Tag Archives: Religion and Spirituality

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

 

 

Money and Giving for the Thrill of It!

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This is a guest blog post by the Reverend Robert Thayer, Minister of the UU Church in Brockton, MA, and author of the popular book  Offerings: Remarks on Passing the Plate, in which this story is published under the title of Large Bills.

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Some years ago I visited England and attended Sunday worship with some British Unitarian friends.  We sat toward the front of the church.  I was all tingly—both from the cold sanctuary and the warm glow of being on my ancestral soil.  The sermon was magnificent, and I was feeling effusive, very generous.

The moment came for the offering.  I reached into my wallet and saw a wad of British pound notes, but nothing particularly small.  I mentally shrugged my shoulders and pulled out a twenty-pound note, held it in my hand, and prepared to drop it in.  My friend shook his head at me.  I raised my eyebrows at him—why not?  He whispered, “It’s a rather large donation.”

I felt indignant.  Who was my friend to tell me I was giving too much.  I flapped the twenty-pound note in the air and whispered, “Are you sure?”

“See the usher?” he asked.  “I know he will be in shock.  He may fall down.  He has never seen a twenty-pound note in a collection except for famine relief in India.”

“Now you have me curious.  Let’s see if you are right,” I responded testily.

“Be mindful,” he warned, “that the usher will ask you after the service if you would like change.”

Well, it did not happen that way.  When I dropped the note in the plate, the usher initially reacted with a frown, but his face soon brightened with a proper smile.  Then I realized something very thrilling.  Because we sat in front, every British Unitarian on our side of the aisle that morning would see that note in the plate.  What an example, I thought.  On second thought, I remembered that since World War II the Brits have had a thorough familiarity with Yanks and many think of us as “over-sexed, over-paid, and over here.”

At the end of the service, I shook hands with the people all around me, including the usher, and gave hugs to my two colleagues who had been in the pulpit that day.  After we walked out into the chill October morning, I looked back into the vestibule and saw the usher take out my note.  He looked outside down the walkway, caught my eye, and said, “Thank you very much.”

Some days you may come to church with only large bills, and even if you make your pledge payment faithfully by mail, you may wonder, what can I give today?  Let the spirit guide you.  I can only say that the one time I surprised the British usher, I felt the thrill of pure joy in the moment when we give and receive our offering.

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On a good many Sunday mornings the offering, given and received, is a ritual that rarely provokes any exceptional notice.  If one morning there is a large bill in the plate those who can see this bill will be amazed and stop, and then be amazed again, think – “Somebody is really …..” Fill in the blank.  The attention is gathered around generosity.

During one Sunday worship in the UU Church in Brockton, MA where I serve as minister, I read this story before the offering.  There were three Brits in attendance–a groom, with his bride, and two of his groomsmen–present because of a wedding ceremony I officiated the day before.  In glancing at the offering plates when they were brought forward to the altar, I glanced down to see a 20 pound note laying on top of one plate.  I picked it up, turned around, faced the congregation, and held up the note.  I joyfully mouthed the words:   Thank You very much!

~Bob Thayer

Offerings:  Remarks on Passing the Plate, by Robert A. Thayer.  2004.  Skinner House Books.  Available for purchase through the UUA Bookstore.   http://www.uuabookstore.org/productdetails.cfm?PC=659

 

               

 

Transcending Language Barriers and Borders

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Since February of 2011, Corpus Christi Unitarian Universalist Church has offered a two-hour Sunday afternoon program for English as a Second Language (ESL), Citizenship Test Preparation…and hopefully will include basic computer training this year.

Marilyn Bremser, congregation member, had been teaching these classes at the local library since 2006 but felt that the program could be expanded as an outreach program at our church. Friends with a local Hispanic community activist, Marilyn was invited to attend a “Fuerza Comunitaria” where a collection of local groups, (OSHA, Catholic Charities, insurance companies, etc.) offer free information and guidance to the immigrant community.  At that February Sunday afternoon gathering 23 people signed up to come to our church classes, most speaking no English at all.  With this large number to enroll, the pastor, the Rev. Phil Douglas, enlisted the assistance of the Literary Council whose director is also a church member.

Finding teachers and organizing classrooms in our small church was a challenge but as the year progressed we have settled into five classes: beginning, intermediate and fluency language; citizenship prep and the fifth class is taught by a bi-lingual teacher who kindly assists the more insecure.

We registered about 60 students in 2011.  In December we were able to give certificates to 20 students who studied more than 16 hours with us. Students have been predominantlyfrom Mexico, but others are from Venezuela, Turkey, India, Columbia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Korea, and Taiwan.

The Corpus Christi UU Church pays a young member to help set up the classrooms and to handle the child care.  Three of the volunteer teachers are church members and the other two were recruited through the Literacy Council. Their goal is to encourage students to qualify for enrollment in their local community college (DelMar) and/or to pass the citizenship test. (One student became a citizen in December!)

Clearly, this program offers an excellent opportunity for the Corpus Christi UU Church to be of service and extend their ministry in their wider community, which is made up of sixty-two percent Hispanic people.  This is a congregation committed to ministering to the needs in their local community and transforming lives, one person at a time.

The Corpus Christi UU Church has been one of our Annual Program Fund Honor Congregations for nearly all of the past 25 years.  For more information about the congregation and its ministries:  http://uucorpus.org/

For more information about the UUA’s Annual Program Fund:  www.uua.org/giving/apf