Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

Back in October, as all of us were getting ready for another round of annual fundraising and budget-making, I wrote about an experiment we were preparing to launch at St. George’s, Valley Lee.  “We’re ditching the pledge drive,” I wrote. “Instead, we’ll send every member a box of donation envelopes with a letter. …We will share some real numbers and tell them how much our annual operating expenses are projected to be for 2014, how many households are receiving boxes of envelopes, and what a helpful average annual donation would be.”

Because, being an experiment, I didn’t want to lead anyone down an unguided path, I quickly added a caveat: “I’m not offering this new approach as something every church should do or even consider.” At the same time, however, I wagered, maybe hoped that this would bear fruit.

It’s the end of the first quarter of the new year, so let me share some metrics and modest successes along the way.

First, as in all things, communication has been key. It’s not just communication, however; it’s really clarity. Let me be clear: this is not, nor has it ever been, a campaign to raise more money. This is and has always been a campaign to expand the capacity of our membership and enlarge our understanding of the makeup of the parish. If it translates to an increase in giving, that’s well and good.

To that end, there is measurable success. Last year, we reported on our parochial report 54 “signed pledge cards.” Even though that number will be a flat “0” in next year’s parochial report – something I’m happy to do, given that that report is in need of serious overhaul anyway – we have, this year, identified and sent envelopes to 125 regularly participating, regularly giving households/individuals. That’s an increase of nearly 57%. The openness of this campaign has also enabled us to speak in real terms about real money, without sounding pushy or demanding. We are simply doing the math and numbers don’t lie.

Second, it was harder than I thought to find and purchase boxes of pledge envelopes that would work for this purpose. We were looking for 52 numbered envelopes in a box, and such envelopes that could be used as a mailing envelope for those who cannot attend but would like to contribute. (Again, this campaign is about raising the capacity of those who are already among us to participate and, if they wish, to give.) Frankly, it seemed as if someone, some time ago, decided that ‘pledge envelope’ should equal a product that’s dorky, flimsy, and useable only when your physical body is sitting in a church pew.

At last, we found a product from Cokesbury envelope services; their “Security Boxed Sets” line. It’s a boxed set of envelopes that can be mailed as well as dropped in the offering plate. They allowed us to put the Episcopal shield on the back and the mailing address of the church on the front. The one negative feedback we’ve gotten so far is that some people, albeit only a few, say that they can’t remember how much they’ve given and when. (We thought about just telling them to keep giving!) We did discover that Cokesbury also makes a “Booklet Set” which has the same features as the Security Boxed Set but enables the user, via a register, to record their contributions and keep track of what they’ve given so far and when. 

For the total order, we needed to purchase in quantities of 100, and an order for 200 boxed envelope sets cost just over $600, a modest investment in this new campaign.

Third, we can demonstrate measurable increases in people’s capacity to participate and give. The meta-data suggests, in fact, that this new campaign has not negatively impacted total participation and giving levels have remained steady. The reality is that as of March 31, 2014 we have 2.3% less money year-to-date than we did at this point in 2013 but, then again, Easter was in March last year and that inevitably translates to a surge in giving.

Drilling down into the shifts and numbers, however, we see a significant increase in capacity and participation. Even though the distinguishable categories ‘pledge’ and ‘plate’ are all but washed away in this new campaign, there are still visitors and weekend-ers and those persons who are not connected to a giving envelope who nevertheless drop cash or checks in the plate. Year-to-date as of March 31, our ‘plate’ contributions have decreased by 78%, a sobering statistic to any finance committee or vestry were it not coupled with a dramatic increase in giving via envelopes. Year-to-date as of March 31, our ‘envelope/pledge’ giving has increased by 15%.

What this means, in reality, is that those persons who were always, already a part of our congregation but who, for whatever reason, never got around to filling out a pledge card or never thought they, too, were absolutely integral to the life of the congregation, are participating, and participating and giving regularly. Our parish administrator and bookkeeper gladly report that the envelopes are being used and being used regularly, even sometimes with small donations by a wider and more diverse body than previously under the old system. What this means is that we’ve effectively moved more people and more households into greater and more sustained relationships with the Body of Christ; we’ve increased their capacity to participate and give.

This has not translated into a dramatic increase in total financial giving but I might stake a claim, looking at the long view, that this will lead to greater stability and long-term growth and possibility for this spunky little parish in lovely St. Mary’s County.