Day: May 18, 2016
YMCA Safe Place Services, Louisville, KY
When the YMCA Safe Place Services came to Dr. Len Moisan and The Covenant Group for a Financial Development Assessment, they knew the goals that they wanted to achieve. “We wanted to find out what our weaknesses and strengths were related to our financial development. We were entering into a new area. We also never had a development director before, and we wanted to hire the person that would be best for our agency’s needs. The Covenant Group helped with our search. We let Len lay out the game plan, and we hired based on the needs that he helped us identify,” Director Dennis Enix said.
Enix continued, “Len’s assessment of our Development Program told us a lot of things we already knew, but it also told us things and gave us recommendations we hadn’t thought about. It legitimized what we knew were our strengths and weaknesses, and gave us a plan on how we could better our financial development program to get it up to par. When the new financial development director was hired it was very helpful for her to review and begin to implement the recommendations that The Covenant Group had made.”
Enix is satisfied in knowing that The Covenant Group helped the Safe Place Services meet the goals they had set out to achieve. “We have met our expectations. Now taking The Covenant Group plan forward, I have no doubt that we will be successful.” Board member Todd Lowe added that The Covenant Group exceeded his expectations. “We had a general sense of what recommendations Len would give us, but we were not aware of the depth he would go into with these recommendations. I think we felt like we got back more than just a general outline.”
So pleased were they with the work of The Covenant Group that YMCA Safe Place Services has already recommended them to other organizations. Enix said, “When we hired The Covenant Group, we knew that they would be great partners to us. YMCA Greater Louisville is now also planning a capital campaign and we have recommended The Covenant Group to help with the work.”
Enix concluded: “Honestly, I think that the Covenant Group is the best in the community. And, with our board knowing that we had hired the best, it helped them take what was being said as truth. It motivated them to take the plan by the horns and go with it.”
Westwood-Cheviot Church of Christ, Cincinnati, OH
Westwood-Cheviot Church of Christ needed a change. The new pastor, Pete Holmes, decided that the church was in a rut. They needed positive change, or the church would continue to flounder. In Mr. Holmes’ words, “We are in the process of becoming what you would call a ‘turn-around church.’”
The Covenant Group surveyed the church membership and conducted interviews with the church Elders. This process, coupled with a leadership retreat, enabled Westwood-Cheviot to identify critical issues and begin to establish a vision that would drive planning and operations toward a fruitful future.
Mr. Holmes stated, “Dr. Moisan has taught us a process that not only builds strategic plans to address the critical issues, but at the same time develops consensus among the membership for positive change.”
The evaluation tools The Covenant Group has equipped us with have helped our leaders identify and clarify critical issues with regard to the overall health of our church – that alone has been worth the price of admission.”
Dr. Joe Ellis, seminary professor, renowned church growth expert and elder at Westwood-Cheviot, stated the following: “The Covenant Group provided competent leadership and the tools to bring us clear insight into where we are and where we should be going. Their skills have led us to a vision and launched us on the path to achieving that vision in a way that we could not have accomplished on our own.”
Wayside Christian Mission, Louisville, KY
When Louisville’s Wayside Christian Mission embarked on their capital campaign in 2001, President Tim Moseley realized they were dealing with less than ideal circumstances. “We started our campaign after September 11, which we knew would be extremely challenging from an economic standpoint. Fortunately, because Len Moisan and The Covenant Group created a solid plan and were willing to make such a long-term commitment to us, we were able to overcome that,” Moseley said.
The team at Wayside decided to seek professional counsel for their campaign after careful consideration. “It was actually a bold decision for us to get counsel,” Moseley explained. “We considered the possibility of doing things internally, but we soon realized that because of our current responsibilities as well as the time constraints we were facing, it was wiser to have professional guidance from an outside source.”
As far as Tim Moseley was concerned, The Covenant Group was the obvious choice. “We did a survey of several companies and interviewed different folks. With The Covenant Group, a key factor in our selection was their connection with the Christian Community. The fact that Len Moisan is heavily involved in his church … his involvement in the Billy Graham crusade … we felt that he would know our business better than most. In addition, The Covenant Group has a great track record, as all of their campaigns have either met or exceeded their goals.”
The Covenant Group’s connections in Louisville and their accessibility proved to be extremely helpful during Wayside’s campaign. “Their local knowledge was key,” Moseley said. “As we reviewed our prospect list for donors, Len knew almost every foundation well. With their help, we were able to quickly pinpoint the appropriate amount and best strategy for soliciting each prospect. Both Len and Bill are also familiar with volunteers in the community and they were able to add some key people to our steering committee.”
Moseley was also impressed with how well The Covenant Group prepared volunteers involved in Wayside’s campaign. “They developed a training program specific to our campaign,” Moseley said. “They came on several occasions to provide group and individual training with committee members. I thought it was excellent! And they were able to answer questions that we had during the campaign promptly and professionally.”
Moseley is quite pleased with the outcome of the campaign thus far, and he attributes much of their success to The Covenant Group. “We’ve raised $3.7 million to date … we’re excited about our progress. The Covenant Group has done more than I ever expected,” Moseley said. “Len has pushed us to be more proactive and has motivated our volunteers to do what it takes to make the campaign a success. He and the other associates are always available and accessible…. I can reach them by phone and email. They are wonderful to work with. Even though The Covenant Group has other clients, they were always there for us. Our campaign seemed to be their sole responsibility. I would absolutely, without a doubt, use their services again, and have already recommended them on two separate occasions to other agencies.”
Ursuline Campus Schools, Louisville, KY
Ursuline Campus Schools is a unified system of five schools situated on 48 scenic acres in Louisville, Kentucky. Charlie Francesconi, President, used The Covenant Group’s expertise to “add professionalism and structure to our development office.”
Operating within the framework of five separate schools, the Ursuline Campus Schools’ development office had not been formally structured to provide maximum success. Mr. Francesconi stated, “We wanted Dr. Moisan’s help in rethinking our entire development function – from how we went about setting development goals to establishing proper roles for our development and administrative staff.”
Mr. Francesconi continued, “Len showed us how to organize our annual fundraising calendar – how to identify what should happen during each part of the year. He helped us increase board involvement in both the fundraising events and the annual campaign. One of the biggest changes we made was to abort several small fundraisers and pool our resources to more effectively execute several larger scale efforts. Dr. Moisan was instrumental in laying out the annual fundraising process and helping us communicate the importance of formalizing that process to our board members and constituents.”
The Covenant Group realizes that change can be unsettling. That is why when we make recommendations we supplement them with real-world advice on how to communicate these changes to your stakeholders and how to implement them in your organization.
“Using our existing staff, Dr. Moisan helped us more than double our annual giving over the course of just two years. If I could do it again, the only thing I would change about my experience with The Covenant Group is I would do it sooner!”
Results
Doubled annual giving in less than two years
Executed fewer, more successful fundraising campaigns
UPS Training Services, Louisville, KY
United Parcel Service (UPS) was facing a major undertaking. “We were in the process of creating a new airline,” said Chris Boone, then Director of Training at UPS. UPS had hired managers from several other airlines, many of which had closed. They were incorporating these new employees into the organization’s very traditional culture. “It was a ‘new vs. old’ philosophy. Our culture was challenged when we brought in so many new people at one time”, Boone commented. “Relationships, at first, between the two groups were strained. People were resistant to change,” he further explained.
During this same time, a new training program was being developed and introduced which enlisted teachers who were external to the UPS organization. One of the primary outside professionals involved with this new program was Dr. Len Moisan, who also taught the capstone class called Mastering Leadership. “Len’s sessions were vital in helping our organization through the transition process,” said Boone. “As a result of the training, our culture began to change.” Long-time UPS managers began to realize that they could glean valuable airline experience from the newcomers, and the incoming managers found they could learn valuable management practices from UPS’ long-standing traditions. As a result, when it came time for the FAA to evaluate UPS to determine if the formation of the new airline would be approved, the feedback was astounding. Boone reported, “The FAA gave us full clearance and a first-ever, no negative findings!”
“We credit the organization’s cultural transformation to the training program. Len played a key role in that process. Over a 5-6 year period he trained between 2500-3000 of these managers”, Boone recounted. “What makes Len so effective is that he knows his topic inside and out. He does his homework. Leadership is his passion.” Boone went on to say, “Len is also a great storyteller. People connect well with stories and he always includes relevant and memorable accounts.” Boone gave an example of a recent encounter he had with a UPS manager who had gone through Mastering Leadership ten years earlier. “This manager not only remembered Len’s training class, he remembered and commented on a specific story that had been shared during that class,” Boone marveled.
“Len built credibility with our people by taking the time to learn our company’s language”, Boone added. He also stated that he would not hesitate to recommend Len as a speaker or consultant to other organizations. “Len is very creative in his approach and the way he adapts his material to the audience. In all of the classes that he conducted, I don’t remember him receiving any ratings that were less than exceptional.”
Tekno Incorporated, Cave City, KY
Tekno, Incorporated is a turnkey manufacturing solutions provider to the Fortune 100. Trevor Clopton, Chief Operating Officer, summed up his situation. “We made the Inc. 500 list of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies three years in a row in the mid 1990’s, and that growth resulted in a few issues we needed to face. Things that kill profitability can arise in a company growing that fast, and we realized we needed to make a few changes.”
Clopton continued. “We hired The Covenant Group to help us analyze our situation, make recommendations on how to improve and create a plan to hold us accountable for making necessary changes. In some ways, we’ve known what needed to be done, but haven’t made the moves. The Covenant Group brought the discipline and strategic planning experience we needed to begin.”
“Ultimately, the success of our new strategic plan will be measured in terms of increased growth and profitability; but, much of what we need to improve is intangible,” Clopton revealed. “Regaining our flexibility, returning the culture to a sense of ‘team’ and having a small company environment – these are things we want to regain at Tekno, and Dr. Moisan has given us the plan and the motivation to go after these goals.”
Mr. Clopton also placed a high value on the management evaluation tools utilized by The Covenant Group. “The 360o Feedback Evaluations were key to us getting a handle on how good we were doing as a management team, and what we could do to improve.”
Clopton concluded: “We are just about to implement the strategic plan. We have gone much further in the strategic planning process because The Covenant Group gave us the structure and then instilled the confidence that we could get through it and achieve our goals, and we place a high value on their work.”
St. Francis Xavier, Louisville, KY
Established in 1846, St. Francis Xavier Church has enjoyed a rich history that is marked by consistent growth. Clearly the Parish has always been known as a community of faith dedicated to upholding Gospel principles and serving the needs of parishioners. However, in recent years, that reputation has grown and as a result the Parish has experienced explosive growth. With average weekly attendance increasing by 75% between 1995 and 2005, it had become obvious to everyone that it was time to build a new church and make room for their growing congregation. In fact, in anticipation of this need, parish leaders had already put some money aside for the new building. However, they still needed to raise an additional $1.5 to $2 million. After obtaining 1.76 acres of land adjacent to their current property, they decided to call the Covenant Group to help them with their campaign.
Father Scott Wimsett talked about how The Covenant Group worked with the Parish, “The Covenant Group’s approach was very much in line with where we were. They had a personal interest in our success, and helped us pay attention to the details. Joe was very involved and attended all of our meetings, which was great.” Father Scott explained further that The Covenant Group brought the experience and know how that the Parish lacked, “The Covenant Group helped build confidence in our people. We didn’t really know how to solicit funds…we just didn’t ask for money. However, Joe helped train our people (myself included) on the best ways to approach solicitations. This really was the key to our success in soliciting pledges.”
With The Covenant Group’s help, St. Francis was able to raise about $1.9 million, and the parish now plans to break ground in the spring of 2008. Father Scott commented, “Other firms kept telling us that the most we would be able to raise would be $1.2 million. They were telling us that we would not be able to achieve our goal of $1.5 – $2 million. However, The Covenant Group believed that we could do more than $1.2 and that our goal was very feasible if we approached it in the right way. They were right.”
Their new state-of-the-art facility will have many new accommodations including a 1000 seat sanctuary that can be expanded to 1300; a covered drop-off with entrances that are all handicap accessible; a gathering area; a permanent baptistry; music space apart from the sanctuary; a significantly larger sacristy area and larger and more accessible handicap seating.
Father Scott concluded by saying, “The results of the campaign have been very uplifting for our church community. People have a new sense of accomplishment. I would absolutely recommend The Covenant Group to other organizations seeking campaign counsel. In fact, I already have.”
Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, KY
Southeast Christian Church has grown exponentially since its humble beginnings in 1962. The new campus has a 9,100-seat sanctuary and 770,000 square feet under roof. With a staff of 340 employees, Southeast serves over 15,000 members and guests each weekend at 3 separate worship services. For a number of years they have hosted leadership conferences attended by some 3,500 pastoral and lay leaders from around the country.
According to Mike Smith, Southeast’s Human Resources Director, a ministry this size has many challenges. “We have a large and sophisticated organization. However, in our almost 40-year history, we had never really taken the time to do a comprehensive strategic plan until last year – and given the complexity of the ministry issues we were dealing with, we needed a strong partner to help us through the strategic planning process, so we enlisted the help of The Covenant Group.”
Mr. Smith continued, “Leadership at Southeast perceived the vast opportunities presented by our growth; but, we were also aware of the scriptural mandate to be good stewards of our resources. We believe that we are called to perform every ministry task with excellence, and we just couldn’t do that if we spread our efforts too thin. Going through The Covenant Group’s strategic planning process was essential in helping us assign priorities and focus our resources to the most productive ends.”
Brett DeYoung, Administrator at Southeast, added that the planning process required diligence, but yielded fruitful results. “Len helped us identify a large number of tactical initiatives. Having that many objectives can be overwhelming, so we were best served by having each ministry area pick their ‘Top 5’ immediate strategic initiatives. Identifying these issues was made possible by The Covenant Group’s research driven process. The congregational survey data was immeasurably beneficial.”
Mike Smith agreed that the process produced lasting positive changes. “I believe there’s a much higher degree of trust and cooperation among the staff. We are behaving less as independent operators, and more as a cohesive team. We’ve realized positive development in areas such as staff accountability, work processes, budgeting and our ability to prioritize our objectives effectively. The Covenant Group gave us a solid and thoughtful product, one that was definitely worth the money.”
Results
Consensus on mission, vision, goals, strategies and core values
Comprehensive, 80-page report detailing each ministry’s key initiatives
Residual benefit of increased trust, cooperation and productivity
Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, KY
“Southeast Christian Church was about to embark on the most ambitious capital campaign any church had ever tackled, so we called on Dr. Len Moisan to help us through this challenge.”
Those are the words of Dave Stone, Associate Pastor and campaign Project Representative at Southeast Christian Church. He was eager to recount the story.
“Back in 1993, Southeast embarked on a massive relocation program. We set a goal of raising over $26 million over and above our regular giving. At the time, this was the largest goal that any church capital campaign had tackled. Dr. Moisan was the chairman of the campaign, which actually raised over $30 million! Then, just three years later, he engineered another campaign to help us complete our building in only one phase, and we again exceeded our goal.”
In total, over $42 million was raised to build the new Southeast Christian Church complex, and Associate Pastor Stone had more to say about Dr. Moisan’s involvement.
Stone continued, “Len’s strategic planning and his skills in building a network proved invaluable. We appreciate the way he poured himself into all phases of the campaign. He continually put the focus on the Lord and stressed the importance of giving for the right reasons. That’s something you don’t always find, and it helped make the program successful in more ways than one.”
Today, Southeast members worship in the new 770,000 square foot facility in east Louisville, KY. This facility has enabled the growing church to continue to thrive in their ministry, and provided members with an effective tool for reaching out to their community – and the world.
Results
Over $42 million raised – exceeded ambitious $36 million goal
Shively Christian Church, Louisville, KY
When Shively Christian Church began to outgrow their facilities, the elders and staff realized it was time to investigate the possibility of relocating. The leaders in the church also recognized their limitations. In order to understand what it would take to raise the funds and develop and implement the plans to relocate, they would have to consult an outside professional who had the knowledge and experience to help them. “The main goal for us was to get professional expertise and some empirical data from our congregation regarding our plans. We also wanted to find out more about the overall health of our church,” explained Brett Baker, the Senior Associate Minister of Shively Christian Church.
Baker, who had experience with church consulting, ultimately turned to The Covenant Group to help them because they had a proven record of success and he knew their experience was just what the church needed. “The Covenant Group is a lot more comprehensive than other firms we interviewed. We chose them because of their ability to tailor a customized approach that fit our congregation,” Baker explained. “The Covenant Group was also very specific in measuring things important to us in our context.” Based on the survey findings, The Covenant Group recommended that Shively Christian Church delay the campaign and implement a strategic planning process that would attend to gaps uncovered by the survey and create a shared vision for the future.
Baker is confident that the church will continue to benefit from The Covenant Group work. “We are very pleased. Dr. Moisan and his team helped us conduct a survey and implement a planning process that produced results. We now know our glaring weaknesses and critical issues. Dr. Moisan helped us build a plan and consensus from which we have launched several important initiatives.”
The leaders of Shively Christian Church are confident that their work with The Covenant Group has been of great value to their congregation. “The Covenant Group fit us very well,” concluded Baker. “Len and his team are very professional, and I would definitely recommend The Covenant Group to any other organization looking for a high level of knowledge and experience.”