Check the spiritual health . Dysfunctional relationships in a church reduce the amount of money you can raise, Sheppard says. Check receptivity to stewardship training . The senior pastor should have a good read on this. Check the big-gift potential .
Most churches have some members who are willing to give extraordinary gifts.
Often, the top 10 gifts will amount to one-third of the total raised in a campaign, Graham says. After all of this information is compiled, it will be entered into a database of the company's previous church campaigns. Based on comparison studies, the fundraising company can give your church an estimate of how much it will be able to raise. Usually that matches what companies already know about church giving. It's normal for a church to raise one to 2.5 times its annual budget for debt retirement and 1.5 to 4 times its annual budget for a new sanctuary.