A Tale of Two Meetinghouses
Friend-raising and Fund-raising Ideas from Small Town Preservation Projects
The New Durham Meetinghouse. Photo credit: George Gale, @NewDurhamMeetinghouse (Facebook)
Preservation in small towns often costs just as much as in larger communities so it’s critical to engage as many residents and supporters as possible to meet fundraising goals. Two projects in the rural towns of Langdon and New Durham are good examples of how to do this as they build visibility, make new friends, and make progress toward achieving their goals.
At the non denominational Langdon Congregational Church, where services are held only twice a year, the goal is to rehabilitate the building so it can be used more by the wider community. The New Durham Meetinghouse, built in 1772, and unused for many years, has a similar goal.
Over the past two years, both groups have strengthened their social media presence and added new events and programs. They are raising their visibility locally and with other audiences, staying in the forefront of supporter's minds and reaching out to more potential donors—friend-raising and fund-raising.
Doug Beach, a spokesman for the Langdon Congregational Church (Seven to Save 2020), said sharing stories and photos from past events on their Facebook page has been very helpful in friend-raising. “We do a raffle every month to keep our followers involved as well as to raise money. This month it’s photography lessons. We have done other themed raffles such as a beauty basket, maple basket, and a spring basket, and we have larger projects coming up--a walk-behind snow blower for fall, three separate delivered cords of wood, artisan-crafted silver jewelry, and a handmade quilt. Our fund raising has been doing well and we expect to continue to pick up speed as we get better at it."
A booth during the Fall Festival at the Langdon Congregational Church.
Langdon has also planned music and entertainment events. Beach says “we hope to do a Wedding Gala with couples that have been married in the church and have them share their Special Day with each other. We want to have a wedding dress show with photos of the day and the music played. We are just having fun and making progress.”
Cathy Allyn from New Durham agrees that social media is now the way to go. “Although we'll always rely on newspapers,” she notes, “social media gets the word out immediately and, if desired, to a targeted audience. The best part is being able to respond to questions immediately and build rapport with followers. You can also keep track of those who "like" or comment on posts, so you can follow up with them during onsite visits or through email. We love knowing who our friends are!”
Outdoor activities have proved popular with audiences in both towns. Langdon hosted a table at the annual Fall Festival and a socially-distant Easter egg hunt around town. With summer approaching and an LCHIP grant in hand that they have to match, they are halfway to their fundraising goal for Phase 1, foundation and flooring work. The Church is holding a fundraising event up the street at the nearby Langdon Meetinghouse. The two groups have combined efforts for "Music at the Meetinghouse" featuring a folk-bluegrass band, and all proceeds will benefit the Church rehabilitation campaign. A new event, new friends, and new funds make a win-win situation.
The Langdon Church keeps up their traditional media presence as well, printing and emailing a regular newsletter to keep people informed about their preservation progress and using press releases to advertise their public programs and events. Their use of diverse communications channels is complemented by a diversity of ways to give--online linked to their YouTube channel, via their Facebook page, or by sending a check through the mail. Staying in touch with current donors and widening the circle of potential new donors are both important.
An engaging and informative Facebook post from the New Durham Meetinghouse
The New Durham Meetinghouse (Seven to Save 2012) is keeping their calendar full and using their social media account to share updates on their preservation project and photos from their monthly events that help draw people to the out-of-the way meetinghouse. The New Durham Meetinghouse Restoration Committee caters to many different audiences and, at every program, presents an informational display about the long history of the site and the planned restoration and new uses. Their programs include walking tours along the nature and history trail behind the Meetinghouse, food truck and beer tasting events, local trivia, and holiday themed events such as the Haunted Trail and “Trick or Treatinghouse” and caroling and Christmas activities.
They are also building new audiences and engaging new and continued supporters with community-centered programs such as craft classes, story time, and a mock town meeting for school children. “It’s really important for us to get the next generation into our building,” says Cathy Allen, group leader, “and then they start building a sense of belonging in this historic space. And adults can see how their contributions will make a difference.”
Whether friend-raising or fund-raising, these two meetinghouses are fortunate to have a group of committed volunteers to manage communications, organize events, and plan and oversee rehabilitation work. There’s a hidden reward—the fun of bringing people together at a treasured historic building and celebrating the milestones on the path to success.
Other ideas to share? Please send them to us at projects@nhpreservation.org.