Congregational Housing Stability Campaign

We just learned that as of 1/5/2021, Family Promise has already received upwards of 100 phone calls from families in need of rental assistance for the month of January. This is much higher than their normal average of 20 calls per month. This 500% increase is because the need is growing. Our federal government failed to provide adequate relief funds and the extension of the eviction moratorium is only until the end of January.

We’re inviting you and your congregation to join a Congregational Housing Stability Fundraising Campaign for the month of January.

What?

We are organizing the resources of our collective congregations by launching a five-week Congregational Housing Stability Fundraising Campaign to keep families housed and prevent families from experiencing the trauma of homelessness in Metro Denver.

All funds will go to Family Promise of Greater Denver for eviction prevention and housing stability through rental, utility, and work-related transportation assistance—three leading financial causes of housing loss.

We begin Christmas Day with $10,000 in commitments to launch the campaign, which will run until January 31, 2021—join us any time.

Our goal is to raise $100,000 together. If your generosity forces us to increase this goal, we will eagerly do so!

Why?

Homelessness is on the rise as families struggle to maintain housing during the COVID-19 pandemic while federal relief remains inadequate.

There is also a need to prepare for the eventual lifting of the eviction moratorium. Even if additional federal help is on the way, and even with State, City, and nonprofit resources, the need is just too great. We must all find ways to work together to keep our neighbors housed.

Before the pandemic, Colorado ranked 3rd in the U.S. for the highest number of families experiencing homelessness. Over the past 10 years, there has been a 322% increase of school-aged children experiencing homelessness in Metro Denver.

Imagine what families are going through after 10 months of job loss and unemployment, inadequate government intervention and support, and overstretched nonprofit resources.

What have congregations been doing? Most have provided support to those struggling within our congregations, some of us have continued our community giving and outreach, but some of us have reduced our wider community support under strained budgets. What we haven’t done is get organized together.

How?

We’ve already established a relationship and campaign details with Family Promise of Greater Denver.

During the month of January we will provide you with resources to help you organize and communicate a fundraising campaign within your congregation, or to start your own local Housing Stability campaign in communities beyond Metro Denver.

Your role is to organize a fundraising campaign within your congregation that will contribute towards our larger multi-congregation fundraising campaign.

If you are not part of a congregation, or you if your congregation is not able to join the campaign for any reason, you can still contribute! We invite you to join Juniper Formation’s congregational campaign and donate through us. See more details below in the “Individual Next Steps” section.

Congregational Process & Next Steps

Sign Up

1. Sign up for the Juniper Formation e-newsletter to receive campaign resources throughout the January campaign (Christmas Day through January 31, 2021.). You can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time. We will be sending you campaign ideas, instructions, and graphic design elements you can use in your congregational communications and social media. We’d appreciate your sharing this campaign with other congregations so they can join us too.
2. Identify leaders & set up administration: Identify 1-3 people in your congregation who will lead your congregational campaign. Consult with staff and the bookkeeper to get administrative details of the campaign set up. Have the bookkeeper create a “Housing Stability” designated fund where all designated donations will be earmarked.
3. Set a fundraising goal: Identify a fundraising goal that you think your congregation can reach together during the course of the campaign. You can join the campaign at any time, you don’t have to start with us on Christmas Day to participate.
4. Let us know: Once you’ve identified a fundraising goal, let us know that your congregation is joining the campaign and what your goal is by emailing us at jwhitcher@juniperformation.org or calling/texting 720-580-2274. We’ll add your congregation and its fundraising goal to our campaign so we can track and reach our collective fundraising goal together.
5. Start your campaign: Share with your congregation what the campaign is about, why it is needed, and invite them to make a “Housing Stability” designated donation to your congregation towards reaching your congregational fundraising goal. Use every communication method available to your congregation and remember that personal invitations are the most effective way to fundraise. You can find campaign logos for use in social and other media in this shared Google Drive folder.
6. Update us & ask for support: As you continue your campaign we’d love to hear updates, encourage you, and celebrate with you along the way. If you want to strategize on your fundraising campaign, reach out to Rev. Dr. Kari Collins at pastorkaricollins@gmail.com. If there are resources you’d like us to provide throughout the campaign, email Rev. Dr. Jenny Whitcher at jenny@juniperformation.org.
7. Campaign wrap up: Once you’ve reached the end of your campaign, contact us to let us know how much you’ve raised so we can update your congregation’s goal to its final commitment. Email us at: jwhitcher@juniperformation.org.
8. Send in your congregational donation: Write your check out to “Family Promise of Greater Denver,” include “Housing Stability” on the memo line, and mail to: Family Promise of Greater Denver, P.O. Box 40550, Denver, CO 80204.
9. Give Thanks: Finally, thank your congregation for their generosity and commitment to our neighbors, to keeping families housed, and preventing families from experiencing the trauma of homelessness. Share with your congregation how their donations were joined with the generosity of so many other congregations to raise even more money. Throughout the campaign we will share with you the progress of our collective fundraising goal and our final committed donations so that you can share this with your congregation. We want everyone to know and be reminded that we are all part of something larger than ourselves, and together we can do amazing works of love, justice, peace, and hope.

Individual Next Steps

If you are not part of a congregation or your congregation is unable to participate in this campaign for any reason, you are warmly welcomed to join Juniper Formation's congregation in giving through us.

100% of your donation will go to Family Promise of Greater Denver through our Housing Stability Campaign designated fund.

You can make donations in two ways:

1. Online by going to, juniperformation.org/offering, checkmark “Designate donation to the Housing Stability Campaign,” and complete the donation form; OR
2. Write a check out to our fiscal sponsor "Sixth Ave UCC," include “JF Housing Stability” on the memo line, and mail to: Juniper Formation, P.O. Box 19541, Denver, CO 80219

The Story and People Behind This Campaign

Rev. Dr. Kari Collins is a part of multiple congregations and the Fundraising Special Advisor to Juniper Formation. After participating in her local Tucson, AZ, congregation’s eviction prevention fundraising campaign and seeing its quick success, she reached out to Rev. Dr. Jenny Whitcher at Juniper Formation to share her excitement. The two agreed to launch the campaign locally in Metro Denver. In just one Christmas week conversation with Courtney Jensen, Executive Director of Family Promise of Greater Denver, the campaign was born!

We are modeling this campaign on the great success of the “Multiplying Our Gifts” campaign led by just one congregation, Casas Adobes Congregational UCC, in Tucson, AZ. Starting with an initial individual gift, their congregation multiplied their gifts and raised over $100,000 for eviction prevention in one month and donated these funds to their local family services nonprofit.

Expanding on their campaign, we are inviting congregations from across Metro Denver and all faiths to join together to raise funds for eviction prevention and housing stability.

We hope that our Metro Denver campaign can continue to inspire other congregations and communities to launch their own local campaigns, just like Casas Adobes Congregational UCC inspired Juniper Formation to launch this Housing Stability Campaign. There are over 200+ Family Promise affiliates across the country, and Family Promise is the leading national nonprofit addressing family homelessness. You can also find other amazing nonprofits in your communities to partner with too.

Towards this multiplying effort, we are offering resources throughout our five-week campaign that can be used by other communities. We hope that our model and efforts can be adapted and replicated to serve the local needs of our neighbors across the country. Please reach out to us if you would like to connect about starting your own local campaign: Jwhitcher@juniperformation.org or pastorkaricollins@gmail.com.

We hope you will join us!

In Partnership,

Rev. Dr. Jenny Whitcher & Rev. Dr. Kari Collins
Co-organizers of the Congregational Housing Stability Campaign

Our Thanks to Our Partner Family Promise of Greater Denver

We are grateful for your care of our neighbors through your commitment to addressing family homelessness, providing homelessness prevention, emergency shelter, workforce development, education, financial capability, health and wellness, and more to families of all kinds.