The focus of this week’s Zoom Symposium was Stewardship During Virtual Sundays. We hope our slides and video, as well as the sharing of ideas among congregations, are helpful as you continue to build a Sunday online experience, and other virtual programs for your congregation.
The symposium covered the opportunities for asking for pledges and contributions on Sunday mornings (or whenever people are accessing your virtual worship!).
This included the “gateways” for people to find your worship service including the “wayside pulpit” (street sign) at your building, and also virtual gateways like your website, Facebook page, YouTube channel, Vimeo page, or whatever you are using. It also included ideas about messaging and language you might use. We gave some samples of people speaking via video clips.
We are grateful to Rev. Rob Hardies of All Souls Unitarian, DC; Rev. Nancy McDonald Ladd of River Road UU Congregation in Bethesda, MD; and Rev. Tricia Hart of the First UU Society in Burlington, VT for allowing us to sample their video messages.
In breakout rooms, participants talked about how their congregation is bringing, or are hoping to bring, stewardship to their Sunday experience and shared this:
- Testimonials; Personal five-minute reflections during services while our stewardship drive is on
- Our minister who drives the message in services
- Promote giving prior to the service so people do not have to find credit card during the service collection
- A donate button on the website
- Included in upfront announcements before the service
- Email order of service to all members and include stewardship messages in it
- Video testimonials on website
- A board member introduces giving each week
- Sharing the plate – and let congregation know how it is received
- A virtual tracking mechanism – pie chart that they update to show how much and how many have given
We polled symposium participants on this topic:
Even if you did not participate in the symposium, please use the comment feature below or email us at team@stewardshipforus.com to share an idea with others, ask a question or suggest a topic for a future symposium.
As Mother Teresa said:
Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.
Join us Fridays, for the near term, at 10am PT / 11am MT / 12pm CT / 1pm ET, for a symposium on stewardship tips and sharing of ideas.
Thank you to all who are helping our congregations manage stewardship during these unprecedented times!
Mark Ewert is a stewardship consultants with the Stewardship For Us team. Mark works with congregations on their stewardship programs and can be reached at Team@stewardshipforus.com, via the UUA’s Congregational Stewardship Resources page (http://www.uua.org/finance/fundraising/consulting) or through your regional staff.
Mark Ewert is a stewardship consultant, a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP®), and a professional leadership and philanthropy coach (PCC) certified with the International Coaching Federation.
His experience includes founding a nonprofit, working as a fundraiser, and leading a national organization. Reach Mark at Team@StewardshipForUs.com