Episcopal Church of the Nativity

Feasibility study

The Episcopal Church of the Nativity in Huntsville, Alabama is a congregation committed to the theological principle of being one body in Christ. In their own words, "when all the members of this body are able to be together, we will be made whole; we will be one body."⁠

To be one body, their congregation is considering a capital campaign to make their buildings accessible to all bodies. In fall/winter 2023, we worked with this community on a feasibility study to determine next steps toward making their buildings reflect their theology. Together, we identified:

• the projects that rank highest in importance to congregants

• the level of financial support and volunteer support leadership can expect from the congregation

• best practices for communication and education if a capital campaign is planned, so the process is engaging and transparent

• money narratives at play among congregants that will be important for leadership to keep in mind as they navigate fundraising

National City Christian Church Foundation

Feasibility study, annual giving + design

National City Christian Church Foundation was established in 1926 “to hold in trust, preserve, and maintain for all Disciples the physical facilities of National City Christian Church.”

Those physical facilities — specifically National City Christian Church’s neoclassical building in Washington, DC — require significant work. Their donor base is both local and national, as the building is actually owned by the denomination and yet inhabited by a local congregation. Alongside leadership of the Foundation, we worked on their year-end fundraising and in conducting a feasibility study to understand their fundraising potential and possible roadblocks. Our work included:

• coaching on creation of team and structure for feasibility study

• creation of project budget

• board facilitation

• writing and design for end-of-year fundraising letter

• writing and design for feasibility case statement

• creation of feasibility infrastructure

• receipt of surveys and conducting interviews

• data analysis

• creation of comprehensive report for next steps

UKirk SMU

Feasibility study

UKirk SMU is a place where all belong on the campus at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Just a few years into their LGBTQIA-affirming, anti-racist ministry, they identified a need: their students need a long-term, permanent space where they can connect, share meals, study, engage in service, rest and most of all, call home.

We conducted a feasibility study to explore possibilities in establishing their own place of belonging. Alongside leadership, we:

• facilitated conversations that crystalized and articulated UKirk SMU's vision

• aligned potential projects with organizational values in a way that resonates with potential donors

• laid the groundwork for ongoing communications related to developing a case for a capital campaign

• created spaces for relationship-building and strengthening partnerships in common cause

Annual giving + Fundraising

After an invigorating feasibility study, we recommended that UKirk SMU establish an annual giving program. An intentional and robust fundraising infrastructure is essential for the success of potential capital campaigns, and this infrastructure also creates meaningful opportunities for community and donor engagement.

Equipped with data generated by feasibility work, and after analyzing UKirk SMU's giving data, we:

• created a 12-month fundraising plan

• organized events for individual and congregational donors to experience the power of the UKirk SMU community

• prepared for one-on-one invitations to pledge to the UKirk SMU community over both an annual and multi-year period

• created a thank you rubric which engages fundraising committee, board and staff

• implemented an of year-end campaign

• planned a gala fundraising event with volunteers and staff

New York Aikikai

Aikido is a traditional Japanese martial art focused on learning to "become an integrated and balanced individual and explore our full human potential." — Yoshimitsu Yamada

New York Aikikai has been a center for this beautiful martial art for more than fifty years. For their community to continue to thrive and to adhere to city regulations, their school needs a variety of improvements. We saw the need for a capital campaign, but first, we knew it was essential to establish a fundraising base.

In the middle of laying this foundation, the aikido community had a great loss: the first chief instructor of the New York Aikikai passed away in early 2023. Fundraising generally and capital campaigns specifically are deeply linked to who a community is, who they have been, and who they are becoming. Grief, of course, plays a part in all of this. We walked alongside leadership as they navigated reflections on their community’s identity, and helped them strengthen their bonds with each other as they moved into a new era.

Phase I: Annual campaign

When we first started working with the New York Aikikai, there wasn't a history of strong annual campaigns. When done well, annual campaigns thread the needle between donors motivations and giving, and also train leadership to communicate, organize and ask. Annual campaigns train fundraising muscles for capital campaigns. Prior to the capital campaign, we ran two annual campaigns.

Phase II: Feasibility study

On the heels of the pandemic, we conducted a feasibility study, which continued to thread the needle between motivation and giving. We communicated the great care that this community has for each other through a case statement, interviewed individuals throughout the world, received surveys and made recommendations not only for an appropriate goal and timeline, but also for necessary changes in infrastructure to ensure long-term success. From this, in concert with the annual campaign, we helped onboard a new database, procedures for thanking, and more regular communication and transparency.

Phase III: Solicitation

As we were preparing to begin the solicitation portion of the campaign, the school’s beloved chief instructor and leader Yoshimitsu Yamada Sensei passed away. After a few months of adjusting to the new normal and hosting a memorial service that drew people from all over the world, we started up again.

New fundraising goals were set, leadership recruited, and we utilized the legacy of Yamada Sensei as a way for people to honor their relationship with the dojo, while looking squarely forward to the strong promise that the future holds for this community. Finishing the campaign at the end of January 2024, we raised funds from individuals, dojos and communities in 14 countries. The organization surpassed their primary and stretch goals, and exceeded everyone's expectations.

Phase IV: New website

Coming out of the gate with such strength in 2024 we turned our attention to a new website. Between the community having been gathered in new ways through the capital campaign, and the expectations for strengthened communications, we translated much of the learnings from the campaign into a brand new, interactive website. We continue to maintain this site.

Good Samaritan Episcopal Church

Phase I: listening + core values

In the midst of the pandemic, the Episcopal Church of the Good Samaritan was asking crucial questions about their identity. As the congregation experienced online worship and virtual community, parishioners were reflecting what was of value and remained true over a changing season. Through a parish-wide listening phase we:

• implemented a process for all voices to be heard

• identified and defined the core values of the faith community

• created a core filter for making decisions together

• trained the leadership on how to use the filter across the organization.

In addition to identifying core values, the strategic visioning process prepared the congregation for a capital campaign as it provided a process for asking what it means to be a good neighbor in their context.

Phase II: feasibility

For some time, members of Good Sam dreamed of engaging in capital improvements. In the spring of 2023, they engaged in a feasibility study to determine the level of support for a proposed campaign. They wanted to move forward with the support of the congregation and, not having done a capital campaign in more than two decades, wanted to make sure they knew the:

• level of awareness of the proposed plans within the parish

• level of support for moving forward with a capital campaign

• level of engagement by the congregation with the projects and their perception of priority

• realistic and feasible goals should a campaign move forward

The results of our feasibility study strongly suggested that Good Sam move forward, and also provided insights into the congregation that would be invaluable to running a healthy capital campaign and to Good Sam's overall strategy for fundraising going forward.

Phase III: solicitation

With the feasibility study as as our infrastructure, we moved into the solicitation phase with confidence. In the fall of 2023, Good Sam launched Assurance of Things Hoped For, a capital campaign with a goal of $1,203,071. Leadership and volunteers invited gifts while also making sure to keep the congregation informed and engaged, and the process transparent.

In January 2024, Good Sam raised $1,305,155. They surpassed the goal the feasibility study pointed us toward, and just as importantly, they strengthened relationships and inspired the congregation to imagine new possibilities for love, active caring, and servanthood. A healthy capital campaign by all of our standards.

Sycamore Collaborative

Strategy + vision, communications, identity

Serving Schenectady County in upstate New York, Sycamore Collaborative (formerly Schenectady Inner City Ministries, or SICM) has been a lifeline in a time of increasing food insecurity and an inspiration for community engagement to volunteers and clients alike. Embracing their decision to become intentionally interfaith, we walked alongside the organization to look across all its communications to understand more clearly what they want to say, to whom, when and how. 

For our communications audit, we: 

• reviewed all current communications

• conducted key interviews

• led a retreat among organizational leaders and key staff

• organized and analyzed data

• reviewed staffing capacity

• made recommendations and provided reflective language to move the organization forward

As our communications audit concluded, we recommended a strategic planning, renaming, and rebranding process. In this iteration of our work, we:

• articulated core values

• created a strategic filter for decision-making

• collaboratively created a far-reaching strategic plan

• created a new visual identity, name, and website

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church

This Episcopal parish in Charleston SC is growing in all kinds of ways! A "House of Prayer for All People," it integrated in 1987 and welcomed white people into its historic African American membership. In the mid-2000's it became a leader in the diocese as one of the few who welcomed LGBTQIA+ members in the midst of controversy over the ordination of the Bishop Gene Robinson in New Hampshire.

As this congregation has continued to faithfully change with the world around them, it is now bursting at the seams. To accommodate their growth—in all kinds of ways—we engaged in a listening phase to ask how the buildings and physical plant can adapt to meet the needs of its growing congregation while aligning all projects to the congregation's core values. Currently we are engaging in a feasibility study to learn what kind of fundraising to accommodate this growth might be possible.

African Dream Academy Foundation

Phase I: audit

The African Dream Academy Foundation (ADAF) was established to support the African Dream Academy (ADA) — a tuition-free, independent, co-ed school located in Monrovia, Liberia. By fundraising to support the school, the Foundation contributes to the Academy’s larger mission to break the cycle of poverty in Liberia through increasing the literacy rate.

After receiving a grant for board development, our team was hired to conduct a development audit and lead a board fundraising retreat. During our audit and retreat, we:

• reviewed fundraising procedures

• reviewed thanking procedures

• interviewed donors

• analyzed donor data to understand growth potential

• wrote comprehensive report with recommendations

• led fundraising retreat to present findings and work on money narratives 

Phase II: implementation

Taking the results and recommendations from our audit work, we led them through a 6-month process to revamp their fundraising efforts. During the implementation phase, we:

• created annual fundraising timeline

• wrote and designed case materials to match donor motivations heard during Phase I

• wrote and designed a donor website

• trained volunteers

All Souls

Communications

As a 200 years-young, dynamic congregation on the Upper East Side of New York City, All Souls is dedicated to the possibilities inherent in each person, the connections that sustain us in good times and bad, and the transformation of ourselves and the world.

We completed a communications audit to answer these simple yet critical questions: ⁣⁣

〰️ How do you communicate to the wider world? ⁣⁣
〰️ What do you say? ⁣⁣
〰️ How do you say it? ⁣⁣
〰️ To whom? ⁣⁣

Their answers illuminate powerful new ways of communicating their robust offerings to their congregants and the world. 

Calvary Episcopal Church

Calvary Episcopal Church is an eclectic bunch of Christian people who don’t all think the same thoughts, or dress the same way, or vote for the same candidates, or even believe all the same things about the mystery of God and what it means to be human.

Together we helped them discern how their space reflects their core values and what is needed for the congregation to live into their collective vision. ⁣We created and led a listening process where guided conversations fostered deeper relationships and capital improvement projects were identified. We then engaged in a feasibility study, concluded that there was indeed a campaign to conduct and are currently in the midst of implementation of soliciting gifts. 

An excellent sermon regarding feasibility study results in which The Rev. Scott Walters speaks beautifully about how and why we do our work.

Chicago, United, Eden (CUE)

Chicago, United and Eden Seminaries of the United Church of Christ, (CUE) receives financial support from local midwest congregations through a shared giving system. Working together, we’ll explore ways to encourage giving through this channel, looking at messaging for appeals, coordinating stewardship, and crafting acknowledgements for congregational gifts. At a time when leadership of emerging seminarians is so important in the changing church before us, we are thrilled to have helped to ensure that funding continues to flow toward the source of theological education and formation.

Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral

A reverent, yet progressive, faith community located on Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis, Christ Church Cathedral values inclusion and compassion, and are dedicated to widening the circle of God’s embrace with heart and voice.

We worked with Christ Church to create communication strategies and implementation.

Christ Episcopal Church

The mission of Christ Episcopal Church, New Bern, NC, is to welcome and inspire all people to faith, hope and spiritual growth through worship, Christian fellowship, and service to one another and to the community beyond.

Christ Church came to us with meaty goals for a capital campaign, but with the need to test out those goals through a feasibility study. We led the congregation through the study by writing and developing case materials, interviewing prospective donors, and facilitating an online survey. We were pleased to find feasibility and are have now completed the implementation of their capital campaign.

“We chose the Vandersall Collective because they care as much about the life and future of the whole parish as they do about the campaign they are assisting with. This challenges us to look beyond where we are and see where we can be, both financially and spiritually.”

— The Rev. Paul Canady

Covenant Network of Presbyterians

The mission of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians is to strengthen the church of Jesus Christ, with the help of God's grace. They are called to achieve this goal by working for the unity of the church, furthering the inclusion of LGBTQ persons, seeking understanding and reconciliation, and joining with others seeking a still more just and inclusive church.

Organization's internal work along with a changing landscape can often impact the overall identity. Following shifts in their denomination's environment, we worked with the Covenant Network to articulate their verbal identity. We then successfully paired these words with images by creating a new logo and visual identity.

Endless Field Band

Endless Field is a collaborative instrumental guitar and bass duo featuring guitarist Jesse Lewis and bassist Ike Sturm.  They play original songs filled with intricate finger-style lines, improvisation and ambient textures.  They combine the dramatically different styles that have inspired them with the hope of giving voice to a new and compelling sound.

A bit out of our wheelhouse, Endless Field is a purpose-driven band seeking funding for their album which will be recorded in the wilderness. They wanted to learn how to fundraise for this project, and we guided them to find a fiscal sponsor, write case materials, research potential donors, and approach those donors for funding. As a result of our work together their album recording is funded and is being completed in the summer of 2019. As part of our work together we engaged in an intensive time of exploring personal narratives around money and the stumbling blocks that prevented them from claiming their gifts and talents through fundraising.

Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis

The Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis is called by Christ to welcome and witness in Central and Southern Indiana. Together we live an active faith that leads toward true peace--peace with justice, rooted in restoration with God in Christ. We join hearts and minds to transform mistrust and division into conversations grounded in the shared hope of Jesus Christ; we join hands to reach out, to tend, to invite, and to do the work of the gospel; we join voices with those who have been unheard and ignored, so that God’s word may be spoken, embodied, and heard in all the places where good news is needed in the world today.

We worked with the diocese to lead a restructuring retreat for their Executive Council, as well as implementing their vision for the future through design work.

Holy Communion Episcopal Church

The Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion in University City, MO is a welcoming and diverse community seeking to walk in the way of Jesus and to reveal Christ’s reconciling love in our city, nation, and world.

We worked with Holy Communion to conduct a feasibility study. To prepare for this study we developed case materials and through this process, helped define goals of the campaign. We then conducted interviews and facilitated the process for a congregational-wide survey. Once we found that there was feasibility for the campaign, we successfully led the congregation through their capital campaign, exceeding their goal!

Knox Presbyterian Church

Knox Presbyterian is an inclusive Christian atmosphere for spiritual nourishment and caring fellowship. Together with Parish Properties, through a series of interviews and retreats, we created a report with recommendations to help them discover how to become a sustainable community hub. We then worked to create and implement a season of fundraising plans.

Metro New York Synod (ELCA)

The Metro New York Synod came to us with a few short months to spare before their Reformation 500 Service at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. They needed a skilled event planner who could quickly onramp their work as they knew time was running out. In addition to needing help, the scope of the event kept growing!

The event grew from an expected audience of a few hundred to over 1,000. This included ecumenical guests from throughout the breadth and depth of the Christian tradition. In addition, liturgical planning was needed with two choirs, three ensembles, and dozens more liturgical participants. We coordinated countless details and subcontractors to provide a seamless experience for the guests who came and allowed the liturgy to shine through. A powerful event moving forward the ecumenical community committed to unity in Christ, we were proud to have played a part in creating this memorable night of a lifetime.

More Light Presbyterians

More Light Presbyterians engages over 230 congregations and thousands of individuals in the Presbyterian Church (USA), enabling Presbyterians to lead LGBTQIA+ service and advocacy in communities nationwide. More Light’s mission has always been to empower and equip individuals and congregations to live into their welcome for LGBTQIA+ people. 

We worked with them to increase their individual donor program, and set them up for many years of fundraising success. Through review of data, assistance in implementing recommendations, intensive training, and walking alongside the staff and the board, we are excited for what is to come for MLP.

Music that Makes Community

A non-profit organization working with ecumenical communities and leaders, MMC empowers and liberates communities’ spiritual life through singing.

Case Study

When Paul Vasile took the reins as Executive Director, Music That Makes Community needed to raise funds urgently and quickly. A small, but engaged and energetic Board, took up the challenge to envision with Vandersall Collective how to bring the organizational skills and larger vision of their Executive Director to life in vibrant new ways.

1. How do we tell our story in a way that will foster active participation and financial engagement?

2. What are our priorities as an organization?

3. What are the new horizons we can explore as we invite people to support us?

VEHICLES FOR CHANGE

Fundraising—A customized fundraising initiative that incorporated the small pool of major donors and the wide-ranging group of individuals and organizations that had experienced the power of the ministry of Music That Makes Community over the years.

NEW DIRECTIONS

Collateral Materials—A fresh new face for a new era in the life of MMC, communicated in clean, bright, high contrast visuals, and accessible words to reflect an organization that is all about human connection

Board Member Training—Working with Board members in the basic mechanics of donor cultivation and funding requests, Vandersall Collective planted seeds that would outlive our hands on engagement

Donor Strategy—Creating a tracking system, tailored to the donor base, needs, and vision of the organization, along with communication and note-taking features to support tracking and maintaining relationships

Major Donor Campaign—Vandersall Collective then conceptualized, wrote, designed and launched a fall campaign, telling the story of the organization through the testimonies of those who had received MMC’s services and requesting support. We seized this opportunity to increase the grassroots supporters and also to increase the number of larger donors as well as opening the way for multiple conversations with prospective board members.

Grass Roots Cultivation—By connecting with those who had received MMC’s services, we not only gleaned beautiful stories, we helped to build another, broad-based constituency of individual giving and engagement for the future vision.

ON THE HORIZON

Having exceeded fundraising goals and met our quick timeline, we continue to work toward a bright and creative new era of transformation and community through music.

“On our own, we would not be able to navigate these waters. We’re grateful for the partnership we feel with Mieke and her team.”

— The Rev. Donald Schell, Board President

Nevelson Chapel

Nevelson Chapel is the only remaining, permanent, fully intact sculptural environment by Louise Nevelson. Nine wall-mounted sculptures, a tranquil white-on-white presentation accented with gold-leaf and enhanced by the play of shadow and light from a single window, the Chapel is an incomparable example of this 20th-century art form which is intended to involve or encompass visitors. Nevelson was instrumental in the conception and introduction of the form, which “sought to break down the historical dichotomy between life and art.”

Vandersall Collective has served in many forms as we work together to restore and renew the Chapel. We are integrated into all aspects of the Chapel life. Together we manage all events and communications, including the case materials, social media, eblasts and the website, and serve as the primary fundraising council. In addition to advising the Chapel project, we have created systems and structures for fundraising administration, and are deeply embedded in the enactment of them running smoothly. We continue to implement communication strategies through the curation of their Instagram account.

“Our campaign isn't simply raising money. We are building relationships, recalibrating our culture and renewing our mission. Mieke and her team are integrated into every aspect with competency, dedication and heart.”

— The Rev. Jared Stahler, Nevelson Chapel

Not So Churchy

Not So Churchy is a place of healing and hope, where queerness and curiosity expand the spiritual journey beyond boxes and binaries. This eclectic community also happens to have been started by Mieke, and is where she currently serves. We engage as their regular designer, including the beautification of annual reports and the website that serves as a spiritual home for this geographically diverse community.

Park Avenue Christian Church

The community at The Park is on a mission and has a vision – a vision for a more just, sustainable, vibrant and growing community that has a broad impact on our city, our nation and our world. They believe that the church should be a place where we come to worship, fellowship and be sent out as ministers to do the work that God has called us to do — in our homes, our workplaces, our volunteer organizations, and in the world.

We served as primary fundraising counsel for the Park as they have prepared to publicly launch their multi-million dollar capital campaign. Through this, we created their case materials, both verbally and visually.

“Vandersall Collective helped us to gain the motivation, the tools and the confidence to launch our capital campaign. We are so grateful for their faithful and visionary guidance.”

— The Rev. Kaji Dousa, Park Avenue Christian Church

Presbytery of New York City

The Presbytery of New York City encompasses the geographic boundaries of the City of New York, the five boroughs of the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. In their 97 congregations, they welcome nearly 15,000 members in worship, mission, and service to their city and beyond. They are a part of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Synod of the Northeast. We created a new website for the Presbytery, increasing communication and transparency throughout their community.

“Our Presbytery’s website was in desperate need of a complete makeover. Vandersall Collective walked with us step by step to create a more user-friendly and resourceful website.”

— Yzette Swavy-Lipton, Presbytery of New York City

Q Christian Fellowship

Q Christian Fellowship is an international network of Christians working for fully inclusive Christian community and a world where all people are treated as the beloved children of God. It is their mission to transform attitudes toward LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people and bring about a day when the church is the biggest ally and defender of LGBTQ people rather than a chief opponent.

Q Christian came to us with an urgent need for a new website. After quickly completing a new, beautiful, easy to navigate site, we then began work on a name change, shift in verbal identity, visual implementation including logo and web design, and a short video.

“Vandersall Collective was an incredibly efficient and creative firm that took our organization through a massive name change process—including rebranding, rollout, and website build—while using professional resources and insight that left my company comfortable in every stage of the process and utterly pleased with the final products.”

— Isaac Archuleta, Previous Executive Director, Q Christian Fellowship

Saint Peter's Church

Saint Peter’s Church is a welcoming and diverse evangelical catholic communion nourished by God and publicly engaged with others in creatively shaping life in the city.

Working with the Director of Communications, we helped guide Saint Peter’s in articulating their needs for a new website and then enacting those needs through the creation of a design brief, guidance of verbal articulation, and then implementation through a new, easy to manage, website. We continue to provide regular maintenance support.

Society for the Increase of the Ministry (SIM)

All people and all societies need wise spiritual leadership to inspire, inform and renew our lives. The Society for the Increase of the Ministry (SIM) guarantees the identification and education of outstanding faith leaders whose public imagination and witness matter in our world. SIM is expanding scholarships to increase the positive impact of faith leadership on our common life.

SIM, having served the Episcopal Church since 1857, found themselves at another crossroad with a renewed desire to influence theological education and church leadership for the 21st century. We began our work with SIM through leading the board on a retreat to explore strategic direction, and then then continued our work together through their year-end fundraising efforts, and the creation of a strategic plan and development plan. We continue to provide support through year-end fundraising campaigns.

St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church

At St. Andrew’s, Austin, TX, they try their hardest to be a warm, creative, justice-oriented community, rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

St. Andrews’s came to us wanting to test out their goals for a capital campaign, which would enable the congregation to live into their mission and values to serve their neighbors through significant building improvements. We conducted their feasibility study and created their case materials, conducted in-person interviews and facilitated their on-line survey. We then wrote a detailed report with recommendations for living into their goals.

St. Lydia's Dinner Church

St. Lydia's Dinner Church is a progressive, LGBTQ-affirming congregation in the Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, working to dispel isolation, reconnect neighbors, and subvert the status quo.

Case Study

St. Lydia’s Dinner Church is a new Lutheran congregation that gathers around tables. They began with denominational support from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and the Episcopal Church, in addition to a few major donors. As their community grew, they moved into their own space, worshiping on Sunday morning and evening and Monday evening, and providing co-working space for entrepreneurs during weekdays day which not only dispels isolation but provides a revenue stream. Their congregation is now supported by congregants themselves, denominational grants, rentals, co-working and major donors who find value and satisfaction in supporting the congregation’s mission and vision.

In anticipation of waning denominational grant funding, the Vandersall Collective was contracted to create and implement their major donor (Chef’s Table) program. Working with Emily Scott, their pastor, we conceptualized and wrote major donor collateral materials, assisted in the creation of major donor tracking process and annual fundraising calendar, and organized and implemented major donor cultivation events, one from afar in the Bay Area and the other in New York City.

We were thrilled that the major donor program attracted new donors and raised the commitment of existing donors, and that the leadership of St. Lydia’s now has a structure to implement moving forward.

However, perhaps the most favorite part of our work together was coaching Emily and their Leadership Table and Fundraising Team. Together we learned how to communicate pastorally with and empower millennials in their giving. We led multiple fundraising trainings where we explored theological and emotional responses to money and fundraising in the church, invigorating congregant volunteers to engage both outside donors and their fellow congregants in generous giving. Mieke also preached at St. Lydia’s and the led a conversation with the congregation at large in preparation for their stewardship season.

St. Paul's Episcopal Church

St Paul's Episcopal Church, Franklin, TN is the state's oldest Episcopal Church. A community rich in history, St. Paul's is now asking how its space can best be utilized to live more fully into God’s vision for the future. It's our job to work with the congregation to conduct a Feasibility Study, which will help them determine what resources are available and how the energy and passion of their community can be harnessed to help their vision come to life.⁣⁣

We are delighted to have worked with as partners committed to raising funds as part of a ministry that responds in meaningful ways to the needs and possibilities around them. Together we engaged in a feasibility study and a revamp of annual giving during the pandemic year of 2020. We then implemented a capital campaign and are thrilled that they exceeded their fundraising goals!

Synod of the Northeast

The General Assembly of the PCUSA asked synods around the country to answer the question of why they should exist. We worked with Synod of the Northeast to come up with their response.

---

“We are glad to be working again with Vandersall Collective on branding our biennial worship, learning and fellowship gathering. Working with Vandersall Collective is accessing creativity, diligence, and passion commitment to radical welcome and pursuit of justice.”

— The Rev. Dr. Amaury Tañón-Santos, Synod of the Northeast

Several years ago, the Synod of the Northeast of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) was responding to a mandate from its national body to examine its effectiveness and purpose. While being open to complete disbandedment, they learned that they have particular gifts to share, and that the diversity of the gathered community was too important to lose. To emphasize the gifts of this gathered body, they worked to refocus their energies, flipping the balance so that gathering received more emphasis than governing, allowing the gathering time to be filled with energy and the governing time to be filled with purpose.

In three key areas, we have been honored to work with the Synod to help implement its new strategic vision.

COMMUNICATION

We created and implemented a cohesive and cross-platform communication plan in consultation with the Synod, and as a result of a communications audit. The website was used as a community hub where information was shared clearly and effectively. A video was created to communicate the personalities and the impact the Synod is having on the life of its constituents. An eblast schedule and template (both visual and content) was created to further tell those stories, driving traffic back to the website. Finally, we created special branding for their two biennial conferences, known as Come to the Table. 

To effectively communicate their vision, and the new ways of engagement that come out of that vision, their website needed to become a vital location centralizing communication and provide opportunity for community-building. After completing a communications audit and report, we took their existing logo and vision, flushed out a verbal and visual brand identity, and created a new, easy to update website.

To communicate with their constituency in between events, as well as to communicate the weight and importance of their work with current and potential donors, we created a robust package of print materials. Their Robert L. Washington Scholars & Fellows program was established to provide leadership opportunities for young and/or people of color, and we also created a gorgeous and hefty annual report.

The Synod also needed a way to personally and persuasively communicate their vision and warmth to the people in their large geographic area without physically having to be present. Our creative team reflected their story back through a short video. Working with a team from the Synod we wrote a script, gathered leaders from throughout the Synod together for a day-long shoot, and then edited together a video currently used in their local communities, and at fundraising events.

Stories of hope and innovation that exemplified the Synod’s deepened purposed needed to be shared persuasively and effectively. We created a communication schedule and guidelines, integrating the website, social media and new eblast templates to reflect the new brand identity. We also worked with the staff to train them to take their design templates and do it on their own.

Finally, as the Synod's focus shifted to gathering, the first non-governing event was a major undertaking. Our services were contracted to help the planning team create and execute a hospitable, organized experience for their guests. We took the branding platform and guidelines and implemented them through the creation of a registration process and conference booklet. We also worked with the worship team to align our worship time with the new vision of the Synod. Mieke Vandersall, Derrick McQueen, Paul Vasile, and Larissa Kwong-Abazia of the Vandersall Collective were instrumental in making this event a success. 

GRANT-MAKING

In their process of re-visioning, the Synod reallocated significant funding to support innovative ministry within their geographical bounds. When we began our work with the Synod they asked for help in reconstructing their grant applications, application process, and review process. Using best practices, putting more trust in the applicants, and encouraging them to explain their needs in their own words, we first wrote a report after speaking with various past grantees with recommendations for change and then worked with the Mission and Ministry Commission (their Board-equivalent) to refresh their process and encourage a more mutual relationship between the applicants and their Synod. The stories of the applicants were also the basis of our communication strategy.

FUNDRAISING

With so many new people, congregations and organizations seeking funding from the Synod, and the heightened communication about the granting opportunities, the generous funding set aside in the Synod’s budget was being spent faster than ever before. In order to understand how best to raise funds, we completed a development audit, and then began a robust major-donor program, integrating the opportunity for giving on the website, organizing multiple cultivation events throughout the northeast, and launching the Synod's inaugural year-end campaign highlighting the impact of the grants made to innovative ministries.

The Vine

The Vine NYC is a network of open, inviting campus ministries in New York City where all students are welcome. They are college and graduate students from institutions across the city who together are trying to figure out how to live in better relationship with God, one another and creation.

The past many years has seen a decrease in funding of campus ministry programs. We worked with The Vine to kick-start their fundraising efforts by conducting a mini-development audit, writing and designing case materials, analyzing their donor list, training their board and leadership, accompanying their leadership on “asks,” and organizing their first-ever major donor cultivation and ask event.

Trinity's SAFH (Services and Food for the Homeless)

SAFH provides a reliable source of food for those who are hungry, in the lower east side of Manhattan. In 2020 the need they filled skyrocketed, and we were able to provide some pro-bono work to raise funds to help them continue their work in the midst of COVID. In 2020 they distributed 200,000 meals.

West End Church

Phase I: communications audit

West End Church on the Upper West Side of Manhattan is a community with deep roots, curious spirits, and hearts set on God’s way of justice and peace. They want their neighbors, and the whole world, to know what they're up to, why it matters, and how to be involved, especially in this time when connection and community are so vitally important. 

After leading a robust communications audit including a strategic retreat, series of interviews and a survey, we created a framework authentic to them through which to view their communication strategy. We then rebranded West End Church through a new logo and communication system, and built and launched their new website. We continue to provide on-going communications support as they live into their new look and articulated identity.

Phase II: fundraising

Alongside our on-going communications support, we work with West End to develop annual campaigns that reflect their culture, identity, theology of giving, and goals. Our work together has included:

• creating opportunities for leaders to reflect on money narratives

• creating and implementing segmentation of giving data to consider appropriate strategies

• increasing volunteerism through training, ongoing coaching, and celebration

• developing compelling communication pieces for multiples audiences and special occasions