The North American Lutheran Church (NALC) is a denomination made up of 500+ congregations across North America. In 2021, NALC leaders engaged our team to develop effective fundraising and marketing strategies that would ensure the strategic plan set forth by the newly elected Bishop, known as the 20/20 Vision, would be realized. The goal was to launch their first-ever denomination-wide fundraising initiative tied to the vision to raise funds that would enable the NALC to better serve its congregations with pastoral leadership education, missional resources, and so much more. But before fundraising success could be realized, the denomination needed to build a foundation for strengthening and sustaining relationships with its congregations.
We recommended an integrated approach that combined targeted individual fundraising strategies and broad marketing strategies that would resonate with a variety of diverse audiences within the denomination. Crucial to this strategy was helping congregations and individuals realize their ability be the local voices of the NALC.
After initial branding and messaging work was completed to simplify the expansive vision, a comprehensive toolkit of communications materials was created and distributed to every NALC pastor to officially launch the initiative. Its purpose was to equip congregations of any size and in any location to share about the NALC and its 20/20 Vision fundraising goal within their own church. The toolkit included videos that represented diverse stories and viewpoints about the vision, simple printed materials to inform about its details, and a full sample congregation launch plan complete with talking points. In the meantime, individual donor prospects were being engaged and cultivated as part of the fundraising strategies put in place.
In order to sustain both fundraising and relational momentum post-launch, a weekly video series with the Bishop was put into place to highlight denomination happenings, and regular stories of 20/20 Vision impact are being shared.
The NALC has laid the foundation for strengthening both individual and congregational relationships across the continent to ensure a legacy of faith today, tomorrow, and forever.
The denomination celebrated a $2 million fundraising milestone for the just one year into the three-year, $5 million initiative at its Mission Convocation in August 2023, putting them ahead of schedule to reach their goal. Now, the denomination is fostering an emerging culture of philanthropy for ongoing fundraising success through the remaining years of the 20/20 Vision and beyond.
Your cause is our cause. We’re in it with you, from concept to completion. Because we care just as much about your mission and goals as you do.
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Your cause is our cause. We’re in it with you, from concept to completion. Because we care just as much about your mission and goals as you do.
Subscribe to our newsletter for our latest blog posts, Cramer happenings, resources, news from our partners, and more.
© 2022 Cramer & Associates. All rights reserved.
