06/07/2023 - Give from loyalty? Or for transformation?
By: Generous ThoughtsWhen we ask for support for our congregations, do we emphasize loyalty or transformation?
Blogs
Blogs
05/10/2023 - Pause, Don’t Quit: Keeping the Discipleship of Volunteering in Season
By: Generous ThoughtsDuring the pandemic, I read about happiness. Gretchen Rubin, a journalist who studies happiness and habits, found that happiness is largely influenced by habits, and that...
03/29/2023 - Take on Gratitude as a Spiritual Practice
By: Generous ThoughtsEach morning, cup of coffee in one hand and a pen in the other, I spend a few minutes writing responses to the following prompts:
03/08/2023 - An Annual Physical for the Body of Christ
By: Generous ThoughtsHow do we measure the health of our congregations?
02/14/2023 - 2023 Stewardship Webinars for Congregational Leaders
By: Generous ThoughtsThe following stewardship webinars offered from 6:30 to 7:30pm Central Time Mar 22 - Changing Landscape of Giving: What we can learn from Millennial and Gen Z Donors ...
02/13/2023 - What Does Generosity Taste Like?
By: Generous ThoughtsLast fall, my husband got two deer. A local butcher processed them but, despite our request, turned almost all of them into ground venison. Urgh!
01/24/2023 - Setting Goals – the Monkey and the Pedestal
By: Generous ThoughtsEvery January, I set personal and work goals. I love this process of thinking about what I accomplished in the past year, what I hope to do in the year ahead, and what ...
12/15/2022 - Write A Compelling Annual Report
By: Generous ThoughtsAnnual Reports What story does your annual report tell? I read the annual report of a congregation in preparation for meeting with a church council. ...
11/21/2022 - Remembering People
By: Generous ThoughtsHave you ever heard the story about the time Fred Rogers--“Mr. Rogers” -- spoke at a National Press Club luncheon? I read about it in a sermon by Thomas Long years ago ...
09/20/2022 - Urgency vs. Agency
By: Generous ThoughtsDoes your congregation use the language of urgency?
09/07/2022 - The Great Resignation Hits Churches…And This Pastor is Hopeful!
By: Generous ThoughtsYou’ve probably heard the term "The Great Resignation". Churches experience a Great Volunteer Resignation as well.
07/22/2022 - Encouraging Financial Stewardship is Just Good Parenting (or Grandparenting!)
By: Generous Thoughts - StewardshipAre you among the 86 percent of Americans that believe that financial education classes ...
01/18/2022 - Inflation and Church Budget
By: Generous Thoughts - StewardshipDear Colleagues, A church leader recently asked me, “how do we create a budget given increasing inflation?” Many people wonder about the effect of inflation on church ...
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12/07/2021 - Tasty Tidbits
By: Generous Thoughts - StewardshipDearest Cojourners, Words are delicious! I love how they taste when they fall out of my mouth and into the atmosphere. I enjoy playing with my words as creatively as kids...
11/02/2021 - Engaging Lapsed Donors
By: Generous Thoughts - StewardshipWhen I had you to myself, I didn't want you around. Those pretty faces always made you stand out in a crowd. But someone picked you from the bunch, one glance was all it ...
10/18/2021 - Don’t Beg On Stewardship Sunday
By: Generous Thoughts - StewardshipDear Colleagues, Henri Nouwen’s reflection on A Spirituality of Fundraising informs my work and teaching around generosity. When thinking of annual stewardship ...
10/05/2021 - Is Your Fall Stewardship Campaign Just SO-SO?
By: Generous Thoughts - StewardshipDear Colleagues, Many years ago, my church choir director, Joel Johnson, taught me about the danger of doing anything that was just SO-SO. No, it wasn’t about the ...
09/21/2021 - Mission Clarity = Missional Generosity
By: Generous Thoughts - StewardshipWhat would you like your world to look like 5 years from now? How about 10 or 20 or 50 years from now?
09/07/2021 - Socially Responsible Investing and Spending
By: Generous Thoughts - StewardshipSocially Responsible Investing and Spending What motivates you to make a charitable donation? Do you want to make a positive difference in the world? Perhaps you want to...
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08/17/2021 - The Fatigue of a Fundraiser
By: Generous Thoughts - StewardshipDear Friends and Colleagues, It is appropriate that I am writing this on my last day of work before a much anticipated and much needed weeklong vacation. Why is it much ...
08/03/2021 - Confrontational Generosity
By: Generous Thoughts - StewardshipConfrontational Generosity Dear Colleagues, At General Synod in July, a new initiative called "Join the Movement" was launched across all settings of the UCC. The Rev....
06/15/2021 - Philanthropic Autobiography
By: Generous Thoughts - StewardshipPhilanthropic Autobiography Dear Friends, Have you ever stopped to think about what inspires you to be generous? Do you have a plan for how and where you donate your ...
05/18/2021 - Generosity: That's What My Mother Taught Me
By: Generous Thoughts - StewardshipIn a compilation of stories from over 100 interviews with people who had been identified by their pastors as generous givers, Herb Mather in That’s What My Mother Taught ...
05/04/2021 - Why Online Giving?
By: Generous Thoughts - StewardshipBefore serving in my present capacity, I served as an Associate Conference Minister for the New York Conference. During that time, I coordinated worship services for ...
04/20/2021 - The Gift of God’s Presence During the Covid-19 Pandemic
By: Generous Thoughts - StewardshipI don’t know about you, but years from now when we are finally all vaccinated and the Covid-19 pandemic is a memory within our collective conscience, there are some ...
04/06/2021 - Grant Funding Opportunities
By: Generous Thoughts - StewardshipDear Friends and Colleagues, At this moment it is clear that there is a great amount of need throughout our country. As development professionals, we are ...
03/23/2021 - Strategically Generous?
By: Generous ThoughtsEver find yourself thinking, "too many nonprofits ask me for money!" Or, "why does the church have so many offerings?" The number of ways that we can make a difference in...
02/17/2021 - Generous Thoughts: Development Professionals Launch Stewardship Newsletter
By: Generous ThoughtsThis inaugural issue of Generous Thoughts features the Rev. Kent Siladi, Director of ...