As a part of my on going Crazy Stewardship Consults, I drafted the following plan with a congregation.

I share it here for you to beg, borrow, steal, edit, adjust, change or delete.

Monday – Letter to the Congregation announcing the campaign This should come from the Pastor and the Council President.

First Sunday– Member of Ask team Announces the 2015 campaign explains a little of how it will work.

Second Sunday – Member of the Tell Team Announces Campaign and Tells one small story about the good ministry of First.

- Pastor preaches a sermon that celebrates the ministry of the congregation, and the ways in which the congregation is making a difference in the lives of people

- Monday through Friday. The letters to the congregation are prepared. The letter will be mailed on Friday. It is a personalized letter that invites people to make a pledge. The letter also explains that a member of the church council will call them asking them to make a pledge for 2015. The letter also includes an estimate of giving card, and a self addressed envelope.

- Letters are mailed on Saturday.

Third Sunday – Member of the Ask Team Announces that letters to the congregation inviting them to Make a Pledge for 2015 went in the mail yesterday, and people should receive them on Tuesday (Monday is a Holiday) Also, explain that they will get a phone call this week from t a member of the church council, inviting them to make a pledge and fill out the card.

- A member of the Tell team or another person can give a Mission Moment talk on what the church and their faith mean to them, and how they plan to increase their giving this year, and invite the congregation to join them. (They don’t need to say the amount they are increasing)

Tues-Fri of this week. Church Council members make phone calls. The membership directory should be divided up in advance. People can choose to call people they know or they don’t know. The content of the phone call is simple. “Hi this is _____, I’m calling from First Lutheran. Did you get our letter in the mail with the invite to complete an Estimate of Giving Card? If not explain, If so, say Great. I hope you will join me in completing a pledge card. I’m really excited about what God is doing in our church, and I hope you’ll join me in pledging. Oh We are also having a special reception after worship this week, I hope you will stay for it.

Fourth Sunday – This is your Celebration Sunday. People are invited to bring their pledge cards forward and place them on the altar or in the baptismal font, while an appropriate hymn is sung, preferably something like “Amazing Grace” that is easy to sing, and people will still be singing as they walkl up with their Pledge cards. The Pastor prays over the pledge cards, maybe with two or three lay leaders, offering thanks to God for the generosity of the people.

- Possibly some kind of extra special coffee hour afterwards.

Monday after Celebration Sunday – Personalized Thank you to all who have pledged go in the mail, with pledge entered into letter, and a personal handwritten "Thank you so much" from the Pastor or Financial Secretary or both. Also, a follow up letter with a Self Addressed Envelope goes in the mail inviting people who have not yet pledged to do so.

Fifth Sunday – Announce the results. The announcement should be the total $ pledge, PLUS the total of estimated giving. The estimated giving can be obtained from those who gave last year in 2014 but have not pledged yet, and they are still fairly active disciples in the life of the church.

Next Tuesday – A follow up email or letter to those who have not pledged yet goes out.

Sixth Sunday – An announcement updating the congregation on a new total, and thank them for their participation.