Collections and Reporting

The excitement and glamour of the campaign are now over, but completing the process still has to be done. Most banks will accept signed pledges as collateral to obtain a mortgage. Revealing individual pledge amounts is not necessary as that would injure future fundraising credibility. We promised confidentiality and we must keep that promise. Even if a widow of modest means bequeaths her home to the church, every effort must be made to keep all gifts confidential. There will be another campaign someday and it should be entered into with credibility.

Status reports should be sent to each donor stating the total amount of their pledge and the total paid to date. These reports should be sent at least twice a year and certainly no more that quarterly. Donors made their commitment to God so we are not in a position to harass them for immediate payment. Some additional pledges will come in after the campaign and some sincere pledges will never be able to be paid. You will probably experience at least 10% shrinkage, but to be safe you should budget for 20% shrinkage. The Campaign Accountant must take some information with them to Heaven, but all of us can say this was a good experience or maybe even fun.