Reps from 20 congregations shared their ideas at the October Friday Forum with Stewardship for Us.
How are your sibling Unitarian Universalist congregations keeping their Annual Budget Drive methods fresh from year to year? How is success measured?
Ways folks shared they measure success:
- Number of connections made with congregants in person or by phone or video (not just a letter)
- Dollar amount raised
- Increase in # of pledging households
- Increase in amount of reach out to congregants, even if no pledge received
- Amount of pledge fulfillment (amount paid on pledges made)
- Gauging the spiritual tone of the messaging around and during the pledge drive
Ways they keep their methods interesting or fresh from year to year:
- Fun themes with humor: tied to St. Patrick’s Day; peace, love & pledges; flying pigs …
- Mugs, t-shirts, etc. tied to theme
- Asking pledgers to state what they value and why they give
Hopes for future things to try:
- Tracking volunteer hours on pledge form, not just money
- Reach out to congregants at another time of the year, not just during the Annual Budget Drive. As one steward noted, we would like to avoid “the pill inside the cat treat” that some folks feel comes with a visit that includes a request for a pledge.
To help with reaching out to congregants, see if your membership team can work with stewardship so that there is more than one touch point per year where someone is checking in. Collaborating and combining efforts will help you engage more members and friends, create deeper connections and community, and fund your mission and vision!
A question was raised about segmenting annual pledging into designated categories. The bottom line (pun intended!) is that it’s really a matter of trust that the elected leadership and staff will do their best to allocate funds well. Designated giving for annual funding can create conflict and hinder leadership’s ability to fund the budget in alignment with the mission and vision. For example, if people are allowed to pledge only for the choir, then there may be a gap in funding for Lifespan Religious Exploration or the work of the sextons. Stewardship for Us recommends undesignated giving for your pledge drive.
Want more info. on Annual Budget Drives? Check out some of these past blog posts (only a few are listed here – there are many!):
Pro Tip for the Annual Budget Drive: Video!
Broadening Engagement in Stewardship
Planning for Your Pledge Drive
Making Stewardship More Inclusive
Stay tuned for a November Video Forum and blog post that reports on our Annual Pledge Drive Survey results!
With deep gratitude to all of you working on stewardship ministry in your beloved communities.
Kay has more than 24 years of successful professional fundraising experience. She is passionate about helping organizations fund their mission through customized campaigns. Reach her at kay@stewardshipforus.com.