Campaign Feasibility Study
Know what your congregation can give before you set a goal.
An independent study of how strongly your leaders and likely lead donors support the project, and how much your congregation can realistically raise. We don’t run campaigns, so nothing we earn depends on the answer.
Decide before you hire a campaign firm.
Many churches get their feasibility study from a firm that hopes to run the campaign. We don’t run campaigns, and we take no referral fees from firms that do.
If we recommend proceeding with a campaign, you can hire any campaign firm or run it yourselves, starting from our report. If we recommend a smaller goal or waiting, you learn that before you pay campaign fees.
What the study answers.
How much can we realistically raise?
A recommended goal range, with the assumptions behind it stated plainly.
Who will lead the giving?
Which likely lead donors support the project, and at what level, shared with each person’s agreement.
Do people support the project?
How leaders and key members see the need, the plan, the cost, and the timing.
What could stall the campaign?
The concerns and open questions to address before you launch.
Will the money arrive when it’s needed?
Whether pledges, any loan, and your operating budget fit the project’s schedule.
Should we go ahead now?
A clear recommendation to proceed, adjust, or wait, with the reasons.
How it works.
Six to eight weeks from signed proposal to final report.
01
Scope
We agree on the project, its cost and timing, who will be interviewed, and how what they say will be handled.
02
Interview
Confidential, one-on-one conversations with leaders and likely lead donors. How many depends on your congregation’s size and giving history. People speak more freely with a neutral outsider than with the building committee.
03
Analyze
We estimate what the congregation can raise more than one way, and report a range rather than a single hopeful number.
04
Recommend
A written report and a presentation to leadership, with a recommendation to proceed, adjust, or wait.
What you receive.
- A recommended goal range, with our assumptions stated
- A gift-range chart showing how many gifts at each level the goal requires
- Likely lead gifts, shared with each interviewee’s agreement
- The themes and concerns that came up, reported without names
- What to address before you launch, and a suggested timeline
- A written report and a presentation to leadership
The report is written so a campaign firm can pick up from there.
What’s shared, and what isn’t.
- Before each interview, the interviewee agrees that what they say about their own giving may be shared with campaign leaders.
- Everything else is reported only as themes, never attributed to anyone.
- We ask about intentions. We never ask anyone for a gift.
- Giving history the church shares is seen only by Church Research Partners and used only for this study.
Common questions.
What does it cost?
$8,500–$15,000, depending on average attendance, set as a fixed fee in a written proposal.
When should we start?
Before you hire a campaign firm, once you have a project, a cost estimate, and a rough timeline.
Will a campaign firm accept your study?
Policies vary. Some firms offer campaign counsel and coaching as a standalone service. Ask before you sign with one.
What if our diocese or denomination must approve the campaign?
Tell us at the start. We’ll plan the study around its guidelines.
Planning a capital project?
A 30-minute conversation is free, and usually enough to tell whether a study makes sense now.
