Growing Healthy Stewards in Your Diocese

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Growing Healthy Stewards in Your Diocese a
year-round stewardship education program for
parishes
Mr. Peter Misiaszek, CFRE June 6, 2014 TENS
Conference Atlanta, Georgia
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About Our Diocese

• The Incorporated Synod of the Diocese of Toronto
  founded 1839 A.D.
• 205 parishes covering 26,000 square kilometers
  stretching from Mississauga to Brighton and north
  to Haliburton.
• Largest Anglican Diocese in Canada (by of
  parishes and members) and includes the City of
  Toronto (population 2.5 million) and considered
  to be most multicultural city in the world.

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About Our Diocese

• Culturally diverse congregations including
  Chinese, Filipino, French, Hispanic, Japanese,
  Korean, Tamil.
• Parishioners originate from all parts of the
  world including Africa, the Caribbean, Europe,
  India, Middle East, Pakistan, Sri Lanka.

• Diocese includes 4 episcopal areas, each with its
  own suffragan (assistant) bishop.
• First Canadian Anglican Diocese to have a female
  bishop (The Rt. Rev. Victoria Matthews) and first
  and only Asian Bishop in Canada (The Rt. Rev.
  Patrick Yu).

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Demographics

• Overall ASA declined from 2000-2013
• Sunday attendance increased in 29 of parishes in
  2013
• Number of givers has declined since 2000
  accelerated since 2009
• Offertory giving has crested at just over 32mm
• Average annual gift per giver has increased every
  year since 2001 stands at 1,215
• Every parish that engaged in some stewardship
  program increased their giving in 2013

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ASA Easter Attendance
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Decreased Number of Givers
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Offertory Growth
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Average Gift
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FaithWorks Support
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Evolution of Stewardship Education

• 1988-1990 Faith in Action Ministry Campaign
  raised 18-million
• Pre 2003 No resources or staff support
• 2004 A Plan for Stewardship Education and
  Development Through the Year by David Gordon
  (diocese of New York)
• Year-round
• Intensive lots of work
• Results were not always immediate
• Little variety

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Year-round Stewardship the early years
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Evolution of Stewardship Education

• 2005 A Program to Encourage Sacrificial Giving
  in Your Parish
• Six weeks in length
• Encourages giving of time, talent and treasure
• Increases offertory 15 in first year
• Emphasis on education of congregation
• Designed to be used annually
• Works best in Fall
• The go-to program in the diocese for 8 years
• Used successfully by over 125 parishes

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Evolution of Stewardship Education

• 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012 diocesan stewardship
  conferences
• Intensive period of volunteer identification and
  recruitment
• Feasibility study for major fundraising campaign
• 2010-2012 Our Faith Our Hope Reimagine Church
  Ministry Campaign - 41mm

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• Campaign engaged 180 parishes
• 9,000 donors
• 4 strategic objectives
• Strengthening local parishes
• Building for the church of tomorrow
• Revitalizing our inheritance
• Giving to others

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Evolution of Stewardship Education

• Campaign was catalyst to begin thinking about
  doing stewardship education differently
• Consulted the 30 most successful parishes and
  consolidated their ideas we need a program that
  is
• easy to follow and user friendly
• results oriented
• clear roles and responsibilities for volunteers
• strong theological focus
• The result Growing Healthy Stewards

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Program Overview

• Three unique features about Growing Healthy
• Stewards
• It is coached
• Tried tested
• Measurable and results oriented

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It is Coached

• Each parish is teamed with an experienced lay
  volunteer
• Trained as both facilitator and stewardship
  leader
• Engages in quarterly meetings with parish teams
  and round-tables conversations with fellow
  coaches
• Helps to motivate and push through road blocks
  answer questions and identify resources
• Ensures that parishes follow the program as
  designed
• Doesnt do the work for them

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Tried and Tested

• Each module has been tested in a parish
  environment
• Components has been developed, used, critiqued
  and refined by clergy and volunteers in the
  diocese (and beyond)
• gt100 parishes have used some part of the program
  with consistent results
• GHS consolidates all the parts
• Is always changing new ideas are constantly
  added

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Measureable Results Oriented

• Use annual parish stats to help identify best
  practices and forecast outcomes
• At its core is that each parish has capacity to
  become healthy, but they need a yardstick
• Parishes are evaluated against 14 measureable
  best practices indicate financial,
  congregational, ministry and leadership health
• Objective to move parishes from C grade to A
  grade over three years

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How is the program organized?

• Orientation with parish leadership
• Covenant
• Calendar of monthly objectives
• Individual parish charts
• Position descriptions
• Programs/Manuals
• Reflections/Sermon Resources
• Forms, etc.

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Leadership Team

• Chair
• Vice Chair
• Secretary
• Arrangements Coordinator
• Commitment Coordinator
• Information Coordinator
• Cleric
• Coach

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Personal Stewardship Audit why?

• To evaluate your own level of commitment
• To better understand stewardship more deeply
• To inspire leadership
• To help assess what blocks you individually
  from being a more generous Christian
• To help us evaluate our giftedness
• To encourage us to give more of our time, talent
  and treasure

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Why a Covenant?

• Clarify the program
• Outline the unique features of the program
• Expectations ours and yours
• Help you understand that we take the process very
  seriously

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GHS Annual Highlights

• Meet with Coaches quarterly
• Legacy Giving Sunday February
• FaithWorks/Outreach Campaign Lent
• Time and Talent Focus April
• Prepare Narrative Budget Summer
• Intentional Giving Campaign October
• Emphasize stewardship in all communications
• Semi-annual assessment of progress
• Regular preaching on the life of a faithful
  steward (at least seasonally)

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14 Best Practices

• Active stewardship committee
• Committed clergy
• Conduct annual intentional giving campaign
• Get everybody engaged in some form of ministry
• At least 4 stewardship sermons preached each year
• Narrative Budget
• Proportional Giving

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14 Best Practices

• Individual giving at diocesan average - 1,215
• Offertory equals 2.5 of average family income
• 40 of givers use PAR
• 70 of operating revenue comes from offertory
• 10 of revenue goes to outreach
• Engaged in new member ministry
• Legacy giving promoted annually

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C Grade Parish - Average

• clerical enthusiasm but unsure of direction of
  parish
• dated mission statement
• some outreach
• strong volunteers though in limited supply
• inclined toward growth but not clear about what
  that means
• frequently rotate the same people in leadership
• static growth in congregation
• would like to do stewardship but concerned about
  the reaction from the congregation
• givings are barely sufficient to meet operations
  (and sometimes have to ask one of our top donors
  for a little Christmas gift)

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A Grade Parish - Excellent

• strong clerical leaders who are engaged in the
  life of the parish
• energetic and enthusiastic volunteers
• many opportunities for ministry involvement
• variety in Eucharistic celebrations
• clear vision statement
• outreach/in reach is very important, strong
  support for diocesan activities
• growing congregation with ministries serving
  diverse age groups
• this is a place people want to be and feel at
  home
• Giving is exceptional with funds invested and/or
  redirected to new ministry each year

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Parish Case Study St. Margaret, New Toronto

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St. Margaret, New Toronto, Challenges

• ASA has declined 40 in 4 years
• Number of givers fell 30 in 6 years
• Offertory is substantial, but fewer giving more
• Average gift is above diocesan average
• Congregation 33 between 46-65 50 is gt65
• FWs appears to be lost amid the other outreach
  taking place here
• Sacred presence of the church is missing in the
  community

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Offertory Growth
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Average Gift
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Declining Number of Givers
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Congregational Growth ASA/Easter
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Observations

• There is energy and enthusiasm. Parish reached
  its OFOH goal.
• There is great potential for Legacy Giving.
• Investment in new member ministry is key if the
  parish is to grow. People need to know you are
  here.
• Need to convert new attendees to givers.
• Of 70 donors, ? use PAR
• If parish had the same of donors today as in
  2006, it could collect 168,064
• Fear of volunteer burn-out

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Outcomes Change is happening

• Growth is happening ASA/Easter growth in 2
  successive years
• Offertory increased by 14 in 2013
• Average gift is gt1,800
• PAR donors represent 34 of total donors
• Did community walk dist. 2000 flyers
• Preaching, pledging and member participation is
  up
• Legacy giving promoted
• The feel of the place is different

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What are people saying about GHS

• Not a hard sell Gordon Longman, Stewardship
  Coach, St. Timothy, North Toronto
• Spirit of gratitude is abounding in this
  program Jim Finlay, Stewardship Chair, All
  Saints, Whitby
• Program consolidates stewardship essentials Joy
  Packham, Stewardship Chair, St. Margaret, Barrie
• The relay doubled our commitment rate Eleanor
  Stevenson, Stewardship Coach, St. Dunstan, West
  Hill
• Giving, attendance and participation are all up
  in one year, whats not to like Terry Grier,
  Stewardship Chair, St. Margaret, New Toronto

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Ongoing parish support

• Semi-annual round-table discussion with Parish
  Chairs and Coaches
• Semi-annual evaluation of parish progress against
  benchmarks
• Annual review and upgrade of program as
  appropriate
• New coaches are recruited from participating
  parishes
• Touch-base with parishes after intensive coaching
  period
• Annual coaches seminar to refresh, inspire and
  thank volunteers

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And the Results Are
A Vibrant Faith Community