Call on Dreams and Spirit To Build Canvass Results

People at First Church UU, Jamaica Plain, MA (125 members), were tired of the face-to-face annual canvass format. Last fall the congregation tried a different approach, small-group dinners to create a new social environment. The focus was also different. "Rather than asking people to think about how much money we needed," said Betsy McDowell, canvass co-chair, "we asked them to think about what was special about the church and what it would take to continue to make it special."

It worked. The average pledge remained about $850, but the number of people who pledged increased. Overall, the amount pledged rose by 14 percent.

UU congregations are discovering how new ways of talking about money help not only to increase revenues but to raise the level of enthusiasm.

Money pledged at the Unitarian Church, Barnstable, MA (248), increased 18 percent this year. The Rev. William Russell Savage credits three factors, including a changing attitude about how (and whether) to talk about money. In addition, World magazine's March-April 1997 money issue stimulated a round of discussion. Then the church sent Savage and nine others to one of the Rev. Terry Sweetser's fundraising sessions. "If you take nine people and have them socialize with a hundred others they learn, hey, we're all starting to talk about money and it's not so terrible," Savage said.

Sweetser, a UU minister, has produced a popular video that encourages congregations to raise money for a vision rather than for specific needs. At Barnstable, said Savage, "Instead of talking about the gas bill, we asked people to support their dream for the church. We're trying to make supporting the church a spiritual discipline."

Be direct with newer members, Savage says. "Someone needs to actually tell them we need $1,000. Otherwise they may think $200 is enough." Barnstable's average pledge is $686, up from $502 in 1996.

Jerry King, a UUA fundraising consultant, suggests that congregations vary their canvass methods. Do it face-to-face two years, have potluck dinners two years, then face-to-face two years followed by two years of Commitment Sundays. "But always go back to face-to-face," he said, "and always ask new members in person. And do whatever you do with enthusiasm." He is opposed to phone canvasses. "It's too easy to say no."

If you use the church or fellowship budget to help stimulate pledges, use a program budget rather than a line item budget, King suggests. That way the programs, which inspire more enthusiasm than the line items, get the attention. Congregations that are static should aim for a 5 to 7 percent increase in canvass income, he said. Growing congregations can shoot for 10 to 15 percent.

To sum up: Talk about giving as a spiritual exercise. Vary your canvass methods. Emphasize the programs that people love, not the gas bill. Or have a big project to focus on. When the UU Fellowship of Clemson, SC (99), and the UU Fellowship of College Station, TX (83), called ministers for the first time, the average pledge jumped to $1,000.

Resource:
Fundraising with a Vision: A Canvass Guide for Congregations, has practical guidelines for canvass committees, based on the belief that fundraising is affected by a congregation's vision of what it wants to be. UUA Bookstore, $25. 800-215-9076.