Inspiring Generosity

1/8/2020

Get Ready, 2020. Here We Come!

You've got this. Gerd Altman@pixabay.com

Holy smokes. I’ve been gone for two weeks. What’d I miss? Well for starters, I’ve missed you, dear readers. Happy New Year. I trust that your holiday season was a joy-filled one and that all you clergy people, especially, have now semi-recovered. You’ve just experienced the Super Bowl of church. Christmas pageants! Special music! Christmas Eve! Showing up for the Sunday after Christmas! Lucky you, you get to be in your very own Super Bowl every year. If only they’d give you a gold ring to celebrate. But you made it. Seriously, we sincerely thank you.

You’ve now had a week (maybe) to recover. It’s time to look 2020 squarely in the face and say “I’ve got this” – at least as it relates to stewardship. You’ve “got it” because you have your very own handy-dandy 2020 Stewardship Calendar. You can access it right here (Merry New Year).

While of course everything on the Stewardship Calendar is important, here are three essential things to remember:

1. Focus on gratitude. That means thanking people for their generosity. Find a variety of ways to thank people: from the pulpit, email, newsletter, Facebook, etc. Think about which upcoming holiday you want to love on your people – Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, or Groundhog Day are a start.

2. Tell your story. Just as important as saying “thank you,” telling how your people are making a difference in the world shows that their giving matters. Once again, find a variety of ways to share – from the pulpit, email, newsletters, and Facebook. Do it as often as you can.

3. Set a financial goal. How much do you need to raise in 2020? How will you do it? This can keep you focused but it doesn’t need to overwhelm you. It’s there as a reminder. If you don’t have a goal and don’t keep it in front of you, life just might get in the way. You want to be celebrating on Dec. 31, not begging for last minute gifts.

There’s a lot to do to have a successful year raising funds for your awesome ministries and non-profits. Just praying, while helpful, won’t cut it. It takes action. And prayer. And more action.

Let me know how I can be of assistance. If you like, I can send the 2020 Stewardship Plan to you in a Word document so you can personalize it and assign people to do certain tasks (I love delegating). Shoot me an email at InspiringGenerosity@gmail.com.

P.S. Don’t forget, tomorrow UMC Discipleship Ministries is offering the webinar, Stewardship & Finance: Getting it Right at the Starting Line. You can sign up for it right here.

Cesie Delve Scheuermann (pronounced “CC Delv Sherman,” yes, really) is a consultant in stewardship, development, and grant writing. Over the past fifteen years, while working as a volunteer and part-time consultant, she helped raise over three million dollars for numerous non-profit organizations. She thinks instead of a boring old Super Bowl gold ring, you all should receive a wee doggie from the Puppy Bowl. Her position with the Conference is funded through a generous grant from the Collins Foundation. She is available to consult with churches. You can reach her at inspiringgenerosity@gmail.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/inspiringgenerosity or at CesieScheuermann.com.

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Cesie Delve Scheuermann

Cesie Delve Scheuermann is consultant in grant writing and stewardship/development working with the Conference. From 2008-12 she was the Conference Lay Leader for the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference.