Congregational Stewardship and Fundraising Resources
Hello. I’m Wayne Clark, Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Director of Congregational Stewardship Services. Along with Environmental Stewardship Manager Robin Nelson, Administrator Jesse Holm, and our nine stewardship consultants, we partner with Unitarian Universalist (UU) congregations to help each transform their unique vision into bold action.
Using your frequently asked questions as a guide, I have created a list of helpful resources. The resources are arranged by category:
- Appreciative Inquiry
- Facilities Planning (including information about building loans, loan guarantees, and grants)
- Generosity and Stewardship (including information about how to conduct annual budget drives and capital campaigns)
There are three primary resources for congregational stewardship:
- Beyond Fundraising: A Complete Guide to Congregational Stewardship
This is the primary resource for each of these three categories. The book can be purchased at the UUA Bookstore.
- Congregational Stewardship
My blog, with weekly conversations about stewardship-related topics.
- Email lists
A great way to ask questions, share information, or participate in online discussions. The UUA sponsors over 300 different mailing lists and participation is free.
If you have questions or would like additional information, please contact Robin Nelson, Jesse Holm, or myself.
In faith,
Wayne B. Clark, Ph.D.
csdirectoruua.org
Robin Nelson
uua_greensanctuary@uua.org
Jesse Holm
congstewardship@uua.org
Appreciative Inquiry
- Appreciative Inquiry Commons
An information highway connecting people with academic resources and practical tools for Appreciative Inquiry.
- The Appreciate Way
This book, available at Clergy Leadership Institute, offers an introduction to Appreciative Inquiry and describes the 5D model.
- Appreciative Inquiry and the Quest
Applies the Appreciative Inquiry model to philanthropy.
- Memories, Hopes, and Conversations: Appreciative Inquiry and Congregational Change, by Mark L. Branson, Herndon, VA, The Alban Institute, 2004.
By focusing on memories of the congregation at its best, members are able to construct “provocative proposals” to help shape the church’s future.
- Appreciative Inquiry Handbook, by David L. Cooperrider, Diana Whitney, and Jacqueline M. Stavros; Brunswick, OH, Crown Custom Publishing, 2005.
The handbook contains everything needed to launch any kind of Appreciative Inquiry (AI) initiative.
- The Thin Book of Appreciative Inquiry, by Sue Annis Hammond, Bend, OR, Thin Book Publishing Company, 2002.
Unlike a cookbook approach to change, Appreciative Inquiry is a thought process. The book is written in simple language and includes references on where to go for more in-depth study.
- The Power of Appreciative Inquiry: A Practical Guide to Positive Change, by Diana Whitney and Amanda Trosten-Bloom, San Francisco, Barrett-Koehler Communications, 2003.
The authors believe Appreciative Inquiry shows that if you want to transform a situation, a relationship, an organization, or a community, focusing on strengths is more effective than focusing on problems.
Facilities Planning
- Building Loan, Loan Guarantee, and Grant Programs
Offers information about UUA building loans, loan guarantees, grants, and awards.
- Master Planning New Church Facilities
From the General Council of the Assemblies of God, this site provides information on master planning for new church facilities.
- The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
A community of leaders who work to transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built, and operated. They administer the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system.
- The Green Church: Responsible Stewardship of the Earth's Resources Pays Off
Here Paula Suhrbier and William Brocious write about responsible stewardship of the earth and explain how being a green church pays off.
- Building for Effective Mission: A Complete Guide for Congregations on Bricks and Mortar Issues, by Kennon L. Callahan, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass, 1997.
This book describes buildings that further a chosen mission; evaluating possible sites for location, mission potential, property characteristics, and financial considerations.
- First Impressions: How to Present an Inviting Church Facility, by Robert A. Lee, Nashville, TN, Abingdon Press, 1993.
Lee presents information to evaluate the needs of existing and future members. He details how to determine whether the environment is inviting to congregants.
Generosity and Stewardship
- Congregational Stewardship Consulting
Landing page for UUA Congregational Stewardship Services Consulting work.
- Congregational Stewardship Services FAQs
Offers frequently asked questions and answers about annual budget drives and capital campaigns.
- Generosity Path
Helps participants create greater meaning and satisfaction, open up deeper connections to the world, and build ways to be a force for positive change.
- Generous Giving
Provides articles and papers about generosity in the church.
- Stewardship: The Joy of Giving, by Linda Lee Berg, Ruth Lewellen-Dix, and Fia B. Scheyer.
The authors share a five-session stewardship program for four age levels: primary children, intermediate children, youth, and adults.
- Giving and Stewardship in an Effective Church: A Guide for Every Member, by Kennon L. Callahan, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass, 1990.
This complete guide to giving and stewardship sheds light on solid financial resources, one of the twelve keys to building an effective church.
- Graceful Living: Your Faith, Values, and Money in Changing Times, by Laura Dunham, New York, RCA Distribution, 2002.
The book’s focus is faith-based financial decision making that challenges the consumer culture.
- Plain Talk about Churches and Money, by Dean R. Hoge, Patrick McNamara, and Charles Zech, Bethesda, MD, The Alban Institute, 1997.
Tackles resistance, fears, and difficulties concerning money issues.
- The Soul of Money: Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Life, by Lynne Twist, New York, W. W. Norton, 2003.
Twist shows us that examining our attitudes toward money—earning it, spending it, and giving it away—can offer surprising insight into our lives, our values, and the essence of prosperity.
For more information contact congstewardship@uua.org.
This work is made possible by the generosity of individual donors. Please consider making a donation today.
Last updated on Wednesday, April 18, 2012.
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