Financial Feasibility Study
What?
A financial feasibility study determines a congregation's readiness to launch a capital campaign. More specifically, the consultant gathers answers to three questions:
- How knowledgeable are congregants about the proposed project?
- What questions or barriers remain that must be addressed before launching a campaign?
- How much money are congregants likely to contribute to the proposed project?
Why?
A financial feasibility study provides invaluable information that a congregation needs before launching a capital campaign. The results of the study help leaders determine if more information about the proposed building project needs to be shared with the congregation. The results identify any potential problems that must be resolved before a campaign can be launched. And the results refine the scope of a proposed building project based on the projected amount of financial contributions.How?
A Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) stewardship consultant interviews members of the congregation to determine a congregations' readiness to launch a campaign. The stewardship consultant works with congregational leaders to carefully select the financial feasibility study participants and to determine specific questions to ask them. Each interview is confidential and lasts about forty-five minutes. When the interviews have been completed, the consultant analyzes the data and writes a summary report. The report helps a congregation determine if they are ready to launch a capital campaign or if there is a bit more work to complete.Why an Outsider?
A UUA stewardship consultant provides a professional and objective approach to a capital campaign. As an honest broker, the consultant can ask questions and obtain answers that congregational leaders cannot. The consultant employs the combined wisdom of a UUA program whose consultants have worked with hundreds of congregations since 1985.The Cost?
Depending upon the size of a congregation, a financial feasibility study takes one or two days to plan. Five to eight days are needed to conduct the interviews and the consultant needs four to five days to analyze the data, write the final report, and present the report to the congregation. In total, between ten and fifteen days are required to complete a study.For more information contact congstewardship @ uua.org.
Last updated on Friday, April 18, 2008.
