[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-280974-105":3,"doc-detail-280974-en":80,"detail-sidebar-cat-1-en-105":96},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":73,"head_meta":75,"extra_data":77,"updated_unix":79},105,"en","50-ways-to-improve-your-annual-stewardship-campaign-2021","50 Ways to Improve Your Annual Stewardship Campaign - 2021","","A practical guide from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership outlining how to strengthen an annual stewardship campaign through timing, fresh themes, and strategic leadership. It emphasizes building a representative stewardship team, coordinating a comprehensive communication plan, and framing the annual budget around ministry and mission rather than dollars. The guidance also covers realistic timelines, year-round stewardship education, and thoughtful solicitation approaches. It further recommends using giving history, membership data, and giving pyramids to shape age-based targets and tailored appeals for different donor groups.",{"@graph":14,"@context":72},[15,34,55],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/","Template",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/general/","General",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/50-ways-to-improve-your-annual-stewardship-campaign-2021/280974/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/50-ways-to-improve-your-annual-stewardship-campaign-2021/280974.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Theodora","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-09-23","2026-09-16",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":26},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",{"@type":56,"mainEntity":57},"FAQPage",[58,64,68],{"name":59,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":61},"How should a church choose the timing for its annual stewardship campaign?","Question",{"text":62,"@type":63},"Never be apologetic or feel guilty about stewardship appeals. Campaign leaders ask on behalf of the church’s mission, and most people respond in ways that honor that commitment.","Answer",{"name":65,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":66},"Why is it important to frame the annual budget around ministry and mission?",{"text":67,"@type":63},"The guidance stresses that the annual budget is about ministry and mission, not dollars. Communicating this clearly helps set realistic goals and aligns the congregation’s understanding of giving.",{"name":69,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":70},"How can a church tailor its stewardship appeals using giving patterns?",{"text":71,"@type":63},"The document recommends using a giving pyramid, analyzing giving histories and membership data, and tracking pledges by age decade. It also advises focusing on those currently giving and using concentric-circle outreach to reach different levels of engagement and giving readiness.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":74,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":76,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":78,"site_id":7},280974,1790139954,{"code":4,"msg":81,"data":82},"success",{"doc_id":78,"user_id":83,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":84,"doc_module":22,"category_id":85,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":86,"file_id":87,"file_url":88,"file_type":89,"file_size":90,"view_count":26,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":30,"language":91,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":92,"faqs":93,"seo_title":94,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":95,"read_time":22},687197207919,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/a000253d6f5f7c60be?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1779446848396160552",158,"50 Ways to Improve Your  \nAnnual Stewardship Campaign  \nFrom the Lewis Center for Church Leadership  \nEngage your leaders and members  \n􀂅 1. Choose a time of year when the congregation can focus its attention on stewardship and when there is a high probability of connecting with the most people. The annual financial campaign should be on the calendar a year in advance and planned with as much attention to detail as Easter Sunday and Christmas Eve.  \n􀂅 2. Pick a new theme every year for your stewardship campaign. Taking the time to be creative and innovative may encourage your members to take the time to reflect on their giving.  \n􀂅 3. Be strategic in building a leadership team. Involve a large group of people to build their sense of responsibility for the outcome. Include persons from different age groups and different ministry areas. A faithful giver (preferably someone who tithes) should head your annual stewardship campaign.  \n􀂅 4. Be sure that the generous givers of the congregation are well represented on the stewardship team and other groups related to the church’s funding, just as you would be sure to include those most active in other ministry areas as you plan for those ministries.  \n􀂅 5. Do not hesitate to ask church leaders to make their pledges first as a sign of their commitment and as an encouragement to the larger congregation.  \n􀂅 6. Orchestrate a comprehensive communication strategy to focus attention on stewardship during your campaign. Use every available means—sermons, music, testimony, newsletter articles, study programs, bulletin boards, banners, etc.  \nPlan Carefully  \n􀂅 7. Remember—and communicate—that the annual budget is about ministry and mission, not dollars. Prepare the budget with great care, being sensitive to giving trends. Set ambitious but realistic goals.  \n􀂅 8. Define your purpose and set goals. Set priorities and sequence activities in appropriate ways. Be efficient and realistic in making assignments. Be logical about how you allocate your time and efforts in relation to expected outcomes.  \n􀂅 9. Establish a realistic timeline. In larger churches, planning and implementing the annual commitment campaign can take six months or more. Use benchmark dates to keep on track.  \n􀂅 10. Avoid the temptation to rush to the final steps without spending adequate time and attention on the foundational steps that normally determine successor failure.  \n􀂅 11. Know that developing a congregation of faithful givers does not happen only through a stewardship drive. Develop a year-round approach to stewardship education.  \n􀂅 12. Appreciate that fund raising is incremental. The most important determinant of how much you can raise this year is what you raised last year.  \nApproach solicitation with a healthy frame of mind  \n􀂅 13. Never be apologetic or feel guilty about stewardship appeals. Campaign leaders are not asking for themselves. Their willingness to approach others about giving is an expression of their deep commitment to the church. The vast majority of those being asked will respond in ways that honor that commitment.  \n􀂅 14. Remember that there is a great deal of “money looking for mission” and that many people are seeking ways to use their resources to advance their values and do God’s will.  \n􀂅 15. Remember that people give to many things, so do not assume that people will give all their charitable giving to the church. You need to make your case.  \nFind more [resources at churchleadership.com](resources at churchleadership.com)  \n􀂅 16. Emphasize that stewardship is about faithfulness to God, not obligation to the church. Stress the giver’s joy in giving rather than the church’s need to receive.  \nStructure your campaign to acknowledge unique giving patterns  \n􀂅 17. Know that every church has a “giving pyramid”with a small percentage of donors contributing a large proportion of what is given; for not all people have the same resources to give, and not all people are at the same level of spiritual ","cbCaim97xOluVzwQ","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaim97xOluVzwQ","pdf",112908,"English","# Engage your leaders and members\n## Choose timing and themes\n## Build a leadership team\n## Represent generous givers\n## Plan a communication strategy\n# Plan carefully\n## Focus the budget on mission\n## Define purpose and goals\n## Set a realistic timeline\n## Develop year-round stewardship education\n## Treat fundraising as incremental\n# Approach solicitation with a healthy frame of mind\n## Avoid guilt and apologize less\n## Connect giving to mission and faith\n# Structure your campaign to acknowledge giving patterns\n## Use the giving pyramid model\n## Track pledges by age decade\n## Target current givers and set expectations\n## Apply concentric circles outreach\n## Use giving ranges and step-up planning","[{\"question\":\"How should a church choose the timing for its annual stewardship campaign?\",\"answer\":\"Never be apologetic or feel guilty about stewardship appeals. Campaign leaders ask on behalf of the church’s mission, and most people respond in ways that honor that commitment.\"},{\"question\":\"Why is it important to frame the annual budget around ministry and mission?\",\"answer\":\"The guidance stresses that the annual budget is about ministry and mission, not dollars. Communicating this clearly helps set realistic goals and aligns the congregation’s understanding of giving.\"},{\"question\":\"How can a church tailor its stewardship appeals using giving patterns?\",\"answer\":\"The document recommends using a giving pyramid, analyzing giving histories and membership data, and tracking pledges by age decade. It also advises focusing on those currently giving and using concentric-circle outreach to reach different levels of engagement and giving readiness.\"}]","50 Ways to Improve Your Annual Stewardship Campaign - 2021 | PDF",1789563324,{"code":4,"msg":81,"data":97},[98,103,108,113,118,123,128,133,138],{"id":99,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":100,"show_sort_weight":101,"slug":102},11,"Presentations",90,"presentations",{"id":104,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":105,"show_sort_weight":106,"slug":107},12,"Resumes",80,"resumes",{"id":109,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":110,"show_sort_weight":111,"slug":112},14,"Invoices",70,"invoices",{"id":114,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":115,"show_sort_weight":116,"slug":117},15,"Posters",60,"posters",{"id":119,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":121,"slug":122},16,"Social Media",50,"social-media",{"id":124,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":125,"show_sort_weight":126,"slug":127},17,"Forms",40,"forms",{"id":129,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":130,"show_sort_weight":131,"slug":132},18,"Letters",30,"letters",{"id":134,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":135,"show_sort_weight":136,"slug":137},21,"Paper Templates",5,"papers-templates",{"id":85,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":4,"slug":139},"general-158"]