How Do Children and Youth Fit in Our Stewardship Culture? Bill Clontz, Stewardship Consultant Not long ago, a couple of members of the Stewardship for Us team met with a senior Unitarian Universalist leader to discuss the state of stewardship within our movement. We asked the question, “Where do you think we most often come up […]
What About the Children? Read More »
Why aren’t there more good annual drive videos from our congregations? I search around the web regularly for appealing congregational stewardship videos – ones that I can use as examples for other congregations. And they are very rare indeed. This puzzles me, since making videos is so easy with technology almost all of us use,
Video Tips for Pledge Celebration Read More »
Why Do We Pledge: Part VI This is actually an article from 2012 on another blog. But worth a repost in this series! We want our congregations to be welcoming to people of all ages, genders, races, sexual orientation, and economic levels. Our congregations are obvious in how we celebrate people of color, LBGT, folks
Pledging and Economic Justice Read More »
Why Do We Pledge: Part V This is actually an article from 2012 on another blog. But worth a repost in this series! If you have worked with me as a consultant for your congregation, or you have been in a workshop with me at General Assembly, you probably know that I am quite fond
Real Welcoming Includes Pledging Guidance Read More »
Shall We Gather Together? Reflections on the Power and Potential of Cluster Workshops Bill Clontz, Stewardship Consultant I recently had the privilege of working with the North Texas Unitarian Universalist Congregations cluster (NTUUC) in an all day Stewardship Workshop, well hosted by the Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Plano, TX. In reflecting
Shall We Gather Together? Read More »
Why Do We Pledge: Part IV Recently I read a string of messages on Facebook saying that we need all of our members to give a set minimum amount or our congregations are not financially viable (pardon the paraphrase). I was sorry to read that, not the least of which because it got a response
Pledging Builds the Community of Beloveds Read More »
Why Do We Pledge: Part III I live in Washington, DC, where democracy is mired in financial influence and partisan radicalism. So I appreciate that, in virtually all of the congregations where I consult, the democratic process is functioning quite well. Part of what distinguishes liberal religious organizations like ours from more conservative ones is
Democracy Lives – in Your Congregation! Read More »
Why Do We Pledge: Part II Pretty much every lay leader I encounter in my work understands about their pledge: the process for making financial commitments. They understand how it works, its timeline, and how it is part of the financial systems of their congregation. This is all to the good. And most of us
To Pledge: Clearly and Directly Read More »
Why Do We Pledge: Part I Everyone wants to be forward thinking, to be creative, to keep up with the 21st Century. So I hear people talking about how pledging to congregations is outmoded; that people don’t live the kind of life where they can plan their charitable contributions a year in advance, that people
Pledging is Dead; Long Live Pledging! Read More »
In our previous blog post, we introduced the concept that it’s hard to know where you are going if you don’t know where you are, and that a number of key statistics about your congregation can go a long way in helping leaders understand where they are, where they are going, and what they need
I am Lost But I am Making Record Time – Part II Read More »
