Materials for Activity

• Your congregation’s mission statement
• Newsprint, markers, and tape

Preparation for Activity

• Make copies of your congregation’s mission statement.
• Review Activity 4, FAITHIFY and Other Crowdfunding, and related materials.
• Become familiar with the requirements for listing a campaign on FAITHIFY.
• Talk with congregational leaders, staff, or appropriate committees to find out about recent ideas for fulfilling the congregation’s mission that were not realized due to limited funding.

Description of Activity

Distribute copies of your congregation’s mission statement and read it aloud. Say:

Are there ways in which our congregation could more effectively fulfill its mission if there were more financial resources?

Invite participants to propose ways of fulfilling the mission that would be possible if the congregation were able to access more funds. For each proposal, consider the following questions:

• Is the project likely to be funded by the congregation or broader community, or is it unlikely to be funded under the current model for allocation of resources?
• Will this potential project appeal to a broader constituency than our own membership and open possibilities for community engagement?

When participants agree on a project that offers good possibilities for crowdfunding, approach your lay and professional congregational leadership for suggestions and guidance about moving forward. Then, make a plan to launch a FAITHIFY initiative, including a campaign budget, description, and implementation tasks. Resources for planning and running a FAITHIFY campaign are on their website. Present your plan to the appropriate congregational or group leaders for support and/or approval. Divide responsibilities for fund-raising, communication, and project implementation once funds are raised among the participants and others who wish to be involved.

After all preparations are made, launch the campaign!