REINVENT YOUR FUTURE

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to design plans for  
growing a generous church

Make stewardship
a WHOLE-LIFE
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PRE-WORK

Video, Blogs & Readings

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF STEWARDSHIP?
  1. As a Christian faith community, we desire to bring people into a closer relationship with God.  Helping people see themselves as stewards of all of God's creation is one way we can nurture people's connection with God.
  2. Stewardship provides a process for encouraging individuals to discern the gifts God has given them and the work God is calling them to do.
  3. Understanding giving as a significant spiritual practice, a vital stewardship process can provide opportunities for people to give of one’s time, talents and treasures.
  4. Understanding giving as a joyful response to God's generosity to us, the stewardship provides people with opportunities to express their faith, and to connect with, encourage, and care for others whom we hold most dear.
PHILOSOPHICAL ASSUMPTIONS
  1. We are empowered to give. Stewards are freed from an attitude of scarcity to live in the abundance of God. Individuals experience the joy of giving as they respond to God's call to live as faithful stewards.
  2. Stewardship is an ongoing function of congregational life. It include stewardship education, planned giving and storytelling. It is connected to our congregational identity of generosity and abundance. As a basic function of the church, we should be at ease with discussing money just as we should be at ease with inviting members to serve at and beyond the church, and to living into their individual and collective callings.
  3. Expectations for support of the congregation's mission and ministry are clear and accepted for all ages. This includes the use of people's time, talents, wisdom, and money.
  4. Giving increases as the congregation matures spiritually, emotionally and intellectually. Giving is one of many facets related to helping people follow in the way of Jesus where we  learn to live and love like Jesus in our daily lives.
THREE STEWARDSHIP PATHWAYS
  1. Ordinary Stewardship is the regular practice of returning to God a portion of all that God has given us. It involves teaching ourselves how to create a life built upon the notion that all that we have is a gift from God. This includes teaching the holy habits of keeping the Sabbath and tithing, and the concept that giving regularly of our time, talent, and money to God’s work on this earth is as much a spiritual practice as prayer and worship.
  2. Extraordinary Stewardship involves the special occasions that arise in the life of Christian communities that call us to give beyond our ordinary habit. They involve increased risk and encourage us to experiment with sacrificial giving in order to help the community realize an especially important goal. The best example of extraordinary stewardship is the capital campaign.
  3. Legacy Stewardship is the way in which we address the matter of disposing of the accumulations of our lifetime. Who will use your “stuff ̈ when you no longer need it? Leaving a planned gift serves as both a legacy to generations yet unborn and a final witness to those whom we love.
LEADERSHIP PRACTICES THAT SUPPORT GENEROSITY
  1. Pastors are the key stewardship models and leaders.
  2. Leaders help people begin a journey of generosity.
  3. Leaders talk openly about their personal giving.
  4. An active stewardship team is in place.
  5. A stewardship team works closely with elected leaders.
  6. Leaders are trained and educated in stewardship.
  7. The church has high expectations for members/leaders.
EDUCATION PRACTICES THAT SUPPORT GENEROSITY
Generous congregations regularly:
  1. Teach and preach about stewardship.
  2. Address the role of money in one's life.
  3. Teach personal money management.
  4. Discuss how money is an expression of faith.
  5. Teach proportionate, regular, first fruits, and growth giving.
  6. Include young people stewardship conversations.
  7. Teach AND emphasize all-of-life stewardship.
  8. Emphasize, each month, ministries supported by member giving
  9. Have a schedule for regularly sharing giving/impact stories.
CHARACTERISTICS OF GENEROUS CHURCHES
Generous churches:
  • Have an annual plan for growing generosity.
  • Include stewardship in their vision planning.
  • Are clear about their purpose and values.
  • Have clear expectations for members.
  • Have clear expectations for leaders.
  • Provide first fruits giving to support the whole church.
  • Build intentional relationships among members.
  • Provide multiple opportunities for giving and serving.
  • Make frequent connections between faith and money.
  • Help people discover, develop, and deploy their calling.
  • Have wholistic view of stewardship.
  • Develop year-round stewardship programs.
  • Ask boldly for people to give generously.
  • Thank profusely, specifically, and often.
  • Engage in annual every member response programs for pledges or estimates of giving.
  • Offer multiple giving opportunities and ways to give.
  • Use a narrative budget in addition to a line-item budget.
  • Separate stewardship programs from budget preparation.
  • Provide members with quarterly contribution reports.
  • Include impact stories with contribution reports.
  • Establish mission endowment policies.
  • Share personal stories about the joy of giving.
MOTIVATIONS FOR GIVING
  1. Compassion and care: People give to causes that touch their emotions.
  2. Commitment: Some give out of institutional loyalty or commitment to a mission.
  3. Responsibility and obligation: Pay their “fair share."
  4. Relationships: People give to people they trust.
  5. Values: “Money follows a clear mission.”
  6. Passions: People support their passions.
  7. Impact: People want to make a difference.
  8. Spiritual: Generosity arises from gratitude.
RESEARCH ON GIVING
  • People are more likely to give when asked.
  • People are more likely to continue giving once they begin.
  • Giving increases when people are asked to increase their giving.
  • Most money raised will come from larger gifts.
  • Ask for leadership gifts first.
  • How much you can raise next year will mirror what you have raised this year.
  • Most giving next year, including increases, will come from those already giving.
  • Focus on those most likely to give, those currently giving.
  • Offer multiple opportunities for people to have an initial experience of being generous.
  • Churches that ask for annual estimates of giving, dedicated as an act of worship, have a higher level of giving.
  • Acts of thanksgiving to people for their gifts, including time, are significant rituals.
  • People who pledge and plan their giving annually give more.
  • Giving increases correlate with spiritual growth.
  • Stewardship involves getting values and money going in the same direction.
  • Giving increases in congregations committed to building friendship with poor people and advocating for justice.
  • People who learned to give as children continue to give as adults.
  • Effective pastoral care ministries are sensitive to spiritual, vocational, and financial concerns of all economic strata, including upper and middle class.
  • People with higher family incomes give higher dollar amounts.
  • Givers with lower incomes are higher percentage givers.
  • Members of the middle class give the least as a proportion of income.
  • It is important to encourage people to live their way into a new way of being, to take the next step.
  • Effective stewardship education ministries address personal financial concerns.
  • Giving correlates to church vitality as indicated by membership, attendance, and numbers of programs and groups sponsored by the congregation.
  • People involved in church communities are higher givers, at the level of their involvement.
  • Congregational financial crises are directly related to involvement crises.
  • In general, people do not trade off donating time for money.
PRE-WORK QUESTIONS
  • What's your vision for creating a culture of generosity?
  • What are the metrics you use to measure financial generosity?
  • When, where, and how do you share stories of generosity and impact?

BLOGS

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DOCUMENTS TO DOWNLOAD

FOUR FACETS OF DESIGNING A GENEROSITY PLAN

1 | FUNDAMENTALS

  • The Pyramid of Giving.
  • Types of giving streams.
  • 3 Steps: Identify, inform & Inspire.
  • 3 Steps - Ask, thank & tell.
  • The 12 giving principles.
  • Create a case for generosity.
  • Gratitude is foundational.
  • Thank you notes.
  • View giving as a spiritual practice.

2 | STORYTELLING

  • Start with why.
  • You are growing people.
  • Emotional deposits and withdrawals.
  • The power of storytelling.
  • Generosity storytelling template.
  • Impact storytelling structure.
  • Stories shift culture.
  • Capture and repurpose stories.

3 | ANNUAL APPEALS

  • Quantify your ask.
  • Show how $ change lives.
  • List new realities.
  • Internal growth targets.
  • External growth targets.
  • Sustaining ministry excellence.
  • Review of the 5 steps.
  • Publications to grow generosity. 
  • What will be this year's theme?

4 | CALENDARING

  • Acknowledge the elephant.
  • You need a team.
  • The roles of team members.
  • The role of the pastor.
  • You need a plan.
  • Key elements of a year-round plan.
  • Things to add to the calendar.
  • Sample calendar template.
  • Who will manage the calendar?

SESSION 1 | DEFINE REALITY

List Your Activities, Stories & Measurments

INTRODUCTIONS & TAKEAWAYS
  1. Share your name, location, and hopes for this cohort.
  2. Share what a GENEROUS congregation looks like to you.
  3. Share one you're doing now to build generosity.
SESSION OUTCOMES
  1. Have increased clarity about how to grow giving
  2. Create a clear and compelling case for growing generosity.
  3. Create a dashboard for measuring financial generosity.
  4. Create an annual calendar of giving opportunities.
  5. Create a schedule for sharing generosity/impact stories.
SESSION TOPICS
  1. Create a picture that describes a generous church.
  2. Create a dashboard for measuring financial generosity.
  3. Create a list of your generosity/impact stories.
KEY POINTS
  • Growing generosity is done by everyone, everyday.
  • Having a mindset of abundance is essential.
  • Giving should be a "get to," rather than a "got to."
  • Generosity teams need to model generosity.
  • Giving should make people's hearts sing.
  • Know your why. What do you want for people?
  • Meet people where they're at on their journey of generosity. Identify entry points for increased generosity based on their capacity and desire to give.
  • Avoid mission drift. Remind people why they give. Connect giving messages with God's mission.
  • Every driver needs a roadmap. Who will lead your generosity team?  Your key initiatives?
KEY QUESTIONS

  1. Why is it important for people, for them, to give to your church?
  2. Why should people give to your church VS other organizations? 
  3. Do you operate out of a mindset of scarcity or abundance?
  4. How comfortable are you with talking about your giving?
NEXT STEPS
  1. Read your mission, vision, and values.
  2. List when your church talks about its mission, vision, and values.
  3. Complete the Celebrate, Tweak, Add & Delete form.
  4. Complete the sentence: "We help people . . ."
  5. Complete the Clarify Your Marketing Message form.
  6. List what your church is passionate about.
  7. List who's involved in year-round stewardship opportunities.

SESSION 2 | CREATE A CASE

List your Whats, So Whats & Now Whats

SESSION OUTCOMES
  1. Gain clarity about what you're currently doing.
  2. Review and update your generosity scorecard.
  3. Compile a list of annual generosity activities.
  4. Refine your WHAT, SO WHAT, and NOW WHAT.
SESSION TOPICS | KEY POINTS
  1. Share where you store generosity resources.
  2. Make it easy to pass on generosity plans and resources.
  3. Describe how you'll track what you measure.
  4. Start tracking your Case Statement messages.
INSIGHTS FROM "ASK, THANK, TELL"
1 | Focus on discipleship rather than membership. Stewardship ministry is first and foremost about making and growing disciples. The goal of stewardship ministry is to help God's people grow in their relationship with Jesus through the use of the time, talents and finances God has entrusted to them. The goal is not to "raise money to pay the bills next year" but rather on "the giver's need to give," which grows out of a relationship with Jesus.

2 | It all belongs to God. Scripture reveals that we are stewards not owners. God does not transfer anything to us. God continues to own it all. We have the privilege and responsibility to care for that which belongs to God. God provides "all the resources we need to accomplish the mission to which God has called us." Serving a God of abundance, stewardship leaders are called to help God's people know these truths and to invite them to live into them.
3 | Money and Possessions. The challenge is not money or possessions in themselves. The issue is that money and possessions pose a threat to a person's relationship with Jesus. The people of God are to live the life of a stewardship, recognizing the duty of wealth and being generous givers of that which God has entrusted to us.

4 | The pastor must be part of the stewardship team, should model effective stewardship and know what each person gives to the congregation.

5 | Practice asking, thanking and telling. Congregations must learn to ask regularly and in a variety of ways. Congregations must practice thanking people regularly, recognizing and celebrating people’s generosity and joy in giving. In addition, congregations must tell (communicate to donors) how these gifts are blessings to the givers as well as the receivers of the gift.

6 | Ask by making the pie larger. Develop a plan and a year-round schedule for highlighting special offerings, mission of the month appeals, sponsorships, ongoing appeals, special needs and capital fund appeals. Create an endowment fund if you don’t already have one. Provide people multiple venues for growing in generosity.

7 | Continually improve how you ask. Take time to analyze the effectiveness of your past asking. List what worked, what didn’t work, and why. Consider what you might do differently in the future. Find more effective methods for asking. Vary your asking methods. Stewardship leader should regularly ask, "What can we do to help people grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ through their stewardship time, talents and treasures?"
8 | You cannot “over-thank.” Create a culture of thanksgiving that shows up through words and notes of affirmation, private and public testimony, visual displays and video clips. Never pass up an opportunity to recognize and affirm one’s gift of generosity.

9 | Become a storytelling congregation that regularly highlights stories of transformation. People want to know that their giving makes a difference. The story need to be told in person, during worship, in newsletters and online.
CREATE A CASE FOR GENEROSITY
  • Ask, "What would people miss if we no longer exited?"
  • Ask, "What are we deeply passionate about?"
  • Ask, "Who has God called us to serve, befriend, and bless?"
  • Ask, "What do we have to offer the people we seek to serve?"
CREATE AN "ASK, THANK, TELL" PLANNING CALENDAR
  • Use the Ask, Thank, Tell form to list messages about what messages you're currently sharing the the congregation. 
  • Add addition possibilities to the form.
  • Identify who currently creates and shares the messages.
  • Consider having a Generosity Team member oversee the creation of the calendar.
  • Use the RACI form to clarify who does what related to year-round stewardship.
KEY QUESTIONS
  • What gets in the way a clear, compelling message?
  • How can your leaders help you reinforce key messages?
  • Do your messages reflect scarcity or abundance?
NEXT STEPS
  1. Be prepared to share your emerging Generosity Calendar.
  2. Complete the Clarify Your Marketing Messages form.
  3. List roles needed to be filled to achieve generosity initiatives.

SESSION 3 | CREATE A PLAN

Create an Emerging Generosity Plan

SESSION OUTCOMES
  1. Decide what your plan will look like.
  2. Determine who will review it, and how often.
  3. Identify WHO will maintain and update the plan.
  4. Continue to clarify your key messages.
PLAN 1 | FORM A GENEROSITY TEAM
NEXT STEPS
  • Create job descriptions for team members.
  • Establish criteria and process for selecting vision team members.
  • Assign roles to individual members.
  • Commission team members during worship.
    Position members for greatest impact.

QUESTIONS
  • How often do your leaders discuss growing generosity?
  • Who are your primary vision casters in your church
  • How are your dreams connected to generosity plans
  • What would be the wins for this group after one year?
PLAN 2 | SHARE IMPACT/GENEROSITY STORIES
NEXT STEPS
  • Form a 4-person Storytelling task force.
  • Create o list of potential video recorders, video editors, and people to be interviewed.
  • Create 12 videos using the Impact Story Structure Template,
  • Create 12 videos using the Generosity Story Template.
  • Create 12 videos using the Faith Practices and Faithful Next Steps Template.

QUESTIONS
  • How often do you share stories of generosity?
  • When and where are stories shared?
  • How often are generosity stories repurposed?
  • Who is asked to share stories?
  • Who's is responsible for capturing generosity stories?
PLAN 3 | UPDATE YOUR ANNUAL APPEAL
NEXT STEPS
  • Form a team to help plan, promote, and conduct the appeal process.
  • Set specific goals for the amount of funds to be raised.
  • Develop a clear and compelling case for why people should give generously to the appeal.
    Create an appeal calendar that includes all the key milestones and deadlines for the appeal.

QUESTIONS
  • What's working related to your current appeal?
  • What's not working related to your appeal?
  • When and how do you set "wins" for a pledge drive
  • What are 5 things you could do to enhance your annual appeal process?
    How are in advance do you establish the theme for your annual appeal?
    How kind of outside support do you need to improve your process?
PLAN 4 | BUILD A GENEROSITY CALENDAR
NEXT STEPS
  • Create a calendar and recruit a coordinator for sharing impact stories online and during worship.
  • Create a calendar and recruit a coordinator for sharing generosity stories online and during worship.
  • Create a calendar and recruit a coordinator for sharing impact stories during leadership team meetings

QUESTIONS
  • What does your current generosity calendar look like
  • Who reviews and updates your calendar?
  • What are the items will you add to your calendar?
  • How often do elected leaders review the calendar
  • Where impact and generosity stories stored?
  • How often are stories repurposed?
PLAN 5 | GROW A GRATEFUL CONGREGATION
NEXT STEPS
  1. Create a monthly list of people to send thank you card to members.
  2. Have each elected leaders send 4 thank you cards a month to members.
  3. Share gratitude moments during staff, Board, and worship settings.
  4. Print Thank You stationary; distribute to ministry team leaders.
  5. Send thank you notes to project and event coordinators each month.

QUESTIONS
  1. When, where, and how do you thank members who are engaged in ministry?
  2. How often do you thank members/ministry partners for their ministry beyond the church?
  3. Who else could you envision sending thank you. card to members on a monthly basis?
  4. Whom might staff thank on a regular basis?  How might staff empower others to express gratitude?
  5. Who will track the number of gratitude messages sent every month?

SESSION 4 | BUILD A CALENDAR

List the What, When & Hows of your Plan

SESSION OUTCOMES
  1. Decide if your team is committed to creating a calendar.
  2. List who will oversee and update the Generosity calendar.
  3. Identify WHO needs to have access to the calendar.
  4. Use ASK, THANK, TELL to focus your messaging.
  5. Further refine your Generosity Scorecard.
  6. Brainstorm "what else" could be added to calendar.
  7. Create a "Not Yet" list to store ideas & future intentions.
SESSION TOPICS | KEY POINTS
  1. Review  your Generosity Scorecard.
  2. Share recent steps toward living into your plan.
  3. List what you've done to ASK people to give financially. Think of your pledge campaign. List your special appeals. List purchases people have made or people's in-kind donations. List services people provided that you would have, otherwise, had to pay for. List the people you've invited to share a legacy gift with the congregation.
  4. List what you've said or did to THANK people for their generosity. List the comments you've made at meetings, during worship, in worship bulletins, on your Facebook page, etc. List what was mentioned in contribution statements, posted on a wall, sent in a hand-written note, shared via a voice message, short video clip, or a token gifts.
  5. List ways you've TOLD the stories of transformation from the viewpoint of the church, the donor, and the receiver of one's generosity. 
  6. List when, where, and how stories related to ASK, THANK, and TELL will be repurposed or shared with new audiences. 
  7. List what you share at new member orientations related to ASK, THANK, and TELL.
  8. Start by listing what you've done in the past 12 months to THANK members/ministry partners. List the letters you've sent, the announcements you've made, the videos you've created,
  9. List the ASK, THANK, TELL stories that have been shared at meetings, fundraisers, etc.
  10. Listing opportunities for people to make matching gifts contributions.
KEY QUESTIONS
  • Who will maintain/update the calendar?
  • Who is the point person for each project?
  • How will the status/next step of projects be shared?
  • With whom will the status of projects be shared?
  • What's holding your church back from creating a calendar?
NEXT STEPS
  1. Create scripts for connecting WHAT with WHY.
  2. Share CTAD responses with elected leaders.
  3. Refine the sentence: "We help people . . ."
  4. List what your church is passionate about.

SESSION 5 | SHARE YOUR PLAN

List the What, When & Hows of your Plan

SESSION TOPICS
1 | Create a picture that describes a generous church.
2 | Create a dashboard for measuring financial generosity.
3 | Create a list of your generosity/impact stories.
KEY POINTS
  • Your plan is a working document.
  • Set quarterly "check-in" dates to review process & progress.
  • Track your celebrations; share them with others.
  • Notice what's working and what isn't.
  • Find your mentors. Learn what others are doing.
  • Never leave a meeting without deciding next steps.

KEY QUESTIONS
  1. What steps are doable for you in the next 90 days?
  2. Which steps are doable within 12 months?
  3. In what ways does your Generosity scorecard influence your next steps?
NEXT STEPS
  1. List "WHO is doing WHAT" in the next 90 days.
  2. Set dates/times for your next 2 meetings.
  3. Review/update your roles & responsibilities.
  4. List who will partner with you as you move forward. 

TOOLS & RECORDINGS FROM TRAINING SESSIONS

GSP Resources shared by Rev. Dr. Nathan Swenson-Reinhold
GE_Appeal-Planning-Grid-P77-FILLABLE.pdf
GE_Letter-1-Friends-2023-Annual-Appeal-56.pdf
GE_Impact-Story-Sample-1.pdf
GE_Impact-Story-Sample-2.pdf
GE_Generosity-Story-Template.pdf
GE_Generosity-Story-Sample-1.pdf
GE_Strategic-Generosity-Training-Transcr-33.pdf
Video recordings & Transcript
Audio recordings

VIDEOS to watch

BOOKS to read

FOUNDATIONS FOR GROWING GENEROSITY

INSIGHTS FROM ASK, THANK, TELL


Choose a time of year when the congregation can focus its attention on stewardship and when there is a high probability of connecting with the most people. The annual financial campaign should be on the calendar a year in advance and planned with as much attention to detail as Easter Sunday and Christmas Eve.
Engage Leaders & Members

  1. Pick a new theme every year for your stewardship campaign. Taking the time to be creative and innovative may encourage your members to take the time to reflect on their giving.
  2. Be strategic in building a leadership team that serves as the guiding coalition for stewardship ministry at your congregation. Include persons from different age groups and different ministry areas as well who are generous givers or making conscience steps for increased generosity.
  3. Do not hesitate to ask church leaders to make their pledges first as a sign of their commitment and as an encouragement to the larger congregation.
  4. Use every available means – sermons, music, testimony, newsletter articles, study programs, bulletin boards, banners, website, blogs, social media, etc. - to communicate key messages about the campaign.

Plan Carefully
  1. Remind people that the annual budget is about ministry and mission, not dollars. Prepare the budget with great care, being sensitive to giving trends. Set ambitious but realistic goals.
  2. Define your purpose and set goals. Set priorities and action steps that will be included in a timeline.
  3. Establish a realistic timeline. In larger churches, planning and implementing the annual commitment campaign can take six months or more. Use benchmark dates to keep on track.
  4. Know that developing a congregation of faithful givers does not happen only through a stewardship drive. Develop a year-round approach to stewardship education.
  5. Appreciate that fund raising is incremental. The most important determinant of how much you can raise this year is what you raised last year.

Approach solicitation with a healthy frame of mind that also acknowledges people’s unique giving patterns
  1. Never apologize about stewardship appeals. A leader’s willingness to approach others about giving is an expression of their deep commitment to the church.
  2. Remember that people give to many things, so do not assume that people will give all their charitable giving to the church. Build a solid case for why people should invest in your ministry.
  3. Emphasize that stewardship is about faithfulness to God, not obligation to the church. Stress the giver’s joy in giving rather than the church’s need to receive.
  4. Know that every church has a “giving pyramid” with a small percentage of donors contributing a large proportion of what is given; for not all people have the same resources to give, and not all people are at the same level of spiritual maturity. Most money will come from larger gifts. Analyze giving histories and membership data in your congregation to determine where your people are on your pyramid. Track pledges and giving by age “decades” (younger than 20s, 20s, 30s, 40s, etc.) so you can assess giving patterns across age groups. Determine what percentage of giving comes from those aged 65 and above.
  5. Recognize that most of the giving, including increases, will come from those already giving.
  6. Be realistic in your expectations from those who are not currently giving. New donors are much more difficult to reach, are less likely to respond, and will give less than those already giving.
  7. One approach doesn’t fit everyone. What is appropriate for the spiritually mature member who demonstrates faithfulness may not be appropriate for a newer or relatively inactive member who has never given.
  8. Seek to increase the number of pledgers and to increase the giving of those who already give. Set giving targets to help people get a figure in mind. People normally do not give more than they are asked. Set different giving ranges for different categories of givers. Provide a “step up” plan to help people take the next step in becoming generous givers. Personalize the process to each contributor.

  • Focus on discipleship rather than membership. Stewardship ministry is first and foremost about making and growing disciples. The goal of stewardship ministry is to help God's people grow in their relationship with Jesus through the use of the time, talents and finances God has entrusted to them. The goal is not to "raise money to pay the bills next year" but rather on "the giver's need to give," which grows out of a relationship with Jesus.
  • It all belongs to God. Scripture reveals that we are stewards not owners. God does not transfer anything to us. God continues to own it all. We have the privilege and responsibility to care for that which belongs to God. God provides "all the resources we need to accomplish the mission to which God has called us." Serving a God of abundance, stewardship leaders are called to help God's people know these truths and to invite them to live into them.
  • Money and Possessions. The challenge is not money or possessions in themselves. The issue is that money and possessions pose a threat to a person's relationship with Jesus. The people of God are to live the life of a stewardship, recognizing the duty of wealth and being generous givers of that which God has entrusted to us.
  • The pastor must be part of the stewardship team, should model effective stewardship and know what each person gives to the congregation.
  • Practice asking, thanking and telling. Congregations must learn to ask regularly and in a variety of ways. Congregations must practice thanking people regularly, recognizing and celebrating people’s generosity and joy in giving. In addition, congregations must tell (communicate to donors) how these gifts are blessings to the givers as well as the receivers of the gift.
  • Ask by making the pie larger. Develop a plan and a year-round schedule for highlighting special offerings, mission of the month appeals, sponsorships, ongoing appeals, special needs and capital fund appeals. Create an endowment fund if you don’t already have one. Provide people multiple venues for growing in generosity.
  • Continually improve how you ask. Take time to analyze the effectiveness of your past asking. List what worked, what didn’t work, and why. Consider what you might do differently in the future. Find more effective methods for asking. Vary your asking methods. Stewardship leader should regularly ask, "What can we do to help people grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ through their stewardship time, talents and treasures?"
  • You cannot “over-thank.” Create a culture of thanksgiving that shows up through words and notes of affirmation, private and public testimony, visual displays and video clips. Never pass up an opportunity to recognize and affirm one’s gift of generosity.
  • Become a storytelling congregation that regularly highlights stories of transformation. People want to know that their giving makes a difference. The story need to be told in person, during worship, in newsletters and online.

6 TIPS FOR YOUR ANNUAL APPEAL

  1. Develop a timeline.
  2. Ask people to grow in their giving. 
  3. Make sure that your communications and publications are first-rate.
  4. Use estimate of giving cards.
  5. Thank all who have return an estimate of giving card.
  6. Follow up with those who haven’t return an estimate of giving card - assign people to follow up before the campaign begins.

6 LEARNINGS ABOUT GENEROSITY

  1. They have an intentional plan for giving. 
  2. They have a heart for generous giving. 
  3. They give proportionally.
  4. They follow a regular pattern of giving. 
  5. They give their first fruits of all they receive.
  6. They are cheerful givers.

SAMPLE PLANS

GOAL 1 | Increase the % of online givers from 22% to 30%

GOAL 2 | Create systems for capturing/sharing content

STRATEGY 1 | Create and Update a GENEROSITY Scorecard
Contact: List point person (phone & email)
Track via Create scorecard.

STEPS (Assign person & completion date)
  • Assign individual to create and track a GENEROSITY Scorecard.
  • List the number of active members.
  • List the number of current donors.
  • List the number of online donors.
  • List the number of annual pledgers.
  • List the average weekly giving for all donors.
  • List the average weekly giving for all pledgers.
  • List the percentage of donors who give online.
  • List the percentage of pledgers who give online.
  • List the number of new donors and pledgers.
STRATEGY 2 | Get 80% of all leaders to participate in online giving
Contact: List point person (phone & email)
Track via Online donor list.

STEPS (Assign person & completion date)
  1. Introduce @ meetings. Staff, board, stewardship, and choir rehearsals.  online (track participants).
  2. Report & remind @ meetings. Share # of new and current online givers.
  3. List who and when. Invite leaders to ask 3 people per month.
  4. Resources. Give leaders enrollment resources & links.
STRATEGY 3 | Design 5+ strategies for inviting members to give online
Contact: List point person (phone & email)
Tracking via Online donor list.

STEPS (Assign person & completion date)
  1. Contribution statements. Include stories from members about why they give online in quarterly contribution letters.
  2. Provide QR codes. Post on worship slides, website, Facebook & enews.
  3. All-church events. Invite members during congregational meetings to set up online giving.
  4. Targeted emails. Send to current donors who don't give online.
  5. Train staff and lay leaders. Equip them to invite members to give online.
  6. Create video (screenshots). Show people how to enroll.
  7. "How to" handout or PNG. Provide resources for helping new members set up online giving.
  8. Special appeals. Embed online giving opportunities into special appeals.
  9. Pilot use of Venmo. Explore alternative online giving platforms.

STRATEGY 1 | Create job descriptions & roster for content capturers
Contact: List point person (phone & email)
Track via Job Description Checklist, Roster and Schedule.

STEPS (Assign person & completion date)
  • Assign individual to coordinate plans.
  • List job descriptions needed for capturing content.
  • Assign individuals to create job descriptions.
  • Create Content Creation Roster. Share with paid and lay leaders.
STRATEGY 2 | Create job descriptions & roster for content curators
Contact: List point person (phone & email)
Track via Job Description Checklist, Roster and Schedule.

STEPS (Assign person & completion date)
  • Assign individual to collect and post job descriptions.
  • List job descriptions needed for curating content.
  • Assign individuals to create job descriptions.
  • Create Content Curation Roster. Share with paid and lay leaders.
STRATEGY 3 | Create job descriptions & roster for content posters
Contact: List point person (phone & email)
Track via Job Description Checklist, Roster and Schedule.

STEPS (Assign person & completion date)
  • Assign individual to collect and post job descriptions.
  • List job descriptions needed for posting and sharing content.
  • Assign individuals to create job descriptions.
  • Create Content Posting Roster. Share with paid and lay leaders.
STRATEGY 4 | Form team to coordinate capturing/sharing content
Contact: List point person (phone & email)
Track via Job Description Checklist, Roster and Schedule.

STEPS (Assign person & completion date)
  • Create job descriptions.
  • Decide where content will be archived.
  • Recruit people to capture/archive content. Staff, board, stewardship, and choir rehearsals.  online (track participants).
  • Recruit people to create/curate content. Share # of new and current online givers.
  • Recruit people to post/share content. Invite leaders to ask 3 people per month.
  • List/buy equipment needed to capture & create content. Give leaders enrollment resources & links.

GOAL 3 | Create annual ASK/THANK Schedule


STRATEGY 1 | List Ask/Tell stories to add to year-round schedule
Contact: List point person (phone & email)
Track via online calendar (website or Google Doc).

STEPS (Assign person & completion date)
  • Worship settings. 2 minute impact & generosity stories. Short videos.
  • Church events (review events from the past 12 months).
  • News & e-newsletters. Post on worship slides, website, Facebook & e-news.
  • Website. Home page videos and banner images. Stories on every webpage.
  • Congregational letters. List stories to share for each congregational letter.
  • Annual meeting & reports. List script, images, stats, and videos to share.
  • Youtube videos. Capture giver & receiver content for each event.
  • Instagram reels. Identify and create twelve 20-30 second impact reels.
  • Special appeals. Schedule follow up thank yous following special appeals.

GOAL 4 | Create annual TELL schedule


STRATEGY 1: List TELL stories to add to year-round schedule.
Contact: List point person (phone & email)
Track via online calendar (website or Google Doc).

STEPS (Assign person & completion date)
  • Worship settings. 2 minute impact & generosity stories. Short videos.
  • Church events (review events from the past 12 months).
  • News & e-newsletters. Post on worship slides, website, Facebook & e-news.
  • Website. Home page videos and banner images. Stories on every webpage.
  • Congregational letters. List stories to share for each congregational letter.
  • Annual meeting & reports. List script, images, stats, and videos to share.
  • Youtube videos. Capture giver & receiver content for each event.
  • Instagram reels. Identify and create twelve 20-30 second impact reels.
  • Special appeals. Schedule follow up thank yous following special appeals.

 GOAL | Create an Annual Campaign that embeds ASK, THANK, TELL Stories


1 |  Develop your Annual Campaign Calendar
  • Start with a desired Pledge Sunday gathering date and work backwards.
  • Complete the Clarify Your Marketing Message form.
  • Have leaders complete the Celebrate, Tweak, Add & Delete form to evaluate last year's annual campaign. Share notes with Campaign Coordinator.

2 | Create a motivational theme tied to the mission, such as:
  • Sharing God’s Grace through the use of our gifts.
  • Extending God's love in our community.
  • Blessed to be a blessing.

3 | Communicate your mission through:
  • Teaching - list in-person and online classes. 
  • Preaching - create a sermon series.
  • Literature - newsletters, annual reports.
  • Website and social media platforms - photos, quotes & stories.
  • Pledge cards or estimate of giving forms.
  • Stories shared during worship, at events, and online

4 | | Expand your campaign leadership
  • Get as many people involved in Campaign Leadership as possible
  • Host cottage dinners.
  • Create mailers and & bulletin Inserts.
  • Set date for Campaign Packet stuffing.

5 | Get the Whole Congregation Involved...
  • Have members write Blessing Cards during worship.
  • Conduct core passions surveys to be completed at a forum or service.
  • Provide pledge cards for everyone.
  • Include Children’s Ministries in the campaign process.
  • Include resources for families to discuss stewardship in their homes.

6 | Tell Compelling Stories of IMPACT & GENEROSITY
  • Share biblical stories.
  • Share pastoral care and connection stories.
  • Share community outreach stories.

7 | Create opportunities for conversation
  • Host forums for ministries
  • Sponsor Ministry Fair Month (not simply one Sunday).

8 | Put the congregation into a gratitude mindset
  • Introduce blessing cards.
  • Introduce Thanksgiving Tree with leaves expressing thanks to God.
  • Have have members finish the sentence “What I love about our church...”

9 | Show Leadership from leadership
  • Involve clergy and board members.
  • Involve leaders from every generation.
  • Gather photos and quotes from ministry team leaders.


10 | Celebrate the Blessings of Abundance
  • Share stories of God's abundance at worship and events.
  • Share stories of God's abundance in newsletters, website, and social media.
  • Share stories of God's abundance via Youtube channel.

11 | Design engaging, informative campaign materials
  • Include scripture, mission and values as much as possible.
  • Include an Opportunities for Ministry booklet.
  • Provide pledge cards and return envelopes.

12 | Create campaign packets to give to members
  • Personalize packets with Household name and address label.
  • Include ministry listings and photos related to ministry.
  • Include letters/quotes from clergy and the Board.

13 | Create a set of segmented letters
  • Categorize members into 3-4 giving groups - non-pledgers, then 3-4 segments based on percentage or dollar level of giving.
  • Personalize the letter based on giving history and patterns.

14 | Create pledge cards
  • Design cards to highlight mission, gratitude, and celebration.
  • Avoid language that states the pledge is in support of the BUDGET!
  • Avoid language such as “in support of the mission and ministries of ...”

15 | Talk about money and its role in our lives through:
  • Preaching and Teaching.
  • Personal Stories.
  • Jesus’ Teachings.

16 | Assemble a stewardship prayer team
  • Invite members to pray daily during the annual campaign.

17 | Celebrate Pledge Sunday by
  • Hosting a festive meal.
  • Having members place pledge cards at the altar during worship.
  • Blessing the pledge cards during Sunday worship.

18 | Follow-up with those who missed Pledge Sunday
  • Send personalized letters.
  • Include stamped self-addressed envelopes.
  • Follow-up with phone calls a week at the letters are mailed.

19 | Send thank you notes to pledgers
  • Follow up 4 times throughout the year.

20 | Send quarterly statements with ministry stories and pictures
  • Include ministry stories about members making a difference.
  • Include stories about member's financial gifts making a difference.
  • Invite members to share their stories about ways they see God at work in the world.

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