"We also got lots of people involved, and we did a good job of identifying priorities," said Farrow. "And we have a generous congregation that responds when they understand there is a need."

At the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara, Calif. (484), canvass leaders set two tones regarding the economy, said Canvass Chair Ken Saxon. "This is not the best of times economically, but by no means is it the worst. Just because some of us may be experiencing hardship, there are others who have experienced great abundance. So it would be a mistake to assume everyone is hurting, and to let that affect our approach.

"Second, we said our congregation needs to be sustained whether the economy is good or bad. No matter the circumstances, we need to be there."

He said canvassers focused on "upbeat and inspirational messages." Nearly half of the pledgers increased their pledges and less than 15 per cent decreased. The canvass finished up about 11 percent, but most of that was due to first-timers, he said. "We encouraged our canvassers to get increases where they could, but we also told them that in this climate, for some people maintaining a flat pledge was an act of extraordinary generosity this year."

Congregations whose members view them as strong communities and where canvasses are done "face to face," generally have good success, said UUA Fund Raising Consultant Larry Wheeler. "If they see the congregation as truly important they'll give more."

First Parish Church, Groton, Conn., got a 2.5 percent gain by creating a "Generosity Committee" that asked core leadership to explore the connection between generosity and spirituality and tell why they gave, said Susan Hughes. That exercise was used to prepare material for the congregation.

They avoided words like "pledge, canvass, budget, and should," using instead "gifts, contributions, and annual renewal." The canvass was the "Annual Gift Renewal." "We asked everyone to consider how their generosity could impact the work of the church," said Hughes, chair of the Annual Giving Committee. "We asked those who could be more generous in difficult economic times to do so on behalf of those facing hardships." Many of the ideas came from a workshop conducted by independent financial consultant Michael Durall.

Hughes said the committee made sure to thank those who could not give as much this year. "They appreciated our acknowledgement of hard economic times."