About Giving Speaks

I am a stewardship and certified fundraising professional, with a lifespan faith development background. I am a seasoned speaker and workshop leader focusing on topics of generosity, giving, fundraising, stewardship, and leadership.

Giving Speaks Poll–Sharing the Offering Plate

Posted on June 7, 2011 by Giving Speaks

More and more congregations are sharing all or a portion of their cash or non-pledge offering received, weekly or monthly. The offering is then given by the congregation to a cause or organization with a mission that aligns with their faith principles and values. Many congregation leaders report that giving overall has increased, with thousands of dollars contributed to do good works in the wider community.

I have created a short poll for you to indicate your congregation’s decisions and practices around sharing offering plate contributions. I invite you to go respond to the poll question using the online poll below.

The responses will be visible in a graph and I will share what I learn in a future blog post. In the meantime, I am interested in any stories of how sharing in this way enhances the culture of generosity in a congregation

There is still time to respond to the “sharing the offering plate” poll on the Giving Speaks blog, if you haven’t already. There are many congregation leaders interested in what the overall giving trends were in your congregations before, during and after the economic recession. Did overall congregational giving go up? Down? Stay the same?

Thank you for your interest and participation!

For more information about sharing offering plate contributions, go to:

InterConnections Articles

http://www.uuworld.org/life/articles/2390.shtml

http://www.uuworld.org/news/articles/2389.shtml

A Communion of Flowers

Posted on June 7, 2011 by Giving Speaks

May we cherish friendship as one of thy most precious gifts. May we not let awareness of another’s talents discourage
us, or sully our relationship but may we realize that, whatever we can do, great or small, the efforts of all of us are needed to do thy work in this world. ~Norbert Capek

Field of Lupine, Portland, Maine

Our spring gardens, fields of wildflowers, and roadside lupines are handy reminders of the natural beauty and generosity of diversity, with all its dazzling colors, unique shapes, and ways of being. Each a gift.

And so it is with people. Each person we encounter contributes something to our lives: a unique blend of love, friendship, joy, pain, challenge, information, expectations, attention, fear, amazement, and the list goes on. What we learn over time is that all of our relationships are precious and need careful tending that promotes health, beauty, and generosity.

Twice in the last month, I have participated in a flower communion, a lovely celebration of the beauty of the human community, symbolized in the gift of flowers. Each person adds a flower to a common vase, forming a colorful bouquet which is blessed by the community and natural world that created it. At the end of the service, each person is invited to choose a flower from the bouquet as a gift and a blessing of community to carry out into the world.

Leo Buscaglia, author and motivational speaker, is quoted as saying, “The fact that I can plant a seed and it becomes a flower, share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another’s, smile at someone and receive a smile in return, are to me continual spiritual exercises.”

It is important for us to remember that we each have a gift to offer one another and our communities. Every act of kindness, compassion, and generosity is a blessing to the world.

For more information about the history, tradition, and celebration of the Flower Communion: http://www.uua.org/worship/seasons/174534.shtml

The Ways We Are Remembered

Posted on May 30, 2011 by Giving Speaks

Generosity is grounded in a profound understanding that we all are in this together…It is only in fruitful alliances with others that we can do great things.

~ David Heenan & Warren Bennis

This is a day of remembering the lives of others who have lived, loved, served, and in some way touched our lives. Originally, Memorial Day was the day of honoring Union soldier of the American Civil War, but the holiday has expanded to include those who have died in military service to their country, as well as family, friends, and others whose deeds and lives have made a difference.

Leaving a legacy is a strong desire of many of us. We want our deeds and lives to matter, to our families, faith communities, and society at large. One way of doing this is through planned giving and making our intentions known well before reach the end of our lives. This is particularly important to those in the “Baby Boomer” generation, as part of retirement planning.

Leaders of faith communities and community organizations must create the programs to which individuals can leave a legacy contribution. There are a number of good planned giving resources available online and professionally trained staff to assist in most charitable and religious organizations.

To begin, it is helpful to be aware of the reasons that people make charitable donations, so that the right climate and mechanisms for giving can be established:

Awareness of need
People are asked to give
The giver cares deeply about the organization or cause and its mission
Benefits are experienced from giving–psychological, recognition, practical
Desire to make a difference, to leave a legacy
Gratitude for what the organization has brought to one’s life, to give back

I will be inviting planned giving colleagues to share their wisdom in future posts, but leave you with an invitation: to reflect deeply on the example of those who have touched your life through their generosity, to clarify for yourself what is most important to you, and consider ways that you can leave a legacy gift that will touch lives for years to come.

For a planned giving guide for congregations: http://www.uua.org/documents/stew-dev/plannedgivingguide.pdf