YEAR-ROUND STEWARDSHIP #4

            I am finishing up sharing information about year-round stewardship, as we come into the last three months of the year.

October

• ·         This should be the month that you should have a draft of your line-item budget. That means you can start working on a narrative budget. I will talk about this in a later blog. It’s a great way to tell the story of your budget without resorting to a business-like budget that no one takes the time to read.
• ·         With this, leadership can model the generosity that you would like folks in the pew to follow. Leadership should spend some time this month focusing on generosity, being intentional and challenging about it, for themselves and for others.
• ·         Have you identified folks to talk to about planned giving? This could be a good time to visit one or two to have that conversation.

November

• ·         This is the month we celebrate All Saints Sunday, where we lift up the names of those saints who have passed during the past year. It’s also a good time to recognize memorial and other gifts “in honor of”.  What ministries will those gifts benefit? Tell those stories! Send a “thank you” note to the family of those whose passing was recognized with memorial gifts, or who made gifts in honor of a loved one. Include a story of the celebration, something about the ministry being celebrated.
• ·         Mail the pledge packet to every household. Include a cover letter, request for prayerful consideration, return envelope and an estimate of giving or commitment card. Include a copy of next year’s narrative budget, a step chart showing weekly giving ranges.
• ·         Receive commitment cards and dedicate them. The focus on Commitment Sunday should be the financial pledge, not the prayers, presence and service that is also part of stewardship.

December

• ·         Send thank you letters to every pledging household.
• ·         Send giving statements prior to the end of the year, so people can “catch up” or make extra gifts before year-end. Remember another statement will need to be sent in January including all the gifts made during this year. This is required for tax purposes.
• ·         Provide information about different ways to make gifts. Discipleship Ministries has a bulletin/newsletter insert titled “year-end is a time for giving” that talks about:

o   Cash gifts

o   Giving of appreciated property

o   Giving and retaining income for life

o   Giving unneeded life insurance

o   Memorial gifts

o   Wise tax planning

o   Expressing faith