Can Strategic Stewardship Counsel Help You Build a Culture of Generosity?

A good coach could be just what you need to bring out the best in your team

Cultivating a thriving culture of generosity doesn’t happen by accident. It emerges from intentional leadership, thoughtful planning, and a congregation-wide commitment to the mission and values that make your community worth sustaining. There are many opportunities — and many stages involved — in nurturing and growing a healthy relationship with stewardship in your congregation.

Every congregation finds itself at a different point in that journey. Consider where you are right now:

Are you wrapping up a capital campaign and need to transition energy and attention back to annual program funding? The shift from a campaign mindset to everyday generosity requires careful messaging and renewed engagement with your congregation’s sense of purpose and shared mission.
Are you managing an endowment while trying to get your planned giving program going? Balancing the stewardship of existing assets with the cultivation of future gifts is a nuanced challenge that calls for both financial savvy and relationship-centered ministry.
What committees and staff are engaged in activities that impact stewardship? From the stewardship committee to the finance team to your ministerial leadership, many voices shape how generosity is understood and practiced in your congregation — and coordinating them effectively makes all the difference.
How can you be more strategic about the future and how you want your programs and ministries to fit together? A long-term vision for stewardship — one that aligns your annual fund, capital efforts, endowment, and planned giving — can transform scattered efforts into a coherent, mission-driven whole.

If any of these questions resonate, you could benefit from Strategic Stewardship Counsel from a seasoned stewardship professional. The team at Stewardship for Us brings deep experience in the ways the various systems within a Unitarian Universalist congregation interact, and how to effectively coordinate them for maximum impact. Having a Stewardship for Us consultant at your side to guide your efforts can be invaluable as you work to build a stronger, more sustainable culture of generosity in your congregation.

Each consultant on the Stewardship for Us team offers a rare blend of skills and experience — spanning congregational development, campaign management, planned giving, and ministry partnership — to help guide your congregational and ministerial leadership through the challenges that invariably arise as you prepare for and implement various fundraising initiatives. Our consultants understand the unique dynamics of UU communities: the emphasis on lay leadership, the importance of values-based messaging, and the need for approaches that feel authentic rather than transactional.

What does Strategic Stewardship Counsel look like in practice?

Strategic Stewardship Counsel is a monthly support engagement of at least four to six months, offered at a modest fee, with the option to renew as your needs evolve. During the engagement, your consultant is available to participate in meetings, provide curated resources, and offer one-on-one counsel as needed with staff, clergy, or lay leaders — typically on a regular, predictable schedule that keeps momentum going without overwhelming your team.

The level and frequency of engagement is fully customized to your congregation’s particular situation. Whether you need intensive support during a pivotal transition or lighter-touch guidance as you implement an existing plan, the arrangement can be revised as your circumstances change. No two congregations are alike, and your counsel should reflect that.

We are happy to discuss your stewardship objectives and challenges and propose an arrangement that works best for you. Reach out today to start a conversation — because a stronger culture of generosity begins with a single, intentional step.

Let us help you build your culture of generosity.

Jeff Wilklow

Jeff Wilklow is a long-time UU with more than 20 years of fundraising consulting experience. He believes stewardship is one of our most important ministries – helping congregations connect more meaningfully with each other through their mutual support of the church and the community. He is based in Northern Virginia and a member of All Souls Church Unitarian in Washington, D.C. You can reach Jeff at Team@Stewardshipforus.com.