Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

...Or, going forth into the world to love and serve with joy.

The letter was from Commonwealth Shakespeare Company. Another solicitation from an organization my husband and I support. I added it to his pile of mail. Then forgot about it.

Later that day, in our shared office, Bill said, “Hey look at this! You’ll want to see what we got from Commonwealth Shakespeare,” then added, “I bet you’ll want to share this on your website.”Now curious, I looked at the sheet of paper in his hand. Readers of Vestry Papers – especially my article in our current issue – might smile, as I did, at what I saw.

Here’s a photo:

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, like some Episcopal churches, and I expect a growing number of other not-for-profit organizations are showing the impact they are having on the people they serve through info-graphics. Commonwealth Shakespeare is “dedicated to performing the works of William Shakespeare in vital and contemporary productions that are presented free of charge to Boston’s diverse communities, and to educating Boston’s youth not only about Shakespeare but also about their own potential for creativity.” Their snapshot shows the diversity among those attending this summer’s free performance of “Love’s Labour’s Lost.” How did they collect this data? In part by sending interns – young adults from Boston’s many colleges –into the audience armed with entry forms and pencils, and the opportunity to perhaps win that evening’s raffle. 

What Commonwealth Shakespeare, All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Bellingham, Washington, and others have found is how influential info-graphics can be when used as part of a pledge or other campaign. Click on the links above to see how each of these churches presented data showing the ways each congregation used pledge dollars to fund their congregation’s commitment to “connect, inspire, and transform.” And, it’s no coincidence that St. Paul’s used All Saints’ “connect, inspire, and transform” language; in the best sharing tradition, they looked to All Saints’ posters for inspiration, adding a fourth word, “send” as well as a fifth poster “Supporting the Ministries.”

How does your church share the impact of their mission and ministry with members? Do you have an info-graphic or other approach you’d like to share with others?