ST. WILLIAM, NAPLES, FLORIDA

Greater Mission was called in to help St. William Catholic Church to complete the goal of raising funds to build a large and beautiful new church to accommodate its many Naples, Florida winter residents. 

When it came time to construct a large parish community center to serve as a new home for gatherings, meetings, ministry functions and offices, Greater Mission was asked to return to help raise the funds. A goal of $10 million was set for the Building for Mission Campaign. 

Remarkably, $14 million was raised, including a $4 million contribution to name the center for the Blessed Mother.

Working closely with the pastor, Fr. George Ratzmann, the staff and lay leaders, the campaign was launched and conducted in the winter and spring of 2019. Remarkably, $14 million was raised, including a $4 million contribution to name the center for the Blessed Mother.

Greater Mission established a leadership structure called the Builders Circle to invite leading families to contribute the majority of funds, balanced by the sacrificial giving of the rest of the community. An additional seven-figure gift and numerous six-figure gifts were also committed. 

The campaign method used the “Decision of Faith” framework pioneered by Greater Mission and a process of prayerful discernment regarding each pledge commitment. The pastor directly invited each pledge though a combination of approaches, using a personalized approach with a range of pledge options and replies that were made in complete confidence. This pastoral approach built spirituality and pastoral care into the entire campaign.

Parish leaders and donors commented that the Building for Mission campaign was much more enjoyable and fulfilling than the traditional high-pressure peer-to-peer campaign model. As important, they were thrilled with the outstanding campaign results that provide yet another validation of the Greater Mission campaign way.