UPDATE on Partners:
New Dollars/New Partners Success Story
a capital campaign, writing a fundraising case
statement, and negotiating with a contractor. But
now that its leadership was deeply immersed in a
fundraising/historic preservation mode, it made
sense to hone its skill in preparation for future
projects.
The Reverend Tracy Sprowls-Jenks was particularly
intrigued by the “asset-mapping” exercise, in which
congregation leaders learn to focus on the positives –
what gifts and services the congregation has that it can
offer to others. These assets, which can range from
physical space in the building to the individual talents
of congregants, are opportunities for developing a
congregation as a resource to the wider community.
The First Unitarian Society of Plainfield has learned a lot from
Partners’ New Dollars/New Partners training program. It has been
particularly energized about the opportunities for partnerships with
local organizations and nearby congregations. Photo courtesy of the
Unitarian Universalist District of Metropolitan New York’s website,
www.uumetrony.org.
Much has changed for the First Unitarian Society of
Plainfield (FUSP) since its humble beginnings in a
piano warehouse in 1889. Following the construction
of its own sanctuary in 1892, the church added a Parish
Hall in 1925 and an addition consisting of meeting
rooms and classrooms in 1958. The oldest Unitarian
church in New Jersey, its facilities have hosted locally
acclaimed amateur theatre performances and speeches
by national figures such as Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Today, the church serves a congregation of about 180
members and its building (christened “All Souls
Church”) is listed in the National Register of Historic
Places.
In late 2009, FUSP was offered the opportunity to
participate in Partners for Sacred Places’ trademark
program, New Dollars/New Partners for Your Sacred
Place. Since the congregation was already in the middle
of a major renovation project and the training was
sponsored by the local township, its leadership saw
little to lose and much to gain from New Dollars. The
congregation was already in the process of running
5 • Sacred Places • www.sacredplaces.org • Spring 2013
Although the FUSP team members had some
experience with fundraising case statements, the
grant-writing session strengthened skills that
will be necessary for their next capital campaign.
Reverend Sprowls-Jenks noted that the most
useful part of the training was the time it devoted to
fundraising outreach. “There are tons of grants out
there from nonprofits.” Aside from looking for funding
opportunities from institutions, the FUSP team began
thinking about sources within its own circles. “We
began to think, ‘oh, that congregation member has kids
we can ask,’ and ‘why not talk to the family that donated
the Robinson Window?’,” a large, beautiful stainedglass window in the rear of the sanctuary, which was
FUSP board meetings have never been
the same (since going through New
Dollars/New Partners); discussions now
focus on opportunities for partnerships
with local organizations and nearby
congregations.