Presbytery of Southern New England

Presbytery of Southern New England: who are they?

The Presbytery of Southern New England is comprised of 26 congregations, each of which is a unique community rooted in the love, peace and justice of Jesus Christ.

One of the ways the Presbytery seeks to support these congregations is by empowering leadership for each community to guide their congregants as they discern how to use and maintain their properties in service of their various needs, ministries, and priorities.

We’re providing support for presbytery leadership, and working with three congregations exploring land and property possibilities. We've organized this complex work into two phases.

Phase I: congregation + property assessment

• assess the needs and opportunities in the three individual congregations

• engage in congregational and community listening

• communicate with member churches about potential property strategies

Phase II: theology, core values + strategic filter

• articulate a theology of land and property that is rooted in their context

• discern core values that will reflect that theology

• develop a strategic filter for property decision-making based on these values

St. John the Evangelist

St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church: who are they?

St. John’s is a diverse and growing parish in St. Paul. In the 1970s, they were active in the civil rights movement, promoting voting rights, staffing a women’s center, and housing refugees. They continue to follow the radical teaching of Jesus in their commitment to justice, offering a Racial Healing Eucharist every month, and working toward the repair of the world, in their community and beyond.

Phase I: listening

St. John’s is discerning the potential for a capital campaign. To prepare, we first led a process to foster healthy relationships with money. We unpacked individual and collective money narratives and deconstructed dominant systems of power and control as they relate to financial resources.

During this listening process, we:

• facilitated a congregational-wide survey that asks questions around individual and corporate money narratives, in addition to asking questions around potential capital projects and how they connect with St. John's identity

• led a day-long, in-person retreat to explore money narratives

• interviewed community partners to understand how St. John’s is perceived and also what areas of future partnership might be ripe for exploration

• provided a report that is rooted in their faith community’s context with recommendations for future practices regarding a holistic relationship

Sycamore Collaborative

Sycamore Collaborative: who are they?

Formerly known as Schenectady Inner City Ministry or SiCM, Sycamore Collaborative is a thriving organization committed to social justice and equity.

They serve Schenectady County through the largest food pantry in the region, 2 acres of community urban farmland, the county-wide Summer Meals program, and a safe space for all.

Phase I: communications audit

Serving Schenectady County in upstate New York, Sycamore Collaborative (formerly Schenectady Inner City Ministries, or SICM) has been a lifeline in a time of increasing food insecurity and an inspiration for community engagement to volunteers and clients alike. Embracing their decision to become intentionally interfaith, we walked alongside the organization to look across all its communications to understand more clearly what they want to say, to whom, when and how. 

In our communications audit, we: 

• reviewed all current communications

• conducted key interviews

• led a retreat among organizational leaders and key staff

• organized and analyzed data

• reviewed staffing capacity

• made recommendations and provided reflective language to move the organization forward

Phase II: strategic plan, renaming + rebranding process

As our communications audit concluded, we entered Phase II. In this iteration of our work, we:

• articulated core values

• created a strategic filter for decision-making

• collaboratively created a far-reaching strategic plan

• created a new visual identity, name, and website

Covenant Network of Presbyterians

The Covenant Network of Presbyterians: who are they?

Since 1997, the Covenant Network of Presbyterians has sought to strengthen the church by working for the full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people in its life and leadership. They are a network of 400+ congregations and thousands of individuals, all committed to celebrating the gifts and extending authentic welcome to people of all gender identities and sexual orientations.

CNP supports the Presbyterian Church (USA) through educational programs, resources for congregations and individuals, advocacy for church policy changes, and care and support for those facing exclusion and discrimination in the church.

Communications + identity

An organization's internal work along with a changing landscape can often impact their overall identity. Following shifts in their denomination's environment, we worked with the Covenant Network to articulate their verbal identity. We then successfully paired these words with images by creating a new logo and visual identity.

Episcopal Church of Heavenly Rest

Heavenly Rest: who are they?

Heavenly Rest is a multi-staff congregation on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Their mission is to love and serve Christ in all persons, regardless of their race, gender, social background, religious upbringing, or sexual orientation.

Fundraising + identity

Heavenly Rest was in need of interim design and fundraising support as they were transitioning staff, and Vandersall Collective was happy to help.

Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis

The Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis: who are they?

The Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis is called by Christ to welcome and witness in Central and Southern Indiana.

Grounded in God’s love in Christ, the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis and its people serve as beacons of Christ in central and southern Indiana and beyond, offer a generous invitation and welcome, stand with the vulnerable and marginalized to transform systems of injustice, connect with other Episcopalians, ecumenical and interfaith partners, and advocacy groups, and develop clergy and laity to lead the church of today and tomorrow.

Communications, identity, strategy + vision

We worked with the diocese to lead a restructuring retreat for their Executive Council, as well as implementing their vision for the future through design work.

Metro New York Synod (ELCA)

The Metro New York Synod came to us with a few short months to spare before their Reformation 500 Service at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. They needed a skilled event planner who could quickly onramp their work as they knew time was running out. In addition to needing help, the scope of the event kept growing!

The event grew from an expected audience of a few hundred to over 1,000. This included ecumenical guests from throughout the breadth and depth of the Christian tradition. In addition, liturgical planning was needed with two choirs, three ensembles, and dozens more liturgical participants. We coordinated countless details and subcontractors to provide a seamless experience for the guests who came and allowed the liturgy to shine through. A powerful event moving forward the ecumenical community committed to unity in Christ, we were proud to have played a part in creating this memorable night of a lifetime.

Music that Makes Community

A non-profit organization working with ecumenical communities and leaders, MMC empowers and liberates communities’ spiritual life through singing.

Case Study

When Paul Vasile took the reins as Executive Director, Music That Makes Community needed to raise funds urgently and quickly. A small, but engaged and energetic Board, took up the challenge to envision with Vandersall Collective how to bring the organizational skills and larger vision of their Executive Director to life in vibrant new ways.

1. How do we tell our story in a way that will foster active participation and financial engagement?

2. What are our priorities as an organization?

3. What are the new horizons we can explore as we invite people to support us?

VEHICLES FOR CHANGE

Fundraising—A customized fundraising initiative that incorporated the small pool of major donors and the wide-ranging group of individuals and organizations that had experienced the power of the ministry of Music That Makes Community over the years.

NEW DIRECTIONS

Collateral Materials—A fresh new face for a new era in the life of MMC, communicated in clean, bright, high contrast visuals, and accessible words to reflect an organization that is all about human connection

Board Member Training—Working with Board members in the basic mechanics of donor cultivation and funding requests, Vandersall Collective planted seeds that would outlive our hands on engagement

Donor Strategy—Creating a tracking system, tailored to the donor base, needs, and vision of the organization, along with communication and note-taking features to support tracking and maintaining relationships

Major Donor Campaign—Vandersall Collective then conceptualized, wrote, designed and launched a fall campaign, telling the story of the organization through the testimonies of those who had received MMC’s services and requesting support. We seized this opportunity to increase the grassroots supporters and also to increase the number of larger donors as well as opening the way for multiple conversations with prospective board members.

Grass Roots Cultivation—By connecting with those who had received MMC’s services, we not only gleaned beautiful stories, we helped to build another, broad-based constituency of individual giving and engagement for the future vision.

ON THE HORIZON

Having exceeded fundraising goals and met our quick timeline, we continue to work toward a bright and creative new era of transformation and community through music.

“On our own, we would not be able to navigate these waters. We’re grateful for the partnership we feel with Mieke and her team.”

— The Rev. Donald Schell, Board President

Nevelson Chapel

Nevelson Chapel is the only remaining, permanent, fully intact sculptural environment by Louise Nevelson. Nine wall-mounted sculptures, a tranquil white-on-white presentation accented with gold-leaf and enhanced by the play of shadow and light from a single window, the Chapel is an incomparable example of this 20th-century art form which is intended to involve or encompass visitors. Nevelson was instrumental in the conception and introduction of the form, which “sought to break down the historical dichotomy between life and art.”

Vandersall Collective has served in many forms as we work together to restore and renew the Chapel. We are integrated into all aspects of the Chapel life. Together we manage all events and communications, including the case materials, social media, eblasts and the website, and serve as the primary fundraising council. In addition to advising the Chapel project, we have created systems and structures for fundraising administration, and are deeply embedded in the enactment of them running smoothly. We continue to implement communication strategies through the curation of their Instagram account.

“Our campaign isn't simply raising money. We are building relationships, recalibrating our culture and renewing our mission. Mieke and her team are integrated into every aspect with competency, dedication and heart.”

— The Rev. Jared Stahler, Nevelson Chapel

Not So Churchy

Not So Churchy is a place of healing and hope, where queerness and curiosity expand the spiritual journey beyond boxes and binaries. This eclectic community also happens to have been started by Mieke, and is where she currently serves. We engage as their regular designer, including the beautification of annual reports and the website that serves as a spiritual home for this geographically diverse community.

Park Avenue Christian Church

The community at The Park is on a mission and has a vision – a vision for a more just, sustainable, vibrant and growing community that has a broad impact on our city, our nation and our world. They believe that the church should be a place where we come to worship, fellowship and be sent out as ministers to do the work that God has called us to do — in our homes, our workplaces, our volunteer organizations, and in the world.

We served as primary fundraising counsel for the Park as they have prepared to publicly launch their multi-million dollar capital campaign. Through this, we created their case materials, both verbally and visually.

“Vandersall Collective helped us to gain the motivation, the tools and the confidence to launch our capital campaign. We are so grateful for their faithful and visionary guidance.”

— The Rev. Kaji Dousa, Park Avenue Christian Church

Q Christian Fellowship

Q Christian Fellowship is an international network of Christians working for fully inclusive Christian community and a world where all people are treated as the beloved children of God. It is their mission to transform attitudes toward LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people and bring about a day when the church is the biggest ally and defender of LGBTQ people rather than a chief opponent.

Q Christian came to us with an urgent need for a new website. After quickly completing a new, beautiful, easy to navigate site, we then began work on a name change, shift in verbal identity, visual implementation including logo and web design, and a short video.

“Vandersall Collective was an incredibly efficient and creative firm that took our organization through a massive name change process—including rebranding, rollout, and website build—while using professional resources and insight that left my company comfortable in every stage of the process and utterly pleased with the final products.”

— Isaac Archuleta, Previous Executive Director, Q Christian Fellowship

Saint Peter's Church

Saint Peter’s Church is a welcoming and diverse evangelical catholic communion nourished by God and publicly engaged with others in creatively shaping life in the city.

Working with the Director of Communications, we helped guide Saint Peter’s in articulating their needs for a new website and then enacting those needs through the creation of a design brief, guidance of verbal articulation, and then implementation through a new, easy to manage, website. We continue to provide regular maintenance support.

The Vine

The Vine NYC is a network of open, inviting campus ministries in New York City where all students are welcome. They are college and graduate students from institutions across the city who together are trying to figure out how to live in better relationship with God, one another and creation.

The past many years has seen a decrease in funding of campus ministry programs. We worked with The Vine to kick-start their fundraising efforts by conducting a mini-development audit, writing and designing case materials, analyzing their donor list, training their board and leadership, accompanying their leadership on “asks,” and organizing their first-ever major donor cultivation and ask event.

West End Church

Phase I: communications audit

West End Church on the Upper West Side of Manhattan is a community with deep roots, curious spirits, and hearts set on God’s way of justice and peace. They want their neighbors, and the whole world, to know what they're up to, why it matters, and how to be involved, especially in this time when connection and community are so vitally important. 

After leading a robust communications audit including a strategic retreat, series of interviews and a survey, we created a framework authentic to them through which to view their communication strategy. We then rebranded West End Church through a new logo and communication system, and built and launched their new website. We continue to provide on-going communications support as they live into their new look and articulated identity.

Phase II: fundraising

Alongside our on-going communications support, we work with West End to develop annual campaigns that reflect their culture, identity, theology of giving, and goals. Our work together has included:

• creating opportunities for leaders to reflect on money narratives

• creating and implementing segmentation of giving data to consider appropriate strategies

• increasing volunteerism through training, ongoing coaching, and celebration

• developing compelling communication pieces for multiples audiences and special occasions