Stewardship Conference

I feel like I've overdosed on conferences. First I had eight days of the College for Congregational Development, then a day of Fresh Start on Tuesday, then Saturday I attended a stewardship conference at St. John's, Kirkland, entitled, "Enabling Generosity in Anxious Times".

The stewardship conference had some practical offerings as well as some food for thought. "The Ten Commandments of Annual Pledge Campaigns" was especially helpful in planning a successful pledge campaign. Here are some of the key points:

1. Conceptualize the program at the beginning - get the big picture.
2. Identify the support you'll need, like key people and databases.
3. Define the parish leadership roles. Who will do what?
4. Recruit and train the leaders of the campaign.
5. Define what the mailings will be, such as invitations, thank yous, and pledge cards.
6. Recruit people to offer their witness.
7. Create a theme for the campaign with words and images.
8. Plan events that will happen.
9. Celebrate "Pledge Sunday" when pledges are returned.
10. Follow up with thank yous and evaluations.

I'm sure this will be helpful as we plan our pledge campaign this summer and fall.
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