Turn goals into actions.

If the term isn’t ringing any bells, stop now and review our previous post on the topic. Goals are great. They point us in the right direction and help organize our minds and prayers. However, documenting your goals is the easy part; what happens next? Too often, goals end up in a desk drawer or under a stack of papers, resulting in a fading memory of an exercise that took a few hours of your life. 

Pray…then put your goals into action 

Don’t expect God to do all the work of converting your goals from words on paper into reality. That’s not to say God won’t do a lot of heavy lifting. However, God wants to work with us, and he expects us to work to the best of our ability and share the responsibility.   

So, where to start?  The best place to start is to commit your goals to God in prayer. Hopefully, your goals were led by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but now is the time to bring God into the process again. (That is to say, avoid the sinking feeling of signing loan papers and wondering “Hey, did we pray about this yet.”) 

Make it easy to start 

Once you’re sure of God’s blessing, make a concrete plan of action. Realize the number one reason goals fail is because people don’t know where to start. Because goals often seem too big (especially for tasks as large as capital campaigns or building projects), the best course of action is to break each goal down into smaller component “strategies.” On your goal documentation, directly underneath each goal, identify at least three strategies that would accomplish the goal.  For example, 

“Let’s raise $100,000 by May 31st, 2021 to start construction on a new sanctuary by October 31st, 2021. The new sanctuary will have seating for 3,000 and better accommodate the elderly and those with special needs, will have skylights, and plenty of windows. Construction will be finished by June of 2022.” 

Strategy 1: Contact wealthy congregants to discuss special gifts. 
Strategy 2: Host concert(s) to collect ticket revenue. 
Strategy 3: Setup online fundraising site and promote on social media. 

Additionally, under each strategy, define three firsts steps with due dates.  

Strategy 1: Contact wealthy congregants to discuss special gifts. 

First Steps 

• Review member rolls to create a list of potential donors. -Jan 1 

• Identify suggested donor levels (be specific and bold). -Jan 10 

• Create collateral (brochure, blueprints, PowerPoint presentation, etc.) -Jan 30 

Finally, assign an actual, living/breathing person to each of the first steps. Accountability in the small actions will drive the success of the overall project, and small assignments are easier to mentally accept.  As the old saying goes, the only way to eat the elephant is one bite at a time. 

Need help converting your 2021 construction goals into reality? Contact an Eden representative to discuss our unique building processes and get your project off the ground.