Short Term Action Items 

  1. Add a footer to the letterhead that says “Please remember the church in your will.”

  2. During annual stewardship campaigns, add a checkbox to the pledge cards that says, “Please contact me about Planned Giving.” (When people check that box, we’re free to call the Foundation for advice before following up!)

  3. Instead of continuing to host in-person workshops, promote online will writing workshops, to be offered regularly via Zoom, in the Circuit Rider. (To do this, we just need to tell Julia who she should feed the information to, and on what schedule. For example, here’s the next online workshop.) 



Medium Term Action Items

  1. Edit the website’s “Give” page so that it includes a link or form for online donations right at the top, but also includes this custom text about more ways to give. 

  2. Develop a custom planned giving brochure with suggested bequest language. Make it available in the office, and also provide it to members (Twice a year? Annually? Every other year?) as a bulletin insert or in a paper mailing. If this version’s not quite right, here are the art files we can use to change it:

  3. Ask and empower Larry Richards to write down all our bequest stories, and then calendar ways to celebrate specific gifts. (Monthly? Twice a year? Annually?)




Long Term and Ongoing Action Items

  1. Give permission for the Foundation to send a monthly planned giving newsletter directly to the church email list-- it’s easy for people to unsubscribe, and completely automates the process. Here are answers to Frequently Asked Questions about this free service.

  2. Mention stewardship beyond your lifetime in stewardship sermons, curriculum, and every pledge drive and capital campaign. Embed it so it becomes part of the culture. 

  3. Recruit a champion who will cultivate relationships with likely bequest donors over multiple years.