A [Jewel] Case Study
How One Ohio Church is Using CD and DVD Media — Successfully — to Help Fund Its Sudan Project

by Jerry Warner

I serve on the media team at Ginghamsburg Church in Tipp City, Ohio, where our mission for the past few years has been to help the people of the Sudan. One of the methods we’ve used in our fund raising is to create short videos which emphasize the specific goals we have each year.

Step 1: Remind people of the need. At Ginghamsburg, this is where we begin. We then show them what we’ve been able to do, thanks to their support. Next, we ask them to continue their support so that we can meet a specific need.

It’s important that people understand the need and know exactly what’s needed to reach the goal. Attendees can watch these videos as part of the weekly message so that they may be blessed by seeing how their giving has helped other people.

Step 2: Make copies! The next step is one other churches might want to adapt in addition to the weekly message: copies of those videos are made available for purchase in the church bookstore at a low price. People buy the discs because they care about the mission, and they take the discs out to their own circle of family and friends. In doing so, more people are made aware of the needs than could be accomplished using the church service alone. And because they have a clearly defined video, there’s nothing lost in the presentation.

Indeed, many people are willing to assist once they’re made aware of the need and know what specific solution is available. Some of the contributions we’ve received are from people who had never heard of our church, but were made aware through these videos being distributed by the congregation or on the website.

You'll Need the Right Tools

Several pieces of equipment allow a church to do its own in-house production for these projects. Inkjet CD and DVD printers offer professional-quality prints when combined with the newer waterproof inkjet media which recently hit the market.

This new media is impressive. It looks very similar to a digitally printed disc, with its high-gloss look and durable finish, but you can create it with any CD or DVD inkjet printer.

Another smart fund-raising move is to get an artist willing to donate his abilities for the cause. At our church, for example, a member/musician offered to donate the proceeds of his recent CD release to the Sudan project. In turn, Ginghamsburg helped promote the CD to maximize sales — which, of course, went to our Sudan project.

The church also handled the replication of the disc, using their church discount to get lower cost. These savings were passed on to the project. Some of this replication was done in-house, while other production work was outsourced to a professional service.

More Helpful Tips

In the weekly message, time is critical. Most churches want to be able to sell the CD at the door as people are leaving. This near-instant market requires fast, hands-on production. Usually, this necessitates the use of preprinted media, followed by towers used to perform the duplication at the last moment.

For fundraisers, however, you might want to minimize the labor involved. Churches are only well-stocked on servant labor on the weekends; getting someone to come in and copy CDs or DVDs during the week might prove more of a challenge. Consider something more automated, such as an automated disc publisher with a high capacity of media between reloading.

Some of these units connect via an Ethernet, which allows multiple staff members to access a unit that prints and duplicates. It makes the process of making a CD or DVD more similar to the way a shared printer works in an office. No one expects each desktop to have its own printer, yet many CD and DVD systems require just that — a dedicated PC for each unit. A network-connected unit makes production available to everyone on the network.

The biggest secret to making a successful fundraiser is to get as many people involved as possible. Using CDs and DVDs to distribute a clean, well-thought-out message that avoids confusion and makes your mission clear can be a useful tool for reaching that goal.

Jerry Warner has been the president of CD Solutions Inc. since 1993 and also serves on the media team at Ginghamsburg Church in Tipp City, Ohio. For more information, log on to www.cds.com or e-mail Warner directly at jerryw@cds.com. Details on the Ginghamsburg Church Sudan project are available at www.ginghamsburg.org/sudan.