King Avenue United Methodist Church

Columbus, Ohio

Challenge: Raise funds for new pipe organ and chancel renovation

For generations, the King Avenue United Methodist Church choir has been accompanied by beautiful music from its pipe organ, installed when the sanctuary was built in 1922. In the last few years, however, it had become clear that the organ had long outlived its 50-year life span, and was in dire need of replacement.

And because of the changing needs of its growing congregation, the church's leadership team recognized that the chancel area needed renovation to make it accessible to the handicapped, to allow all members to enjoy it fully.

Tasks: Conduct campaign during an uncertain time, and add fun to fundraising

Shortly after the campaign began in earnest in January 2006, the church's pastor Grayson Atha fell ill unexpectedly. Thanks to the organizing support provided by Generis consultant Tom Melzoni, the leadership team was able to proceed smoothly by recruiting church members to play a variety of roles in the campaign.

"We organized our people into a leadership team, a prayer team, a spiritual awareness team, a major event team, and a celebration Sunday team," said Bob Heber, who with his wife Nancy served as campaign co-chairs. "That enabled us to tap into people who were really turned on by a certain component, whose interests were in a particular skill or expertise."

Naming its campaign "Notes and Nails," the team added an element of fun to the campaign by holding a cruise-themed fundraiser, at which Mr. Heber donned a cheerleading costume to highlight his excitement for "cheering" for King Avenue. "When Generis works with you, one of the first things in your job description is that the chairmen are supposed to be cheerleaders," he recalls with a laugh.

Solution: A successful campaign, with renovation work on track

The unconventional approach certainly worked, as King Avenue was able to reach its pledge goal of $1.7 million well in advance of the start of its funds collection drive in June. Both Mr. and Mrs. Heber praised the work of Generis during the campaign, especially the emphasis on producing first-rate communications materials.

"Not everybody is there every Sunday, so not everybody is always in tune," they noted. "Some only have to hear it once, some have to hear it five or six times. When people know and understand what the project is, they can get much more on board."

Individualized Guidance

Working with Generis also helped ensure that the campaign emphasized how construction and renovation projects -- the church also plans to install a new roof and fire system for its sanctuary with the money raised from the campaign -- are tied to the church's vision and mission.

"The thing that I particularly liked was that he made the dimension of spirituality really a part of the campaign," said Mrs. Heber. "It really made us feel that it was a spiritual journey rather than just a 'raising money' journey. We were able to communicate that feeling of spirituality to the congregation, and it just worked together."