Stewardship Tip January 2009

Parish Stewardship New Year’s Resolutions

It’s January – a great time to make one or more New Year’s resolutions that will enhance your parish stewardship. Here are ten suggestions to get you started thinking about what might help stewardship grow and flourish at your parish:

1. Plan NOW to add a word of thanks to this year’s end-of-the-year/IRS statement to your donors. It’s easy to let them know you appreciate their support!

2. Add a petition to the Prayer of the Faithful specifically focused on gratitude or stewardship at least once a month.

3. Put a ministry thank you event on the parish calendar NOW.

4. Do a bulletin audit – and add at least one “stewardship in action” item to your parish bulletin every week. Make sure the language is “grateful” throughout. People love to be thanked!

5. Plan to spotlight one particular ministry in your gathering area once a month – or once a week – and watch your ministries grow!

6. Look critically at the welcome materials offered to new people and visitors. Develop new and better ones (or replenish the stock of the existing materials) as necessary.

7. Keep track of contributions given by people not registered in the parish. Create a little database or spreadsheet with all the information you can glean off their checks and the date of their contribution and resolve to thank them next year-end – and possibly send an invitation to register if they have given a number of times over the year.

8. Write at least 4 seasonal thank you note templates for donors who give more than $250 at a time. Use the first right away and then mark your calendar to change to a different one on April 1, July1, and October 1. Fresh new language just sounds more grateful!

9. Resolve to acknowledge all gifts received by the parish in a timely manner – within a week or ten days, if at all possible.

10. Start saving now to send at least one member of your stewardship committee to the International Catholic Stewardship Conference in Dallas in September – or one of Our Sunday Visitor’s regional stewardship conferences. It will be money well spent!