Most congregational giving charts include a few people at the top. While this is quite normal, the reality is that a significant number of those giving families come from the older age brackets. Growing a strong base of younger givers will sustain ministry even as some major donors leave the congregation (via death, relocation, or other reason). In this Master Class, Rev. Pete Reuss will provide a practical framework of inviting new families to step into this leadership giving role. It includes cottage meetings, current major givers, and the pastoral staff.

In fundraising, one size never fits all. Coordinating your fundraising strategies for both direct mail and digital provide the best of both options – and it’s literally how people live in the world. By creating multiple touch points, you improve your stickiness with people who care – or might care – about your organization. Combining strategies also means you’ll raise more money. Isn’t that your goal? In this Roundtable session, learn why integrating these strategies is so impactful and how to do it effectively. You’ll even pick up some tips that you can use in your own fundraising appeals.

From Thank You to Help! What you say – and how you say it – matters. In this session we’ll talk about some of the pitfalls in fundraising writing, differences to consider across various mediums, and how to improve our writing and messaging for better donor engagement. Want to workshop your own written communication? Bring your letter, email, or donor invitation to talk through it together!

Congregations expect their people to give of their time and financial resources and readily share their frustration when people don’t step up. It quickly leads to a narrative of scarcity. There’s just not enough. Yet, at the heart, congregations are volunteer organizations. People willingly show up for worship. They choose to give financial gifts. They share their time. It’s amazing to see. What if we moved from a culture of shame and expectation to a culture of gratitude. It begins with thanking people. In this Master Class, Rev. Pete Reuss will move beyond quarterly reports and provide steps to make people feel appreciated for all they do. People who feel appreciated are more likely to take a further step in their journey of generosity.March Roundtable

Campaigns can be powerful opportunities in the life of your organization or ministry when organized well. They require time, energy, and thoughtful planning, but can propel your organization in several ways. In this session we’ll identify opportunities to leverage your campaign to build your brand and brand engagement.

Campaigns can be powerful opportunities in the life of your organization or ministry when organized well. They require time, energy, and thoughtful planning, but can propel your organization in several ways. In this session we’ll explore how your campaign is a powerful opportunity for sharing and enlivening the story of the organization or ministry. We’ll identify opportunities and approaches to telling and sharing your story through a campaign.

Campaigns can be powerful opportunities in the life of your organization or ministry when organized well. They require time, energy, and thoughtful planning, but can propel your organization in several ways. In this session we’ll explore how your campaign is a powerful opportunity for sharing and enlivening the story of the organization or ministry. We’ll identify opportunities and approaches to telling and sharing your story through a campaign.

Is your organization poised for a campaign? How can you use such an opportunity to advance your organization in multiple areas and accomplish various goals in the end? Campaigns can be powerful opportunities in the life of your organization or ministry when organized well. They require time, energy, and thoughtful planning, but can propel your organization in several ways. The first aspect we’ll explore is how your campaign should resource your vision and priorities/plan. This may sound obvious, but all too often organizations move into a campaign without clear vision and priorities or don’t really align their fundraising goals with their vision and priorities - a missed opportunity to enliven your vision and resource your strategic priorities.

Fundraising, as congregations currently do it, is labor intensive and does not bring joy. In fact, a major reason for staff burnout is that congregations don’t adequately fund its ministry with young people, and they have to rely on special fundraising with high investment and low return. There is a better way. Fundraising can align with our ministry goals and can return significant resources, strengthening our ministry.

Being grateful is a key step in the process with a donor. Learn three components that should be part of every gratitude plan.

It’s early January and we should know what our plan for securing generosity for the year will be. Do you have a development calendar? What about goals? Does your board/council know how to monitor the plan and provide assistance in reaching the goal?

Many boards (councils) spend lots of time talking about stuff. But, is it the right stuff? And, when it isn’t the right stuff, are we hindering generosity? A strategic plan is critically important in the fundraising function both for churches and non-profit institutions. And, the board/council needs tools for asking for and monitoring the strategic plan.

Don't bore people with your annual statements. They are a chance to reinforce your message of impact.

Leadership culture can significantly drain or dramatically empower your organization in achieving its goals and delivering its mission. Whatever role you play in the organization, you have the opportunity to influence and shape a culture of leadership. We’ll discuss ways you can help shape a leadership environment that empowers your people and strengthens your organization. Bring your real world situations for us to unpack together and leave empowered to take action.

Ever been at a Council meeting that started great and next thing you know you are spending 30 minutes discussing something no one really cares about? Learn tips and strategies for keeping your focus on the gospel mission of the congregation, rather than something easily delegated.

You have your priorities, you have your plans… now what? It’s time to organize your people to realize those plans and achieve your priorities. Whether you’re a 1-person shop, working with volunteers, a congregation, or a complex organization, intentionally organizing people to play fulfilling roles in your plans is powerful in advancing your organization to new levels of achievement and mission potential. Once again, bring your real world situations for us to unpack together and leave empowered to take action.

Priorities are great… but how do you go about achieving those priorities? In the second of this 3-part series we’ll discuss the role of planning, once again highlighting the need for and relationship between your strategic plan, fundraising plan, and communication plan. We’ll explore planning approaches that are nimble, accessible, and scalable for organizations of all sizes. Once again, bring your real world situations for us to unpack together and leave empowered to take action.

What should you be raising money for? How are you raising it? What kinds of communication are supporting those efforts? Clear priorities, at all levels, empower organizations to achieve fundraising success. We’ll discuss ways to cultivate and orient your priorities for mission fruition and fundraising success, sequencing and aligning institutional strategic priorities on through to fundraising and marketing priorities. Bring your real world situations for us to unpack together and leave empowered to take action.

Commitment Sunday can be a time of joy and celebration. From original screen plays to adapted works, to generosity and abundance stories, learn how to make your next Commitment Sunday fun and fabulous.

Face to face visits are the most effective fundraising approach to build donor relationship, but they are time consuming in the short term while the results may not be realized for a prolonged period of time. How do you know if you're seeing the "right" people? How do you balance the number of visits between known givers and potential, but lesser known, givers? With tight budgets and limited human resources, reassessing your 1:1 Donor Portfolio is an important part of strategically managing your fundraising effort. At this Roundtable session, we'll talk about how to build a donor portfolio, assess an existing list, and leave with confidence knowing when to add and remove prospective givers.