Inspire! Invite! Thank!
What is this program?
The Congregational Giving Program of Called to Be the Church: The Journey provides everything you need to get a congregational giving program off the ground.
Getting started
- Download and review the resources at the bottom of this page.
- Gather your Giving Team (1‒5 people).
- Use the Program Guide and the Planning Workbook to plan your program.
Giving Team meeting 1: Planning
- Share Why I’m Here and Why I Give stories.
- Set your goals for the program.
- Set your timeline for the program: 5-week, 3-week, or 1-week.
- Pick the full liturgies, sermons, and children’s resources for your program from the Worship Sampler or directly from the Stewardship in Worship page.
Giving Team meeting 2: Planning
- Plan your Invitation Package to Inspire, Invite. and Thank people to greater generosity.
- Work on your Narrative Budget.
- Commit your own gifts.
- Plan your communication to the community of faith.
Implement the program!
Inspire
Inspiring examples of living our faith inspire gratitude; inspire generosity; inspire giving.
- Why Am I Here? exercise
- Why I Give? exercise
- Narrative Budget how-tos and samples
Invite
We invite ALL people of our faith community to contribute to God’s mission here in our congregation, in our community, and through the Mission & Service of The United Church of Canada. The invitation is most effective when we reach out in a clear, direct, and personal way.
- Ways to Invite: Face-to-Face; Community Meal; Letter of Invitation (with samples)
- Decision-Making Tools: Intention Sheet and Response Card (with samples); Step Chart; Proportional Giving Chart
- Program announcements: Bulletin announcement; letter/e-mail samples
Thank
A culture of generosity is built on a foundation of gratitude. We cannot say thank you too many times. It’s just that simple!
- Timely: A message of thanks is provided soon after you receive a gift.
- Personal: The thank you is delivered face-to-face, in a handwritten note, or by e-mail.
- Sincere: The message communicates what a difference a person’s gift will make.
Giving Team meeting 3: Evaluating and celebrating
Use the Evaluation report in the Planning Workbook as a general guide.
- Review your experience.
- Do follow-up reporting and updating.
- Celebrate what you accomplished!
Get the stewardship support you need
Downloads
- Called to Be the Church: Program Guide (795.46 KB) (PDF)
- Called to Be the Church: Planning Workbook (PDF) (185.71 KB) (PDF)
- Called to Be the Church: Planning Workbook (Word) (77.17 KB) (Word)
- Called to Be the Church: Worship Sampler (1.12 MB) (PDF)
- Narrative Budget: How-to (817.98 KB) (Word)
- Narrative Budget: Template (34.49 KB) (Word)
- Narrative Budget: Sample (1.03 MB) (PDF)
- Step Chart: Fillable (17.43 KB) (Word)
- Proportional Giving Chart (24.1 KB) (Word)
- Letter Templates (76.5 KB) (Word)
- Sample Response Card (56.52 KB) (Word)
- The Importance of Follow-Up (36.29 KB) (Word)