully intends to share more information with all of you about the building projects that are anticipated, including the excellent work Mary Beth Crandall and her sanctuary team did to evaluate our options and make recommendations about changes to the sanctuary. As Lisa mentioned in the community forum, you can rest assured that we will carefully safeguard the sacredness of the sanctuary space and will not use styles or materials that would compromise this sacredness. You can expect several community forums or other in-person or zoom options to learn more in the coming months. Our other next steps include hiring an architect to develop a master plan, to refine our projects and prioritize them, to continue our regular maintenance projects using the capital asset reserve, and to launch the capital campaign after Lisa returns from her sabbatical in the fall.
The capital campaign team is very encouraged by your engagement on this topic, the overwhelming support and generosity expressed by St. John’s, and the care with which you have considered and want to learn more about the building projects we have proposed. As you know, last year we concluded our two year Sustainable Mission project, through which we discovered St. John’s deeply loves its current location and building and has committed to staying here. Part of “staying here” is to invest in our future, to upgrade our building’s capacity to support our growing programs. This capital campaign is the natural evolution of that work, and we are delighted and immensely grateful for your support.
Please don’t hesitate to contact capital campaign chair Michael Morrow , Senior Warden Kari Rusch-Curl, our Rector Lisa, or other members of our capital campaign team — John Bellaimey, Rex McKee, Mary Beth Crandall, Allen Gooch, and Mark Lindberg.
Blessings,
Lisa
