OVER-ALL STEWARDSHIP PLANNING #2

 

Last week, I started talking about the list of items needed to help you organize your planning for stewardship and generosity. The first part of the list included a preaching series, teaching in small groups, giving updates, telling stories of impact and giving.

The list continues:

·         Emphasizing electronic giving. Most of us now have electronic giving available for our folks. That’s great! But we need to promote it a few times a year. How are you doing that?

·         Financial planning classes. Whether it’s Financial Peace University or Financially Freed Up, or some other class, it is important to empower and instruct your folks on having their best relationship with money.

·         Vision of the church. Keep the mission and visit of the church in front of folks. Everyone should be aware of what your church is moving toward. Short bits of information throughout the year and an annual update would go a long way toward keeping people informed.

·         Annual Report. Often a church’s annual report is just a compilation of the financial report, a pastor’s letter and reports from the teams that will provide them. What is the annual report also included the highlights of the prior year into one communication piece? Having the detailed reports is good, but most people won’t take the time to read everything. An executive summary will let people know what really happened. What are you proud of?

·         Financial communications. Of course, we do at least an annual giving statement so people have the information necessary for their taxes. Hopefully, we’re doing quarterly communications so people can keep up to date with the commitment they made. But these communications should be more than just letting them know how much was given. Tell them what’s been happening. What did their giving enable?

·         Planned giving. This is longer term giving, which is just as important as capital and everyday giving. This type of giving is through wills or other methods, that is often through assets. Provide information and seminars to help people learn what they can do and to help them do their planning for the future of God’s work through the church. If the work the church was doing was important enough to support through their regular giving, shouldn’t it be just as important after they’re gone?

            There are a lot of items, but all of them are important for stewardship and generosity activities to be done well and to prevent anything from being “forgotten”.

 

Please feel free to contact me at (315) 427-3668 or susanranous@unyumc.org if you’d like help organizing the generosity and giving in your church!