FAQ’s | Cool Solutions Group

Questions
So, why Facilities Management for our ministry? Better stewardship of the physical resources and tools that God has provided Free up church staff, leaders, and volunteers to focus on the core reasons the church exists: People and ministry Costs Savings – operationally, energy consumption, life cycle and staff Establish predictable cost projections for maintenance Environmental stewardship through the exploration and implementation of systems, equipment, means and methods to reduce energy and resource consumption Impact the lives of those seeking a relationship with Christ by providing an environment that will not distract from a guest’s first impression….you only get one chance to make a first impression.
Our facilities are managed by our Deacons, Trustees or Buildings and Grounds Committee. Are they not already doing the same thing you offer?Most ministries are blessed with volunteers who have a desire to help the church address issues with their facilities. Their hearts are in the right place, but too often they only address the “reactive” part of the issues. When something is broken, then they address them and set up a plan to correct the issues. However, we have found that very few are planning for Preventive Maintenance or projecting Life Cycle costs. In many cases, the costs of corrective maintenance can be reduced or mitigated with proper proactive planning.
We have a custodian/maintenance person on staff, why would we need your services?In reviewing your “on-staff” resources, consider the following questions: Are they qualified to perform and manage all of the components of a large complex commercial facility? Our churches are not houses, they are commercial-grade buildings with many complex systems. Are they staying current with the Energy Management trends now available that could reduce your energy consumption and save us money? Have they developed a Capital Reserve plan including life cycle projections and a financial model for replacement? Are these people properly covered with the necessary insurance? If you have volunteers do the work, are they insured? What happens if there is an accident or damage to the facility?
We cannot afford to pay someone to care for our buildings.Every building, regardless of type, will deteriorate at a rate of about 2% per year. If regular preventive maintenance is not performed, this rate of deterioration can more than double making corrective maintenance (repairs) far more expensive and frequent than you would have otherwise. In light of these numbers, we would suggest that you cannot afford to NOT maintain your facilities.
Our facilities look good enough for our members, is that not sufficient?If your facilities are only for your members, then it may be sufficient. But if your vision and mission is to reach those far from God with the gospel of Jesus Christ, then the appearance and condition of your facilities will have a major impact on the first impression of your guests. In addition, it is not just the visual attributes of the facility, but also the hidden issues that may be impacting the long term function and viability of the buildings.
Why would we take tithes and offerings and not invest it directly back into ministries?In a word- STEWARDSHIP…if we believe that stewardship is not what we give, but rather caring for what we have been given…entrusted…then that would include not only our staff, and ministries but also our facilities. If we believe that everything on this earth belongs to God...including our ministry tools (i.e. facilities), then we should be good stewards of them. God has entrusted them to our care.
Can we continue to use vendors that we have a relationship with or even may be in the church?By all means. We developed our process to allow the church to continue to foster the relationships that have already been established as well as benefit from those who desire to serve the church with donated or volunteer work.
We already have a Facilities Manager, why would we need your services?There are two things to consider when evaluating your on-staff Facilities Management: Is your Facilities Manager able to keep up with the workload of the facilities? Are you considering retaining some additional staff to assist? If these are questions you are considering, then our Facilities Management services can provide you with the skill, expertise and resources needed to fulfill your needs for a fraction of the cost of a full time staff person. We can generally save you approximately 50% to 66% of the cost of a full time person’s salary and benefits package. In tough economic times, many churches are considering the elimination of “non-ministry” staff positions. While this is understandable, these roles are still important and need to be accomplished. Outsourcing of these functions and tasks can generally be accomplished at a fraction of the cost of the position(s) that you may consider eliminating. Facilities Management is one area that the church cannot afford to completely eliminate or expect volunteers to pick up all of the work of a professional facilities manager.
Why should I choose COOL SOLUTIONS GROUP? We offer “Full time” support at a fraction of the cost We have 23 years experience servicing the facilities needs of churches and ministries We have a Team of qualified professional Select Service Providers We offer a Web-based facilities management system for cataloging, tracking, processing and projecting costs associated with the management for the facilities. We give you a single point of contact for ease of coordination by church staff and volunteers in resolving maintenance and repairs We have a passion for the church and desire to see ministries be efficient and effective in their core competencies. We focus on the facilities so that you can focus on people and ministry.?