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Gearing up for the annual campaign
Advice from the Center for Faith and Giving
Ask the right people - Recruit people who understand generosity to lead your campaign. Request help from the Financial Secretary, to provide you with some names, if not actual numbers, to create an "ask" list. These are not always people who give the largest amounts, but rather people who clearly are committed to the cause of Christ through their giving. Do not try to guess who your large donors are - you will get it wrong more times that you get it correct. Remember to pray about these choices before you ask them to prayerfully consider the invitation to serve.
Plan well - Give yourself and your team enough time to prepare. Think about the many ways you want to reinforce the campaign beyond announcements during worship. How will you teach about stewardship and its relationship to faith as a spiritual discipline? What will sermons focus on and when during the campaign will they be delivered? As you disseminate information relative to dates, purpose, and procedures, what methods of communication will you utilize and when? Theme development and interpretation should also be considered. (The Ecumenical Stewardship Center provides annual campaign materials via the "Giving" resource.)
Share a clear vision - Do people understand what they are actually supporting and underwriting with their gifts? State your vision and mission clearly - people will give to a cause before they will give to an institution. Make your cause compelling - why should people give and what will be the difference made if they do so generously. Narrative budgets can be very helpful here. For help with developing a vision for your congregation, contact Hope Partnership
Leadership matters - Remember it starts with you and your congregational leadership. You can't preach what you don't personally practice. The pastor, elders and other church leaders should be "first" in making their commitments - and every member of your Church Board is to be encouraged to give something (financial) so that you can say with truth and conviction that you have 100 percent participation from your core leaders. We recommend getting commitments from core leadership in advance of the congregation's Commitment Day. Then people can be inspired by a report of the increase in leadership gifts.
Provide for alternative methods of giving - Donations to non-profit agencies increased 14 percent in 2012 (The Chronicle of Philanthropy, June 2013). Electronic transfers, and debit/credit card transactions are not the future, they are now. Are you prepared to receive gifts other than cash? Are these alternatives for giving promoted and encouraged? If people use electronic methods for regular giving, do you provide a card for them to place in the offering plate that indicates that they made their gift electronically? Disciples have a relationship with Vanco Services if you need those services.
Be sure to say 'thank you!' - At the end of your campaign, be sure to communicate a thank you to those who have made a commitment to your ministry and mission. This letter can also note the donor's gift amount and the manner in which they intend to fulfill that commitment (weekly, monthly, year-end, etc.). Communicating in this way also allows you to once again restate your mission and the ways in which their resources will make ministry happen. Plan to communicate quarterly with your regular donors. This is yet another chance for you to say thank you and tell them about one way lives are being changed because of their generosity.
Begin year-round stewardship planning - Meet to wrap-up and evaluate your campaign, and start the conversation about how you will continue to teach stewardship rather than leaving it for budget time. Think also on the importance of having up-to-date policies about planned giving and how to effectively promote the expectation of receiving bequests and estate gifts. All Saints Day (Sunday closest to November 1) is a great time to celebrate generosity and encourage folks to include the church in their wills.Contact the Christian Church Foundation for more information.
For more information on stewardship education and best practices, visit the Center for Faith and Giving website or contact Rev. Bruce A. Barkhauer 317-713-2404; bbarkhauer@disciples.org
Legal counsel prepares for immigration reform
The office of Refugee and Immigration Ministries continues to work and pray that immigration reform will become a reality this year. Meanwhile, the office of Disciples Immigration Legal Counsel is already preparing for the possibility of reform.
If an immigration reform bill including a legalization process (a path to citizenship) becomes law, Disciples Immigration Legal Counsel will provide free legal representation for Disciples pastors (ordained and commissioned) who are eligible for this legalization process. Representation will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis up to the capacity of the office.
Disciples pastors who hope to legalize in the future, please contact Disciples Immigration Legal Counsel now. All consultations between legal counsel and clients are confidential. For more information, see www.discipleshomemissions.org/legal-help.
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