Stewardship Skill Building Opportunities for Your Annual Campaign
Dear Colleagues,
Through our generosity we create; turning our awe and wonder, our hopes and dreams, into programs and ministries, places of welcome and transformation. Tabernacles in our own settings where God can be experienced.
I have organized 3 programs (see below) to equip pastors and lay leaders for the work of generosity. Please consider joining in one of these programs in preparation for your annual campaign in support of your congregation. These programs will help invite everyone to make a gift to your congregation.
Together we can make generosity part of the heart of our discipleship.
Yours in faith,
Andrew
Rev. Andrew Warner, Wisconsin Conference Director of Development
Annual Campaigns 101 Webinar
August 7, 2019, 5:30 - 7:30 pm
Designed for pastors and lay leaders planning an annual pledge campaign, we will explore ways to create an effective campaign using the materials provided by the national setting of the UCC. The webinar will include developing a campaign calendar, key messaging, recruiting advocates, engaging lay leadership in making early pledges, and thanking donors.
Invite others in your congregation to join in this webinar too, and gain a good foundation for planning a pledge campaign that will be stronger than ever. There is no fee for participating in this webinar, however registration is required so we can send you the link to join the webinar.
From Good to Great Annual Campaigns: A Stewardship Bootcamp
Sunday, August 11, 3:00 - 7:00 pm
First Congregational UCC, Eau Claire
Insights from the best practices of philanthropy can revitalize congregational annual campaigns. This workshop will look at three practical steps:
- Engaging key leaders in developing a "case statement" for the congregation. A case statement creates an overall vision for a campaign that includes reasons to give, motivations to give, and what impact giving will have; it serves as a core planning document.
- Planning for ways to communicate the case in the lead up to Pledge Sunday and throughout the year afterwards
- The importance of gratitude throughout the process
You will leave this workshop with a good foundation for planning and implementing a stronger annual campaign, while enhancing communication and expression of gratitude towards your congregation members. There is a $10 per person fee for this workshop, which includes a meal.
Extravagant Generosity as a Spiritual Practice
Webinar Series - 5 Online Sessions
Planning Session August 6, 10:00 -11:30 am,
and four additional sessions October 8, 15, 22 and 29 at 10:00 - 11:30 am
Generosity doesn't just touch our wallet but engages our soul. We can more deeply consider the spiritual implications of giving, moving beyond a short blessing in worship or celebrating that "God loves a cheerful giver." How do we think about growth, challenge, crisis, and transformation in our giving? Through a series of four webinars, we will discuss the Book of Ruth and John 10 in order to plan an off-lectionary sermon series for a stewardship campaign. Each webinar will help participants plan for a Sunday of the campaign. This sermon series will root the pledge campaign in a broader focus on the spiritual practice of generosity.
The August 6 webinar will be a planning session designed to help pastors plan out their fall campaign using the theme, and to develop ways to support each other collaboratively in the creation of messages, prayers, and letters for a fall stewardship campaign. (The session will be recorded in case you aren't able to participate in August.)
There is no fee for participating in this webinar, however registration is required so we can send you the link to join the webinar.
