November 14, 2019
1.Remodel this place of Love
2.Stay here and totally transform the center as a community treasure.
3.If we stay here, can we have a group of volunteers to “veautify” the campus?
Remodeling will be so exciting if the best option is to stay! We are currently putting together a list of things that absolutely need to be remodeled/fixed and it will include some of the “nice to have” things as well. If we stay, we will need to take care of the critical repairs first, then the nice to haves and the beautifying can follow. It would be wonderful to have qualified volunteers to support beautifying the campus. Please let us know your area of expertise or interest so we can see how much can get done by volunteers and how much will need to be taken care of in other ways. A good possibility is having a capital campaign to raise the funds needed for the repairs and beautification of the center. We are exploring this as a part of the overall exploration for staying or selling.
4.We need $500K at least to remodel. I am worried this facility will not be done “right”.
If by being done “right” you mean that we won’t be putting band-aids on things, then you are correct. We have a lot of deferred maintenance that will need to be done if we move or don’t move. If we stay, we will be sure to use qualified contractors to do the work. We will also have a committee that will oversee a solid plan for remodeling. If you have expertise in this area and would like to be a part of this committee, please let Maureen or Ron know.
5.Maintenance cost will need to be addressed including completing the parking lot (eventually)
The Finance Team has enrolled community members that have experience/knowledge with specific materials, in obtaining quotes from professionals on the repairs needed at the center. They have sorted the repairs into categories like urgent, critical, and nice to have’s. If we choose to stay at this location, we will have a plan ready accommodate what it takes to bring our center into good repair and make it more beautiful at the same time.
November 7, 2019
1.We should Re-Fi and stay here and build Membership
Thank you – building Membership and Partnerships is a good plan for staying at our current location. As a matter of fact, we are doing a great job at building our Members and Partners. We have more folks attending in person and online, consistently. We have far surpassed our goal of 15 new Partners this year. We have 23 new Partners and we have a packed Partnership class that is just finishing up! Everyone’s continued support is essential to staying at our current location. If refinancing is available, the financial institution who loans us the funds will be looking closely at our income and stability. Please continue to contribute at your most comfortable level.
Want to know what becoming a Partner at NVC is all about? Please join us for our next Partnership exploration that starts on January 19. If you are interested in this free class, you can register here.
Clarifying note: All who attend/tune in are welcome members of New Vision. Partnering with NVC is a deeper connection and commitment to the community.
2.What is the interest rate available today versus what our current rate is?
The Finance Team is looking into a few options right now regarding refinancing. All options, so far, have much more favorable rates/terms than what we currently have.
From prior weeks Q&A
October 30, 2019
1.What kind of marketing are we doing to gain online presence?
Online marketing has been a major focus for us this year to booster our continued online growth. Our Marketing Team has been working hard on some exciting initiatives that we have already deployed or plan to in the coming months. Some of them are already producing some great results. For instance, we put in place a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy to increase traffic from search engines to our website and just since June we are appearing in twice as many search results. Our click-through rate, the number of times our site was accessed from search engine results, have also more than doubled.
2. Comment: We are isolated with only 20 people online viewing the service.
With our recent migration from LiveStream to YouTube this past August, we now have additional marketing opportunities to draw in more participants from anywhere in the world. By categorizing and tagging videos with keywords will help promote New Vision by appearing in YouTube searches. We also post past services for those who missed it or would like to watch it again. Further, we offer free community online meditation every weekday at 7:00 am and all are welcome to participate. Link to meditation is in the newsletter. We are also looking at promoting Circles and the possibility for an online Circle to bring even more people into our community that don’t live in the area.
3. What kind of marketing are we doing at NVC?
Aside from the aggressive online Marketing initiatives already mentioned, we are also working on letter and postcard mailing campaigns. We will be sending letters to over 300 subscribers to Science of Mind magazine highlighting New Vision’s services and ministries. Potentially, we will be doing a postcard campaign that will reach nearly 5,000 households in our local vicinity. Other initiatives include increased signage by posting banners of upcoming events outside the Center that will be seen by hundreds of commuters a day. Lastly we are working on articles to publish in local print media including Natural Awakenings and Echo magazines as well as the New Times newspaper.
Do you like marketing? Do you have PR experience or writing talent?
Our team is growing and always looking for new individuals with fresh ideas. If these initiatives sound exciting to you and would like to participate in our fun and welcoming Marketing Team, please reach out to Victor Smilgys at victor@newvisioncsl.org. We invite anyone to join, especially those with writing talent or PR experience.
Questions from prior weeks:
October 24, 2019
1.What is the reality or idea for starting a Women’s Ministry?
A Woman’s Ministry sounds like a great idea! We love new ideas, and, typically the same people are planning and leading new ideas at NVC. We are totally ready for new ideas and new leaders! If you would like a Woman’s Ministry then we would love for you to write up a proposal and send it to RevKarin@newvisionaz.org and RevLezli@newvisionaz.org. All ideas are considered and an important component is having leaders and others to support a programs success.
We happen to have a Woman’s StayTreat coming up that is being lead by Rev. Karin and Rev. Michelle Medrano! It is in March and they are accepting 75 participants. This could be a wonderful beginning to the endless possibilities for a woman’s ministry. Check out the newsletter in the next couple of weeks for the details and a link to register.
2.Are there any plans for a Choir/Ensemble at NVC?
We have had choirs in the past. If you are interested in leading something wonderful like this, please let us know.
3.Fundraiser Idea: I am an author and I’m willing to donate 100 of my books. Also, Lets have a Holiday Fair!
We love fundraising ideas and we thank you for these two wonderful ideas for contributing to our center. Thank you to the author willing to donate 100 of your books. Please send a proposal to Maureen or Ron letting us know the details on how you see us doing something like this. As for the Holiday Fair, we have had holiday fairs/bizzares for several years at NVC. We would love to do more. The same person managed it for years (thank you, Jolene) and it is quite an undertaking. If you are interested in leading this, please contact Marty Stephens martyemail@aol.com, Event Liaison on the Leadership Council.
October 17, 2019
1.What options do we have not that we didn’t have before?
The option that we have now that we didn’t have 2 years ago is to stay at our current location. Of course, we are open to all options at this time.
2. Is a possible recession being factored into our planning?
That is an interesting question. As a church, we are not affected in the same way as say a retail store. A serious recession could mean worker displacements including some of our NVC Partners which in turn could possibly affect tithes and contributions. So it is hard, given the limited options, to analyze with any degree of certainty how a global economic downturns would affect us. What we do know is that our goal of becoming debt free is our most important strategy for long term economic stability. We also know that we have been extremely responsible with our finances and will continue to do so regardless of the economic situation.
3.How will we accommodate the increase of visitors and attendance?
We currently have around 150 chairs in the Sanctuary. As our attendance continues to increase we will put more chairs in the Sanctuary. Marianne Williamson spoke here several years ago and we had nearly 400 people so we do have room by reconfiguring. As we grow past that, we will have the option to add a second service, which we did have for many years.
October 10, 2019
1.Has the finance Team considered that now we have a history as far as zoning options that may negatively influence a buyer?
The Finance Team has been in discussion regarding the zoning and other obstacles with our particular property. What we do know about zoning is that the neighbors are opposed to anything changing at our location so there will be challenges for any buyer. That, however, may not be an issue, depending on who the buyer is and what the plans are for the property. There are also two unique things about our property that need to be worked around with any buyer: the location of the cell phone tower (which cannot be moved) and the school traffic that flows through both sides of NVC during school drop off and pick up times. These things may or may not pose challenges for new buyers. It will depend on the property usage. We do have lots and lots of information about the property that the previous buyer provided us after the sale fell through. This information can be valuable to a new buyer during a zoning process.
2. Is the plan still to sell the building?
The Finance and New Home Team is currently looking into options for selling and options for remaining at the property. It is exciting that we have options now! Two years ago, selling was our only option. Now, our center is more financially stable (thank you everyone!) and with our continued growth, staying has become a viable option. In order to stay we will have to refinance.
3. Do we have another buyer?
We do not have another buyer.
4. Is there a timetable for our next move?
We do not have a timetable for our next move as we have not determined if it is better to stay or to sell just yet.
If you have additional questions or comments, please send them to Maureen Geraghty Maureen@newvisionaz.org and/or Ron Owen azroau@gmail.com
October 3, 2019
- Can we sell or lease the vacant lot and keep our campus?
- Can we sell corner of property and keep the rest?
The Finance Team and New Home Committee will be looking into options regarding the vacant lot next door. Some options are to sell the lot or to keep the lot and find uses for it for NVC or to possibly lease to another business. It would require some legal work to sell off the lot but nothing unusual. The lot is about a third of the entire property that we own, however, we found out that if we sell the lot by itself the value would be less than 1/3 of the total value of our property. This land is more valuable as a part of the whole property than it is by itself. We have talked to the school behind us and inquired if they have any use for the land or had any suggestions. There were no immediate ideas but we have a very good working relationship with them allowing us to consider multiple options with their support.
If you have additional questions, please send them to Maureen Geraghty: Maureen@newvisionaz.org or Ron Owen: azroau@gmail.com
Excellent responses, thank you!