THE SITUATION:

The Center for Spiritual Living was poised to break ground on their new sanctuary. The funding was in place (seven million), the contractors signed and the large congregation primed for the change. But the sanctuary was only the first phase of an ambitious development plan. The entire church grounds were to be revitalized with classrooms, administration offices and a second chapel. The campaign needed to enlist commitments for approximately five million dollars in order to complete the campus development.

THE SOLUTION:

To oversee the campaign, the church hired a consultant from a national firm specializing in church fundraising campaigns. A complex structure was put into place to handle all aspects of the campaign, including the creation of a video tape mailing that would form the campaign's centerpiece.

Leo Brodie came on as producer/editor and Leslie agreed to write and direct the video that would launch this ambitious drive.

Starting on the first of November, we had eight weeks to deliver a 10 to 12 minute video that would present the current situation (the church was overflowing its facilities) and create a willingness in the viewer to participate in the ongoing construction that would meet current and future needs.

Our resources were minimal. We had a budget to hire a shooter for one day. We had a time line of the church's history and a box of water-damaged photos from the archives. We had CAD renderings and watercolor paintings from the architect that represented how the campus would look when it was completed. We had the absolute support of the church staff and a wealth of congregants willing to do whatever it took to make this video happen.

The concept was simple. We'd set the current situation in time line so that the viewers would understand that this was just the next step in the evolution of this fast expanding church. As we had inherited a legacy of land and buildings, so we would leave a legacy of improved land and buildings for future members. The video was titled "Creating a Campus that Supports Our Purpose."

I broke the script into sections -  Creating a Legacy, Creating a Community, Creating a Campus and Creating World Transformation One Person at a Time. I set an intention for what each section needed to convey then I wove in the theme of "Creating a Campus that Supports Our Purpose." The first draft was sent off to Egypt for review by traveling Senior Minister Kathianne Lewis. The final script was signed off just before Thanksgiving.

Next I booked my talent. Each section consists largely of interviews with key staff members, high-profile congregants and board members. I solicited time from about twenty congregants who I felt would add specific value to the overall message of the video. We shot twenty half-hour interviews over the first two Saturdays of December.

I had people address the current squeeze, testify to the value of this spiritual teaching for themselves and those they touch, and describ the process of developing the current campus design. I used comments from the popular Senior Minister Kathianne Lewis to bookend the video - letting her close with a request that viewers prayerfully consider how they could participate in the solution.

By Christmas Leo and Leslie had a rough cut ready for review. Following minor changes, the master was delivered on January 6, 2006, in time for the monthly campaign meeting.

THE RESULT:

The finished video was viewed by about 100 members of the campaign committee. They judged the video "heartwarming, sincere, concise and very effective." The fundraising consultant estimated the cost of the tape at $25,000. He also acknowledged that Leo and Leslie had produced a video that far surpassed anything he had seen in his career as a consultant. He predicted that the church was poised for a very successful campaign.

This tape will go out to over 2500 friends and members of the Center for Spiritual Living along with printed materials that provide information on the construction, it's impact on the community and how the viewers could participate - with money, time and energy and prayer. Segments of the tape will be viewed at a formal campaign presentation to be held at Benaroya hall (it will be filled!) in Spring of 2006. 

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