How many times have we heard this? There is a church in the greater Cincinnati, Ohio, area that has been in existence for a long, long time. They have approached a number of near crisis situations before receiving a bequest from a member who had past away. Each time they used the bequeathed dollars to help with operating and other capital needs only to find the money eventually running out returning them to a near crisis situation…thus delaying the inevitable.
Once again, they find themselves in a dire situation with shrinking membership and a physical plant that is old and needs lots of work. Clearly, had the church leadership, years ago, had saved the first bequest or used it sparingly and developed a long-range vision plan for growth and development they would have likely provided the resources in a “non-panic” mode.
Bequests are a wonderful gift to the Church and other not-for-profit institutions. They need to be used wisely and sparingly. A good vision plan will use all three funding sources (annual, capital and planned or bequeathed dollars) to financially support the long-term growth and development of the Church or other not-for-profit organization.
Evans/Davis can meet with your leadership to determine the best course of action and help in planning the visioning process.