Anyone who has been a UU for any amount of time knows that stewardship and all that entails – generosity, budget drives, capital campaigns, talking about money – is not usually our strong suit. UUsoften find it challenging to deal with these issues effectively and positively. But it does not have to be that way, and help is available!
The Congregational Stewardship Network (CSN) is the UUA team of stewardship consultants dedicated to helping congregations, clusters, and leaders build functional, positive stewardship environments that support our values and celebrate our commitments. Stewardship is the lifeblood that supports all we do, and we want to get it right. CSN has supported UUs for almost 20 years with practical assistance and shared experience to grow and sustain stewardship.
We now have an enhanced relationship that makes it easier for the Southern Region and the CSN to work together. While the entire CSN network is at our disposal, we now have a dedicated consultant for our region. Bill Clontz is our go-to guy for stewardship support. Bill is a native of our region and has already worked with regional and district staff and with several of our congregations and clusters; many of you know him from the GIFT program webinars.
Learn more about how the CSN supports UUs at http://www.uua.org/finance/fundraising/index.shtml. You can reach Bill either through the CSN or through the Southern Region staff. He will be part of our dialogue on stewardship in a wide variety of forums, including a new stewardship page coming to the Southern Region website and this blog.
So stay tuned and start thinking about making your stewardship program the cornerstone your congregation deserves.
Stewardship Consultant Barry Finkelstein has been a Unitarian Universalist congregational stewardship consultant since the Fall of 2007 and has worked with over 50 congregations on annual budget drives, capital campaigns, and strategic planning. Reach Barry at Team@stewardshipforus.com