Throughout the year, TENS has hosted many webinars and virtual gatherings, and in each of them, you have shared stories of mission and ministry that have inspired us. Among the most inspiring stories have been about newcomers who have found their way to a church community during the pandemic through virtual services. These aren’t isolated stories, they’re happening in every diocese, in hundreds of congregations, in so many cities and towns.
Even while our doors were closed, our churches were open, finding ways not only to keep members engaged but also to continue to provide outreach even through a maze of local and national guidelines. This vitality has been noticed by newcomers, and virtual worship provided them a low-barrier way to learn about our churches. Many congregations report that as they have reopened, these newcomers are walking through the door, finding a pew, introducing themselves for the first time in person to people they have come to know online. What a time for the Church!
As you welcome new families into your congregational life, take time to help them understand how we fund our ministry and impact our communities. If you haven’t created a newcomer or welcome packet, something you can put in their hands or deliver in email, now is the time. Share some stories about who you are, provide them with information on how the budget is built and what it supports, guide them gently into making a first gift or pledge by informing them about the median gift or average gift size in your congregation so that they have a place to start, help them get involved through volunteer opportunities and the formation programs you will begin this fall.
Our churches – your church – have shared our gifts with a world in need. It might have felt to us like we were fallow in these last months, but I assure you, we were planting the seeds of love and justice in our communities. Our neighbors have witnessed our work, and are coming to find out more. Let us be prepared to welcome them.
Helping Members Make Their Best Gifts
In July and August, TENS ran two webinars specifically designed to help stewardship leaders inspire members to make mission-based gifts. Your materials for stewardship, your planning for your campaign, and the alignment of your whole leadership team will have great impact on how your members respond to your campaign. If you missed these webinars, I commend them to you now to gather insight on how your case statements, websites, and analyzing gift trends can help you improve your asking and increase your giving
Case Statements Matter!
How you make your case, how you tell stories about the mission, that inspires your members to make their best gifts. In this webinar, you will learn some great tips on creating materials that make an impact, that measure your work in the community, and that helps you to tell the story of your ministry.
Download this webinar to learn:·
- What is the Case for Support?
- Generational Differences in Donor Engagement
- What elements go into a Case for Support?
- How to put your case statement together
Breaking Through the Pledge Plateau
Download this webinar and the slides to learn:
- Analyzing trends in giving – understanding donor relations
- Identifying and teaching the Mission
- How to recruit, train, and support leaders who lead
- Learning lessons from nonprofits about fundraising programs that work
- How to adapt your approach to fundraising
- Get three practical tools to analyze your fundraising success
If you do not have the TENS password, please contact at finance@diowestmo.org. Other church stewardship resources can be found here.