The End of the Calendar Year Provides Two Excellent Opportunities to Do Good, and to Help Ourselves as Well by Bill Clontz, Stewardship Consultant As we approach the holiday season, this is an excellent time for all of us to take some extra opportunities for generosity in supporting our congregation and the UUA. Two vehicles for […]
I Have Good News and…. I Have Good News Read More »
Financial stewardship in congregations and other closely involved organizations is quite different from nonprofit fundraising. We are not trying to reach people “out there” to contribute to helping a disadvantaged population or environment “over there.” We are working together to support an organization that belongs to us, and where we benefit from the mission. It
Why Should I Give You Money? Making the Case Read More »
Two Stories Remind Us That We’re All in This Together I recently had the pleasure of working with several congregations in a weekend cluster event we called a Stewardship Saturday. During one session, a participant shared a wonderful story of how she brought home to her congregation that we make our commitments not just
Envelopes, Elevators, and Empathy Read More »
The 4th T to add to Time, Talent, and Treasure You all know the Three Ts; most congregations talk about them and so most congregants know them as well: time, talent, and treasure. Now congregations generally admit that they are not doing such a great job in motivating, engaging, or certainly asking for all three
There’s a New T in Town Read More »
This Fall Kay Crider, along with the Rev. Jan Christian of the Pacific Western Region, will be presenting two webinars on stewardship: In October, Stewardship Transitions for Small Congregations: How can small congregations become aware of and adopt successful stewardship concepts and practices as they grow? This webinar will help you become more comfortable talking about
Webinars on Stewardship: Small Congregations and Improving Congregational Giving Read More »
Many congregational boards and other leadership teams go on a retreat to launch the new church year. It’s great tool for team building and focusing. What makes for a terrific retreat? Few activities can do more to get a team off to a good start and bonded than a well-planned and skillfully executed team
In Praise of Retreats Read More »
How You Recruit and Manage Your Stewardship Team is Key to Program Success, Leader Development, and Community. Choose Well, Nurture, and Say Thanks. In June of 2016, we posted a blog entitled “Building Your Stewardship Team.” This blog is a continuation of that discussion. This time we
Building Your Stewardship Team Read More »
Four Trains Leave the Station… Does it sound like those old math puzzles? The ones I could never solve about a train leaving Chicago? Well capital campaigns are even more complex, as four trains leave the station. They leave at different times, travel at different rates, and vary their speed. Yet they all need to
Capital Campaign and the Four Trains Read More »
Some of us feel our financial gifts or volunteer efforts are too small to make a real difference. Not so. Imagine a chair missing a leg…. by Bill Clontz, Stewardship Consultant In my conversations with fellow Unitarian Universalists, I often hear something like the following: “I really love being a UU, but I am
Do My Gifts Really Make Any Difference? Read More »
Generosity is a funny thing. The more you give away, the more you gain. Congregations that “Share the Plate” every week, for example, usually find that gifts increase overall, not just for the sponsored cause, but also for the congregation itself. It seems that regular opportunities to share, to give to worthy causes, and to live
