Church leaders have been talking about it for months, but now you are hearing rumblings from the congregation and even visitors . . . your building looks and feels “tired”. What should you do? Before embarking on a major building or renovation project, following are several recommended steps that will help make sure your congregation is ready: Focus on Ministry Needs: [...]

What percentage of your constituent’s total assets would you say are found in cash or checking accounts? Answer: about 10%. What percentage of your annual church giving comes from cash or checking accounts? Answer: generally 95% (and sometimes more!). What’s wrong with this picture? “What’s wrong” is that most church leaders do not actively seek non-cash gifts. This is unfortunate [...]

95Network is a national non-profit organization that exists to resource the 95% of churches in the United States that are under 500 in average attendance. They do that through practical content, conferences, and grant funds for coaching and consulting. Since 2018, 95Network has supported churches in 34 states and given away over $200,000 in grant funds to support local [...]

Here at CGS we are often asked about the factors needed to ensure a successful capital campaign. Many could be mentioned, but in our experience few are more important than the quality of the campaign leadership team. In other words, you must recruit the “A – team”! You may be wondering “How do I identify and recruit the most qualified [...]

No, we’re not talking about the imposing architecture of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania’s Golden Triangle! We’re referring to the Golden Triangle of successful church building projects. The idea behind the Golden Triangle is simply this – for any church building project to succeed the: Ministry Needs — Financial Resources – Building Design Must all be in creative balance. If not, the project simply does [...]

How can you increase and facilitate non-cash gifts of financial assets, real estate or tangible property? First, let your people know that you are actively seeking such gifts. This could be accomplished simply by publishing a quarterly announcement stating: “If you are interested in making a non-cash gift to our ministry such as stock, mutual funds or real estate, [...]

MortarStone is generosity intelligence. Using intuitive analytics and professional strategy, MortarStone helps you grow your church attendance and increase ministry funding.

You have a gorgeous set of architectural drawings for a new building addition that your committee has been working on for months. You are ready to present them to your congregation and are sure everyone will immediately fall in love with them. You only anticipate a few ‘minor’ questions to clarify the details of the new facility features. Our [...]

If you were to visit the famed Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota with a serious health issue, you would immediately notice a significant aspect of their service model. All of your medical specialists would gather around the table with you to discuss your diagnosis and create the treatment plan. Using such a clinical approach has obvious benefits – the [...]