Stewardship for Us is One Year Old

Happy Birthday

Well, it’s been a year since we consultants and the UUA started this grand experiment.  We asked if stewardship consulting services, provided so well under the UUA’s Congregational Stewardship Network and led so ably by Wayne Clark, could be provided under a new outsourced model.

We’re very pleased with the Year One results and excited about the future. Working in partnership with UUA Congregational Life staff, we managed a smooth transition with no gap in service.  S4Us responded promptly to all inquiries from congregations, ministers, UUA staff at the regions and in Boston; and we conducted 31 consulting engagements for 26 congregations.

Our consulting work expanded in a couple of new directions this year.  First, we placed renewed emphasis on working beyond individual congregations.  We served as theme or keynote speakers and workshop leaders at regional and cluster events, expanding our reach considerably.  We participated actively at General Assembly, leading or co-leading three very well-attended workshops and offering free onsite consultations.  We’re proud to say that these beyond-congregational events reached just over 800 people.

Second, we focused on developing and sharing expertise and resources on specific areas of interest in today’s stewardship environment.  Included are information technology, which was the subject of one of our GA workshops; focused services for congregations of different sizes; and reaching out beyond our congregational walls to engage people and encourage broader giving.  These efforts are in their infancy and will be developed further as we move forward.

We are grateful to the UUA and especially Scott Tayler, Director of Congregational Life, for walking together with us along this new path.  We are excited to get moving on Year 2 and beyond.

Please share with us your thoughts and suggestions about how we can most effectively support the UU movement through stewardship consulting.