Section II: The Annual Pledge Campaign
resources to teach and manage a pledge campaign
All resources on this page are available for download in PDF format (click the links).
Annual Pledge Program Management Manual
(click here to download all of section II)
For access to individual Resource Documents, click the links below.
Resource 2.1 – Icon: The Resurrection – and Meditation Materials
This resource is excellent spiritual formation for the foundation of leadership in churches raising pledges.
Resource 2.2 Icon: The Beloved Disciple – and Meditation Materials
This is an excellent icon and resource page for the formation needed for stewardship leaders.
Annual Pledge Campaign Overview
This resource is an excellent training tool for new members a committee or leadership group responsible for raising pledges.
Campaign Communications Plan
This resource will help a church of any size to imagine possibilities regarding communications. This can be a menu from which to choose your communications tools. Nothing in this on-line manual has been designed that cannot be replicated by anyone in any church with a computer and basic skills.
Resource 2.3 – Donor Motivation
This will provide a list leading motivations for pledges and major gifts. Knowing the motivations donor is it essential to relationship.
Resource 2.4 – Exercise: Parish Church Case Development
This simple exercise will help any group to develop it’s core message from which campaign communications will emerge.
Case for Support Brochure
This resource will walk you through every step in the process of designing a place brochure of one page or 10 pages.
Sample: Campaign Communications Plan
This resource will walk you through a campaign planning calendar which you may use it is entirety or as a menu of options for your own inspiration.
Resource 2.5 – Video Campaign Design
This plan will offer the outline of a case video project. Why not use a Iphone and make some brief videos and put them on line as the way you describe why you deserve the money you want to raise? It’s cheap and easy and fun!
Resource 2.6 – Art of Hosting Meaningful Conversations
This resource will help any church, large or small, to ground its communications in desires and loneliness of their church.
Resource 2.7 – Testing In a Hurry
This material will provide the basic information is needed to understand how to host a conversation which informs your pledge campaign communications.
Resource 2.8 – The Donor Centric Case
This handout will show leadership how important it is to use living systems leadership styles when planning financial development.
Leadership and Oversight
This material will provide bishops and judicatory leadership with the basics needed to oversee church fund raising and to encourage excellence among clergy often not trained in this work and often deeply resistant to leading it.
Resource 2.9 – Parish Survey Worksheet
This resource will provide a template for a parish to plan the pledge campaign basics.
Visitations by Bishops and Church Leaders
This document will coach a bishop and the necessary conversations required to consider stewardship when providing oversight.
Resource 2.13 – Resource Development Manifesto for the Church
This article will provide leadership with the vision and passion needed to do great work in resource development and will provide a clear example of excellence from our church’s past.
Resource 2.14 – Pledge Campaign Task Flow Calendar
This is one of the most valuable resources the fearlesschurchfundraising.com free on-line collection. Here we have a month by month plan for a year ‘round stewardship program. A version of this task calendar for small and medium churches can be created with editing and smaller versions will soon be added to the web site in Spring 2017.
Resource 2.15 – Stewardship Commission and Related Committees
Here you have a sample of the various possible committees in church stewardship.
Resource 2.16 – Sample: Stewardship Commission Volunteer Job Description
This resource will provide a vision for successful stewardship leadership.
Measurable Donor Involvement Cultivation
This document will teach the importance involving donors in mission and a sample tool to track involvement by parishioner. Involvement tracking and growth is essential.
Resource 2.17 – Year-Round Cultivation
This is an easy format to track involvement depth. We suggest that at staff meetings or clergy/leadership meetings that you track involvement a few members at a time.
Resource 2.18 – Sample hand-written Note (the last thanks and the first ask)
Resource 2.19 – The Daily Blog – Drop by Drop Spiritual Formation
Resource 2.20 – Sample: Advance Campaign Plan
Resource 2.21 – Sample: Advance Campaign Vestry Speaking Notes
Resource 2.22 – Sample: Advance Vestry Letter
Resource 2.23 – Sample: Advance/Regular Campaign Thank You Letter
Resource 2.24 – Non-Givers “Pledge Campaign is Coming”Warm-up Letter
These early letters are a valuable way to announce the structure of any campaign. It sets up campaign expectations and calendar events and is used weeks before the campaign begins.
Resource 2.25 – Previous Givers “Pledge Campaign is Coming” warm-up Letter
Resource 2.26 – Sample: General Warm-up Letter
This letter is used just as the campaign is launched.
Resource 2.27 – Hand-written note
Resource 2.28 – Sample: Special Event Creativity Worksheet
The Stewardship Liturgical Plan
It is essential that the practical and logistical tools of a campaign be paired went effective spiritual formation and worship. This material provides input to that work and includes prayers, collects, preaching tips and more.
Resource 2.31- Focus Group Questions
It is valuable to gather parishioners together to get input into the design and messaging of a campaign. A focus group will assist you in that work.
Resource 2. 32 – The WOW Cards
This is a tremendous resource and can be done in any size church. Just place index cards and pencils in pews and invite ideas. Pledging will only follow the invitation of ideas.
Resource 2. 33 – Sample Pledge Certificate
We suggest a beautiful and substantial pledge certificate. This template we’ll get you started.
Resource 2.34 – Sample Auto-Withdrawl Confirmation Letter
Resource 2.35 – Letter to LYBUNT/PYBUNT Exit Questionnaire
One of the great failures many church campaigns is that leaders do not pursue pledges at the end of the campaign from last year (LYBUNT) and past year (PYBUNT) donors pledgers. If people do not pledge go back again and if they refuse ask them why.
Resource 2.36 – Pledge Collection Letter
It is essential that when collecting a pledge the letters and the documentation look exactly like thank you letters. That is because they are thank you letters. Never send a pledge bill, invoice or even listing…always make it look like a thank you letter by using mail-merge!
Resource 2.37 – Financial Support Survey
Resource 2.38 – LYBUNT End of Year Reminder Letter
People who game last year but not this year need to be asked again and again until they either pledge or explain why they choose not to pledge. These letters can help.
Resource 2.39 – PYBUNT End of Year Reminder Letter
Annual Pledge Campaign Ministry Minutes and Phone-a-thons
Ministry minutes are one-way to keep the messages in the liturgy, or church service, and to keep the message on a member to member level. This material will help you to create a Ministry Minute program. Phone-a-thons are the only way to nudge parishioners into remembering to pledge. This section explains in detail how to proceed. Choose not to do phone-a-thons at your campaign’s peril.
Resource 2.40 – Sample: Ministry Minute Recruitment Letter
Resource 2.41 – Sample: Ministry Minute Recruitment Confirmation Letter
Resource 2.42 – Sample: Ministry Minute Speaker Tips for Success
Resource 2.43 – Sample: Ministry Minute Recruitment Guidelines
Resource 2.44 – How to host the Ministry Minute Speaker
Resource 2.45 – Sample: Ministry Minute Script 1
Resource 2.46 – Sample: Ministry Minute Speaker Script 2
Resource 2.47 – Sample: Ministry Minute Speaker Summary Statements
Resource 2.48 – Sample: Leadership Frequently Asked Questions Resource
Resource 2.49 – Phone-a-Thon Mid Campaign Script
Resource 2.50 – Phone-a-Thon Late Campaign Script
Campaign Closure Recognition
The big mistakes most churches make is that they begin strong and weak. It is important to begin strong, rest in the middle, and end strong. part of ending strong is a good “thank you” process.
Resource 2.51 – Sample Year-End Giving Article
Every parish whether large or small should invite church members to give a year-end gift. Here’s a sample article also easily used as a letter.
Resource 2.52 – Sample: Thank You Letter Hand-Written Note Writers
Resource 2.53 – Sample: In-kind Gift Thank You Letter
Barriers to Effective Financial Development
It is important to keep an eye out for barriers wish constrict giving. This article will raise awareness among leaders.
Launching Fearless Church Fundraising
This article will help leadership to see the value in teaching and using effective tools so that members of the congregation are formed in the spirituality of giving and so that effective tools with measurable objectives are used.
Resource 2.54 – Taking Fearless Church Fundraising Home
These questions are valuable for leadership to consider when beginning the good work of changing culture.
Resource 2.55 – Teaching Fearless Church Fundraising to Adults
In order for our churches to change giving culture we will need to teach committee and leadership members how to raise money. Very few churches can afford to payconsultants even on is sliding scale. In order to save our churches from financial collapse we will simply need to raise money. The only way to do that is to teach our leaders how to raise money. Our leaders are adults and learn differently from children. This material will help you to teach your leaders how to raise money.
Resource 2.56 – A model Fundraising App that works!
This is just one Smart-phone app which provides a model for the kind of tool which any parishioner under 40 will soon be using to volunteer and to give their pledge and major gifts. This is a reality. These apps are free to the church and are paid for by a tiny percentage of the gifts (less than 1% and from an account rather than 3% from a credit card!) This author assisted in the development of this app.