and mortar are not a priority. Instead, these individuals
value what would happen to the life of the parish and to the
community if repairs were not made. Participants learned
new strategies for communicating about the parish and its
building, understanding that the building is beautiful not
only for its aesthetics, but for the role that the church and the
parish play in the community.
With an understanding of the New Dollars framework for
capital campaigns, the next phase of the training included an
asset-mapping workshop. Participants brainstormed about
individuals and institutions with current, past, and potential
future connections to the parish. In less than ninety
minutes, the group had identified more than 150 assets that
the parish could leverage in its capital campaign. These
included connections to local restaurants and businesses,
the Chamber of Commerce, connections to Chicagobased foundations, the Art Institute of Chicago, and local
government officials.
The training fueled the launch of an important new phase
of the parish’s capital fundraising efforts: a feasibility study
and strategic plan to identify realistic campaign goals,
potential do