“What worked so well for us was Robert’s style. It was direct, but low-key. It was organic and collaborative. He did more coaching rather than telling us to follow these steps and we’ll raise $1 million.

“In addition, he really took into account that this is a unique community with a unique history and he was respectful of that. I’ve been around other people who are kind of like Sherman through Atlanta; they know they are going to leave town when the work is done and they don’t care how they effect the environment in and around the church. To me, ministry is more of a marathon than a sprint and you really need someone working with you who understands that. Robert is that certainly that kind of person.” – Rev. Scott Benhase, Rector, St. Philip's Episcopal Church, Durham, NC

“This was our first capital campaign in over half a century, so I knew that there was going to be a lot of explanation and planning involved. Robert was very helpful in laying out everything for us. His ability to act as a teacher and his gifts of communication helped greatly.

“He earned my trust and the trust of all of us very quickly. He took great interest in our unique history and in us; it was obvious that he was not trying to fit us into a cookie-cutter model of fundraising. He was very understanding of our tradition and engaging with our parishioners. I remember the first time he saw our property as a whole, he immediately became excited about the possibilities before us and began talking about “sacred space.”

“His background as an ordained minister was invaluable and his understanding of Christian stewardship was wonderful and incredibly helpful. Robert was very respectful of the pastoral aspects of our campaign and was a wonderful partner for me during the process. He understood our needs as a whole and as individuals. He approached each situation with pastoral sensitivity and I never had to worry about what kind of conversations he would have with our parishioners.

“Our Vestry took his involvement as an act of faith and found that their faith was confirmed when he delivered his feasibility study. It was very obvious that he had listened to what people had to say and his assessment of what we could raise was very accurate.

“He was willing to engage us with flexibility about the terms in which he was employed. He was a great steward of parish resources; he would stay over night at the homes of our parishioners to save us the costs of a hotel and he would seek out resources within the church to keep our costs as low as possible. He didn’t pad his expense account, he adapted to our needs. He was very generous in that he would go the extra mile for us.

“The blessings we received are not simply the changes to our physical environment. He understood that what we built was appropriate for our mission. It helped to lay a good foundation for stewardship teaching and practices for the future.” – Rev. Brooks Graebner, Rector, St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, Hillsborough, NC

“We looked at two or three different consultants and Robert presented the most flexibility. Holy Family has a very diverse congregation and does not conform to the typical description of a suburban parish. We did not want to go with a slick presentation that assumed a capital campaign was a foregone conclusion. Robert really approached the whole process without preconceived notions about an outcome; he just listened and allowed the outcome to be shaped by what he heard.

“He made a point to frame our meetings in prayer and approached the entire process as part of his pastoral ministry. He took great care to relate to and interact with each person involved. His report was clear and very useable. It was easy to digest and process and beyond that it was extraordinarily accurate. Looking back on our campaign, his findings and projections were all very close to what we actually raised.

“His flexibility, prayerful approach and pastoral sensitivity were most welcome during our time working together. I would give Wiltshire & Company an enthusiastic recommendation.” – Rev. Timothy Kimbrough, Rector, Church of the Holy Family, Chapel Hill, NC