Services

 Ackley Consulting Group empowers church leaders to integrate faith and money throughout the life of the congregation. As a core value for faith development, giving opens the door to transformation for both individuals and congregations. We help you understand the roles played by each type of giving opportunity.

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN CONSULTING

Our consultants have a successful track record in church campaigns for new construction, renovation, debt reduction, endowment building and mission. Relationships with our church clients are important to us, and we offer:

  • Hands-on guidance throughout your capital campaign
  • Multiple, proven, faith-based approaches
  • Adaptation to the distinctive culture of your church
  • Integration of web and social media into your campaign process
  • Support during your initial planning, throughout your campaign and for the entire multi-year giving period

FINANCIAL FEASIBILITY STUDIES

In certain instances, we recommend a campaign feasibility study. Through confidential interviews with individuals selected by church leaders, we evaluate opinions and intentions related to the proposed campaign. Our report enables leaders to make informed decisions about critical issues such as the campaign's purposes, dollar goal, timing, and leadership selection. More specifically, it:

  • Assesses giving capacity and intent, prior to campaign
  • Identifies potential campaign leaders
  • Builds enthusiasm among lead givers 
  • Tests your Case for Support, gauging acceptance for projects and dollar goals.
  • Enables informed decision-making about the dollar goal, campaign timing, and leadership selection provides a comprehensive final report for reference

GIVING PERFORMANCE STUDIES (GPS)

The GPS technology in our cars will not give us directions until it knows our present location. Similarly, it is difficult -- if not impossible -- to improve the financial health of your church without establishing your starting point. Using a Giving Performance Study (GPS) we can help you generate a plan that:

  • Recognizes your church's current financial position, giving patterns and overall level of generosity
  • Relies on your church's demographics and projected community changes
  • Indicates strategies to achieve stronger giving

STEWARDSHIP EDUCATION

We are experienced in teaching about giving as an essential part of faith development. Contact us for programs in your local church, region, or national meeting. Our approach entails:

  • Developing cultures of abundance
  • Identifying practices of sufficiency in order to meet authentic human need
  • Revealing the verdant environment in which God has placed us
  • Creating a new norm of generosity as a response of gratitude

The Four-Legged Stool of Church Financial Health

One of our most-requested workshops identifies the four kinds of giving present in a financially healthy church, all of which relate to spiritual and missional vitality. We will assist you in preparing for:

  • Gifts for ongoing ministries, given joyfully and generously
  • Major gifts to support either operational or special needs
  • Capital campaigns to address extraordinary and significant facility projects, debt reduction, mission empowerment, and endowment growth
  • Planned gifts that build endowment for financial stability and ministry expansion

FINANCIAL WELLNESS & SPIRITUAL HEALTH

Overcome discomfort talking about money in the church in order to teach good habits of saving, spending, investing and giving. Use Ackley Consulting Group as your catalyst to develop a vital ministry that will help the congregation AND individuals.

Congregational Wellness

  • Define your church's stewardship program as ministry, that enhances spiritual development
  • Add more tools to your stewardship toolbox
  • Increase on-going giving for on-going ministries
  • Improve your church's financial health by inviting special designated gifts
  • Address larger facility issues with major gifts initiatives and capital campaigns
  • Build endowment with a planned giving program that honors people's highest hopes
  • Improve the church's financial stability

Individual and Family Wellness

  • Help people alleviate their financial stresses and worries
  • Provide information about consumer debt, household budgeting, retirement planning, mortgage costs, educational costs, taxes, and more
  • Offer basic financial education at all socio-economic levels
  • Use creative approaches to stimulate conversation and mutual support
  • Connect faith to the use of finances and decisions about money

PLANNED GIVING AND ENDOWMENT GROWTH

Build an endowment fund to undergird the work of your church and to enable people to make a lasting legacy. Ackley Consulting Group will help you encourage and invite gifts, and guide the development of policies and procedures for endowment funds. Call us for educational programs on life income, bequests, and other types of planned gifts. We can support you as you:

  • Learn common motivations for making planned gifts to the church
  • Explain to members the simplicity of bequests and benefits to the church
  • Introduce popular gifts that benefit donors with lifetime income, such as Charitable Gift Annuities and Charitable Remainder Trusts
  • Share resources for planned giving and endowment growth