The Search for an Easier Way
I recently read about a Unitarian Universalist congregation that conducted its annual budget drive entirely electronically. Information about the budget goals and case for giving were sent by email, and congregants were invited to make their financial commitments online. The congregation claimed that this was highly successful in raising pledges. No fuss, no muss as the old commercial used to say.
This reminds me of several things I hear when I get together with UU leaders, either at congregations or in larger gatherings.
- “Isn’t there an easier way to do the annual budget drive?”
- “We can’t get enough volunteers to meet with our fellow congregants.”
- “People complain that the only time we want to visit them is when we ask for money.”
I’m sure you’ve heard all these before – maybe even said them yourself.
We Know What Works
This line of thinking saddens me. Putting on my stewardship hat, I know – we all know – that the most effective way to do stewardship and to raise money is by direct, personal appeal and engagement. Replacing the person-to-person interaction with email might work in the short term, but all the evidence says that it will be disappointing over the long haul.
Putting on my passionate UU hat, I hate to see us abandon the one consistent process we have for engaging our fellow congregants in deep conversation about mission, vision, goals, values, possibilities, dreams – and the resources to make our dreams a reality. Even if it is true that the only time we are sufficiently organized to reach out to everyone for a personal visit is during the annual budget drive, is that a reason to not reach out at all? Why should we feel apologetic for running the best annual campaign possible and reaching out to as many people as possible?
So I urge all of you as UU leaders, please stop looking for the easiest way to conduct our campaigns, and focus on the best way. Reach out and talk with one another, share one another’s hopes and dreams, and raise the funds to accomplish them.
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
I also hear the comment about how we only reach out to ask for money. What if we used the infrastructure of the one-on-one stewardship campaign to do another ‘reach out and touch’ campaign 6 months later? No ask, just the reach out?
A number of congregations do follow a reach out and touch model, often times combining stewardship discussions with volunteer opportunities and sampling confirming how members are doing. It’s an excellent idea that underlines community means reaching out for more than just seeking contributions.