Author Archives: Robin Nelson

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Robin Nelson

Creative Capital Campaign Gifts (5 of 5)

Over the last 26 years I have served as a Congregational Stewardship Consultant for the UUA.  During that time I have worked with over 135 of our congregations, some of them more than once.  I have had the opportunity to talk with many people about how they made their decisions to support a capital campaign in their congregation.  One technical note:  Financial commitments to a capital campaign are usually paid over a three year period.  Here are a few of my favorite stories.

These stories are illustrative.  They contain one common element.  Persons with commitment to the vision of the church will find a way to give generously.  Each of these stories involves people who “gave until it felt good.”  And that really is the criterion for our success.  Each pledge is important.  Each person will give according to her or his commitment and will want to feel good about it.
David L. Rickard
UUA Congregational Stewardship Consultant

John had retired several years ago.  He had a small pension in addition to his Social Security payment, enough income for the necessities of life with little room for luxuries.  He gave considerable thought to whether he could make a pledge to the capital campaign.  In the end, he committed to $1,100 to be paid over three years.  His reasoning?  He would set aside a dollar a day to pay the pledge.

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Capital Campaigns, Fundraising, Generosity, Money

Creative Capital Campaign Gifts (4 of 5)

Over the last 26 years I have served as a Congregational Stewardship Consultant for the UUA.  During that time I have worked with over 135 of our congregations, some of them more than once.  I have had the opportunity to talk with many people about how they made their decisions to support a capital campaign in their congregation.  One technical note:  Financial commitments to a capital campaign are usually paid over a three year period.  Here is one of my favorite stories.

These stories are illustrative.  They contain one common element.  Persons with commitment to the vision of the church will find a way to give generously.  Each of these stories involves people who “gave until it felt good.”  And that really is the criterion for our success.  Each pledge is important.  Each person will give according to her or his commitment and will want to feel good about it.
David L. Rickard
UUA Congregational Stewardship Consultant

Sarah was an instructor at a major university.  She felt strongly that the new space and the air conditioning were very necessary for her congregation to grow and serve the needs of the religious liberals in the area.  But her salary barely covered her family’s needs, and her savings were to provide a college education for her daughter.  She, too, found a creative solution.  When the steward visited, she proudly announced that she would give $6,000 to the Building Fund.  The visiting steward, who thought he knew her well, was momentarily stunned until she explained, “This is so important to me that I will teach classes for the next three summers in order to make this pledge.”

 

Look for another story from David Rickard in the coming weeks!

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Capital Campaigns, FORTH: A Stewardship Development Program, Fundraising, Generosity, Money

Creative Capital Campaign Gifts (3 of 5)

Over the last 26 years I have served as a Congregational Stewardship Consultant for the UUA.  During that time I have worked with over 135 of our congregations, some of them more than once.  I have had the opportunity to talk with many people about how they made their decisions to support a capital campaign in their congregation.  One technical note:  Financial commitments to a capital campaign are usually paid over a three year period.  Here is one of my favorite stories.

These stories are illustrative.  They contain one common element.  Persons with commitment to the vision of the church will find a way to give generously.  Each of these stories involves people who “gave until it felt good.”  And that really is the criterion for our success.  Each pledge is important.  Each person will give according to her or his commitment and will want to feel good about it.
David L. Rickard
UUA Congregational Stewardship Consultant

Charlotte purchased a new car four years ago.  The final payment was due shortly after the capital campaign began.  She decided that she would make her pledge to her congregation’s building program the same as the car payment had been.  After all, the car was in good condition and she would just make the check out to her church instead of GMAC.

 

Look for another story from David Rickard in the coming weeks!

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Capital Campaigns, Fundraising, Generosity, Money

De-bunking Fundraising Myths – Part 12 (of 12)

We’ve all heard myths about fundraising.  These often lead us to do the exact opposite of what we should be doing to raise money.  We’ll be running a twelve part series de-bunking fundraising myths to take a close look at these false assumptions about giving.

This is the twelfth and final in the series, if you’ve missed the others you can go back and ready them (or you read all of them in the book Beyond Fundraising: A Complete Guide to Congregational Stewardship in Chapter 1: The Spiritual Roots of Stewardship).  We all feel the pinch during an economic downturn; however, this does not spell disaster for our faith communities.

As always, we encourage you to leave comments.


Fundraising Myth #12

Myth: A financially healthy faith community is one that receives all of its operating budget money from congregants’ annual financial commitments.

Truth: Not necessarily. Fundraising consultants suggest that annual financial commitments should represent at least 80 percent of the total operating budget, but there is one other important factor: the distribution of those financial commitments. A financially healthy church has an annual median commitment that is almost the same as its annual average commitment.

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Annual Budget Drive, Fundraising, Myths, Operational/Organizational Aspects

Creative Capital Campaign Gifts (2 of 5)

Over the last 26 years I have served as a Congregational Stewardship Consultant for the UUA.  During that time I have worked with over 135 of our congregations, some of them more than once.  I have had the opportunity to talk with many people about how they made their decisions to support a capital campaign in their congregation.  One technical note:  Financial commitments to a capital campaign are usually paid over a three year period.  Here is one of my favorite stories.

These stories are illustrative.  They contain one common element.  Persons with commitment to the vision of the church will find a way to give generously.  Each of these stories involves people who “gave until it felt good.”  And that really is the criterion for our success.  Each pledge is important.  Each person will give according to her or his commitment and will want to feel good about it.
David L. Rickard
UUA Congregational Stewardship Consultant

Jim and Janice were active members of their church and involved at the District and national levels as well.  In fact, Janice was planning to enroll in divinity school.  She and Jim got drawn into the planning for the expansion of their church building, and Jim became the director of the capital campaign committee.  When it came time to make their pledge, they chose to defer the purchase of a new car and the remodeling of their kitchen so that they could make a substantial investment in the future of their church.

 

Look for another story from David Rickard in the coming weeks!

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Capital Campaigns, Fundraising, Generosity, Money

De-bunking Fundraising Myths – Part 11 (of 12)

We’ve all heard myths about fundraising.  These often lead us to do the exact opposite of what we should be doing to raise money.  We’ll be running a twelve part series de-bunking fundraising myths to take a close look at these false assumptions about giving.

This is the eleventh in the series and we will run one each month (if you can’t wait to a year to read all of them you can purchase the book Beyond Fundraising: A Complete Guide to Congregational Stewardship and read them in Chapter 1: The Spiritual Roots of Stewardship).  Sending out a mailing is surely the easiest way to ask for financial commitments but is it the best way?

As always, we encourage you to leave comments.

Fundraising Myth #11

Myth: Because people don’t like to talk about money, annual financial commitments must be sought in an indirect way. It is best to send financial commitment forms through the mail and ask recipients to return them by mail. In this way, they will not be offended, embarrassed, or angry.

Truth: The more indirect the approach, the less money will be contributed. Personal stewardship conversations are most effective. Getting groups together is a less direct approach, but it can provide an occasional break from the stewardship conversations. Telephone calls and mail solicitations are the most ineffective ways to ask for money. If you are uncomfortable talking about money, the solution is to find ways to become more comfortable talk about it, not to avoid direct, personal conversations.

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Annual Budget Drive, Capital Campaigns, Fundraising, Myths, Operational/Organizational Aspects

De-bunking Fundraising Myths – Part 10 (of 12)

We’ve all heard myths about fundraising.  These often lead us to do the exact opposite of what we should be doing to raise money.  We’ll be running a twelve part series de-bunking fundraising myths to take a close look at these false assumptions about giving.

This is the tenth in the series and we will run one each month (if you can’t wait to a year to read all of them you can purchase the book Beyond Fundraising: A Complete Guide to Congregational Stewardship and read them in Chapter 1: The Spiritual Roots of Stewardship).  Hosting a great luncheon after a Sunday Service is the key to people’s pocket books, right?

As always, we encourage you to leave comments.

Fundraising Myth #10

Myth: As long as a fellowship event (to launch an annual budget drive or capital campaign) provides a free meal, people will attend the event and give generously of their gifts, call, and spiritual vocation. A beautiful brochure with a clever slogan and attractive logo will further increase giving.

Truth: A free meal is not enough. When people reserve time in their busy schedules, they expect more than just some mediocre food and an average after-dinner program. They want a well-planned event that includes an opportunity to interact with other congregants. They also want to have fun. Many fundraising consultants have determined the best entertainment involves the attendees. For example, a program of group signing is preferable to having the choir perform for the gathering. Nevertheless, keep in mind that the format and promotion of the event matter less than the message. A well-planned fellowship event, a beautiful brochure, and a clever slogan will add absolutely nothing to financial commitments unless a clear and compelling case for stewardship has been made.

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Annual Budget Drive, Capital Campaigns, Fundraising, Myths, Operational/Organizational Aspects

Why do donors give?

I was recently at a guest speaker presentation called “Why Fundraising is Everyone’s Job.”  Abbie J. von Schlegell, guest speaker, shared these reasons as “Why Donors Give”

  • To experience the joy and happiness of giving
  • Because the asker offers an opportunity to meet certain needs
  • To affiliate wit those who have like values
  • To enhance community resources
  • Because of a relationship between the donor and the organization
  • To make a difference
  • Because they are asked

This cartoon, shared by Mark Ewert, UUA Congregational Stewardship Consultant, demonstrates the first reason “To experience the joy and happiness of giving.”

Are there other reasons you give?

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Fundraising, Giving and Receiving, Stewardship Education

De-bunking Fundraising Myths – Part 9 (of 12)

We’ve all heard myths about fundraising.  These often lead us to do the exact opposite of what we should be doing to raise money.  We’ll be running a twelve part series de-bunking fundraising myths to take a close look at these false assumptions about giving.

This is the ninth in the series and we will run one each month (if you can’t wait to a year to read all of them you can purchase the book Beyond Fundraising: A Complete Guide to Congregational Stewardship and read them in Chapter 1: The Spiritual Roots of Stewardship).  Does it make sense to publicize past due financial commitments to the entire congregation (of course, without breaking confidentiality)?

As always, we encourage you to leave comments.

Fundraising Myth #9

Myth: The church newsletter is a good place to include current financial commitment fulfillment information because it prods people to keep their payments up-to-date.

Truth: People usually know their fulfillment status of their annual commitment. If I am current with my payments, a public newsletter article bemoaning the sad state of payments may only cause me to be upset at others who are not up-to-date. If I have fallen behind, I know that I have fallen behind and don’t need a public reminder in the newsletter. It is find to spend monthly personal reminders to all donors, and it is a caring gesture to make pastoral phone calls to those who have fallen behind, but avoid public broadcasting. Besides, financial fulfillment rates are often 95 percent or more of the initially committed amount. A lower fulfillment rate indicates a problem that won’t be resolved in the monthly newsletter. It often reflects the impersonal way in which people were asked to contribute.

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Annual Budget Drive, Myths, Operational/Organizational Aspects

De-bunking Fundraising Myths – Part 8 (of 12)

We’ve all heard myths about fundraising.  These often lead us to do the exact opposite of what we should be doing to raise money.  We’ll be running a twelve part series de-bunking fundraising myths to take a close look at these false assumptions about giving.

This is the eighth in the series and we will run one each month (if you can’t wait to a year to read all of them you can purchase the book Beyond Fundraising: A Complete Guide to Congregational Stewardship and read them in Chapter 1: The Spiritual Roots of Stewardship).  Do we want to paint a picture of our congregation as a sinking ship?

As always, we encourage you to leave comments.

Fundraising Myth #8

Myth: If people only understood the dire financial straits of the church, they would feel guilty and increase their annual financial commitment.

Truth: In spite of Garrison Keillor’s notion that “guilt is the gift that keeps on giving,” nobody wants to throw money at a sinking ship. Emphasizing a financial problem may actually drive people away from the faith community. It is more effective to focus on the positive ways that annual contributions will be used once the money has been received. Have a discussion about the successes of current giving. Talk about how much money is being used and emphasize how much better the programs and ministries will be when the giving is increased. Again, people want to know what difference their financial contribution will make.

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Annual Budget Drive, Fundraising, Myths, Operational/Organizational Aspects