Tag Archives: Generosity & Giving

How Much is Enough?

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This is My Symphony

To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to listen to stars and birds, babes and sages, with open heart; to study hard; to think quietly, act frankly, talk gently, await occasions, hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common –this is my symphony.

–William Henry Channing (1810-1884)

As we wade our way through the many and varied demands of daily living, it is often not something we think of to let the spiritual part of our being “grow up through the common,” as Channing describes. Life feels too busy and complex to pause long enough to experience the contentment that comes from tuning into all the simple blessings that present themselves, moment to moment. The mindset of scarcity can easily take over: there is not enough time, money, energy, respect, assistance, freedom, fill in the blank.

Not enough.

For those of us who seek a religious community, we may participate in worship and other deepening activities as opportunities for appreciating what sustains and satisfies us:

  • Reflect on the relationships that fill our hearts with love and friendship.
  • Experience reverence for life, with its rainbow of emotions and challenges.
  • Encounter enough when we reorder our priorities and simplify our daily existence.
  • Connect deeply with our passions and sense of purpose.

Author Adam Hamilton suggests five steps for simplifying our lives as a means of cultivating contentment, reducing stress and clutter that may begin to dominate our existence, and open up new opportunities for generosity:

1. Reduce our consumption and choose to live below our means.

2. Check our intentions before purchasing–Do I really need this? Why do I want this?

3. Use up what we have before acquiring something else.

4. Plan enriching activities that are low-cost or no-cost.

5. Identify the major changes that could be made to simplify your life and still bring satisfaction–houses, vehicles, possessions, jobs, time commitments.

As the late Rev. Forrest Church, expressed so succinctly and powerfully…

Do what you can. Want what you have. Be who you are. Love fearlessly.

Inspiration for this blog post:

Church, Forrest. A variety of books and audio resources are found at the UUA Bookstore, www.uua.org/bookstore and an archive of sermons online at the All Souls New York City: http://www.allsoulsnyc.org/site/c.atJQL8NRJqL8H/b.6216993/apps/s/content.asp?ct=8937505

Hamilton, Adam. Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity. Abingdon press. 2009.

Annual Pledge Campaigns–You’ve Heard of “Speed Dating”, but “Speed Pledging”??

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It was time to organize the annual stewardship campaign and the pressure was on.  The Rev. Christina Neilson, minister of the Southwest Unitarian Universalist Church in North Royalton, OH, originated the idea for a new concept she calls Speed Pledging, modeled after the popular speed dating trend in social networking among adult singles.  It turned out this was a fun way to engage one-on-one stewardship conversations without the pressure of a long, complex campaign process.

The smaller congregation Rev. Paul Langston-Daly serves tried the Speed Pledging approach and reports a positive outcome.  Paul describes the questions his congregation used and how the responses offered valuable feedback for leaders to use in future planning.

The questions Paul’s congregation used were designed to help people engage with the dramatic changes of the past year:  hiring a minister 3/4 time, moving to a beautiful location (from the Elks Club) and making a commitment to growth.  Everyone seemed to have a good time, getting to know each other  better and raising nearly $28,000, up from $22,000 the previous year and $18,000 the year before.

The congregation used 3X5 cards to record the responses of those they engaged with for each set of questions.  The process was informal, with an invitation for people to pair up and then switch conversation partners after a five-minute bell rang.  The process was conducted three times, one round for each question.

After the rounds of one-to-one conversations, the leaders handed out pledge forms and invited people to make their pledge.  Many did pledge that evening, but some took the forms home to think about it. And people appreciated the opportunity to talk about the congregation and its future.

The responses were gathered and used by the board to gauge how the congregation was doing and to get a sense of where people wanted to go in the future.  It was very helpful for us in planning that year.

Elements of organizing the Speed Pledging process :

•  Choose the campaign theme and schedule events as early as possible  (such as Conversation, Community, Commitment)

•  Newsletter articles and other publicity several weeks in advance and throughout the campaign

•  Sermon series  that introduce a range of stewardship themes

•  One mailing—reduces the amount of paper used!

•  Potluck dinner –begin the meal with a blessing by the minister or key stewardship leader

•  Stewardship Leader makes the pitch for congregational giving

•  Establish teams of 2-4 people for the ask

•  Prepare envelopes for each family

•  Written pledges go in envelopes and are collected in a bowl—Dessert comes AFTER the pledging!

•  Mugs with congregation’s logo or the campaign theme are given to each participant

Questions for Speed Pledging conversations (using an appreciative inquiry approach):

•  Conversations are set up with two rings of seats facing each other—five minutes each, then partners switch seats around the circle.

•  Conversations are framed by three types of questions that encourage expansive thinking:  values questions, potential questions, and wishes questions.

•  Introductory question:  Why do you come to church on Sunday?

Record the themes that emerge in the responses shared and seek feedback about the process.   This can be done by giving each person index cards for recording responses.

Post Speeding Pledging Clean Up:

•  Mailed pledge cards to all who didn’t attend or not yet pledged.

•  Letters and calls to follow-up the mailing.

•  Thank you notes to everyone pledging.

•  Pledging event for all those pledging 2.5+% of income or other high mark of giving as set by your congregation.

 Remember:  This is the beginning of a conversation, not the end.

Exploring various models and approaches to annual stewardship campaigns?  Check out the results of the recent Giving Speaks poll on the topic: http://poll.fm/3hkep

 

 

Are Our Offering Plates Passing Us By?

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The landscape of giving to religion has been changing for decades.  It’s like we are on a train that has pulled out of the station.  The scenery looks different, because it is different, and chances are will not get back that way again.

Just thirty years ago, sixty percent of all charitable giving was to religion.  Today giving to religion is still the largest segment of charitable giving, but in significantly smaller proportion (33%) than in decades past.  The fact is, there is greater competition for the U.S. charitable dollar.

There are more than 370,000 churches and 1.8 million nonprofit organizations, nearly twice as many nonprofits than in 1995.

Has our “you should give to our congregation because we really need the money” message so dulled the impulse to be generous, that our congregants are simply letting the offering plate pass them by without a second thought?

The simple answer is YES.

Contemporary American culture and industry are driven by mass consumption.   Add to that our prevailing cultural value of individualism and tendency to distrust institutions, we find ourselves impacted and influenced by an almost inescapable way of life.

There is greater diversity found on the religious landscape, with a mix of beliefs and teachings about stewardship, ranging from secular financial management to biblical tithing.  Clergy consistently report discomfort or resistance in taking an active in congregational stewardship.  There seems to be a general lack of connection between generosity, giving behavior, and religious identity.  Many of our congregations are caught in the “pay the bills” scarcity mentality rather than the more expansive “fund the vision” mindset that would inspire greater generosity.

As open as western culture can be about a wide range of subjects, money persists as one of our most taboo topics.  Technology has opened may doors to systematic charitable giving, however there is general avoidance of using electronic means of giving by congregants.

According to the anecdotal research conducted in Passing the Plate , authors highlight a number of factors that impact congregants’ motivations and purposes for giving, despite the clear religious teachings.   There is a heightened level of complexity and inconsistency between what people profess to believe, and their behavior.  Ambivalence about faithful giving persists among those who self-identify as “religious.”  Clearly there is a need to foster generosity as an appropriate practice for acting on one’s religious beliefs and values.

Some ideas for sparking generosity and motivating people to give to their faith communities:

  • Leaders boldly articulate ways to “Live the Vision”
  • Leaders model generosity through their own giving to the congregation
  • Congregants are invited to give generously and regularly
  • Communication about giving money is clear, positive, and enthusiastic
  • Provide several ways to contribute, including online donations, systematic electronic contributions, spontaneous giving opportunities, special offerings, etc
  • Stimulate generosity by giving a proportion of the offering or congregation’s budget for mission and outreach
  • Facilitate small group conversations and learning experiences about money and giving.
  • CELEBRATE the successes in the congregation’s fundraising—even if the goal isn’t met (yet!)

To revisit the summary of responses to the Giving Speaks “Sharing the Offering Plate” poll: http://wp.me/p1xUUk-42

Sources for this post:

Barna, George.  How to Increase Giving in Your Church.  1997.  Regal.

Christopher, J. Clif.  Not Your Parent’s Offering Plate.  2008.  Abingdon Press.

Schaller, Lyle E.  The New Context for Ministry.  2002.  Abingdon Press.

Smith, Emerson with Snell.  Passing the Plate.  2008.  Oxford University Press.

Relevant resource:

https://faithinspires.wordpress.com/tag/stewardship/