Stewardship, Generosity, Fundraising & Financial Management

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." ~ Matthew 6:21

Stewardship Resources

There are three basic ways people have traditionally financially supported their church - these are sometimes called the three-legged-stool of stewardship.

Find resources in each of these categories:

• Annual Giving historically has taken the form of making an annual “pledge” or “estimate of giving” and then contributing to the church’s current operating expenses from one’s ordinary income. It has an immediate value to the church.
   
• Planned Giving normally has a future value/benefit to the church, such as through an endowment fund. Planned gifts generally come from one’s accumulated resources and assets and often require the assistance of an additional person; e.g., a lawyer or tax advisor. 
   
• Capital Campaign Giving are frequently a combination of ordinary income and accumulated assets/resources. Capital campaigns typically raise large sums of money for a specific project or a special purpose (such as building restoration, a new building, debt reduction, new staff position) over several years.  

Please contact David Cleaver-Bartholomew, Director of Stewardship and Donor Relations, with questions.

Related Resources:

Super Saturday Workshop on March 19, 2022: Pursuing Financial Sustainability  Bridget Johnson's Renting Your Church Facilities PowerPoint Slides

UCC 2023 Clergy Tax Preparation Guide for 2022 Filing Season An authorized minister's taxes are more complicated than the average person's because of their dual tax status. This guide leads you through a process for properly preparing your 2022 tax returns. This guide is also a valuable resource for church treasurers and financial people so that they can understand the unique nature of clergy compensation packages and requirements.

PBUCC Housing Allowance Board Designation for retired and disabled ministers

2023 Federal Reporting for Churches  

Insurance Board Legal Helpline - all Insurance Board participants can access legal counsel that will provide a free legal consultation and referral service.

Generous Thoughts Newsletter - a collaborative effort of UCC stewardship, generosity, fundraising, and development professionals to provide our conferences and congregations with information to aid them in their fundraising efforts.

Proportional Giving to SNEUCC - what it is, how to calculate it, and why we made the change

Improving Your Financial Health webinar - good stewardship includes taking care of and managing well the financial resources God has entrusted to us personally.

Annual Assessment Tool for Congregations

Downloadable Financial Resources for congregations from our ELCA partners that are transferable to our context

A More Excellent Way - A Faithful Approach to Cultivating Giving (4-part Series)

The principles underlying effective stewardship approaches are well understood but not always well known.  This four-part series of webinars is designed to help church leaders build more effective stewardship ministries.

Each video also has accompanying documents:

Part One: Faith Foundations: Moving from transactional giving to transformational giving.

Part Two:  Inspiring Generosity: Moving from "Pay the bills" to "Live the vision."

Part Three:  Best practices from the non-profit world.

Part Four:  Building a planned giving ministry in four "easy" steps.

 Find videos from other previous webinars and workshops here.