All Souls Creates a Culture of Abundance
In December, 2004, All Souls members voted to model generosity, abundance and possibility by giving our entire Sunday collections to agencies or programs supporting work or issues important to our congregation. Members of All Souls responded to a call to unite our gifts with the world's needs following a series of workshops and study of Creating Congregations of Generous People by Michael Durall.*
Following the 2004 congregational meeting, the Board of Trustees commissioned a committee to work with the ministerial staff to develop a process for identifying possible recipients. Initially, recommendations were based on current events pending the development and results of a survey soliciting the opinions of members attending Sunday services. In that first survey of over 300 people, All Souls members prioritized outreach categories in order as: daily needs, human rights, health, education, environmental/animals, disaster relief, and the arts. A few members also provided the names of specific agencies or programs.
Since that time, the committee has refined a process for identifying outreach possibilities addressing the congregation’s priorities. The committee has recently completed a second survey to assess priorities for giving. The committee also receives suggestions from the congregation though a short suggestions form available from the church office. All Souls members who approach staff or committee members to suggest worthy recipients are asked to complete and submit the form to the committee.
The committee meets once a month to make recommendations for the following month. Recommendations along with brief information and contact information are forwarded to the senior minister and staff. The ministers make the final decisions and may reject or delay recommendations. Delays usually occur when a local, national or international disaster occurs that the congregation will want to respond to.
In selecting potential recipients for recommendation, the committee considers the following factors as they apply to possible recipients. The committee looks for potential recipients that:
• Represent the issues identified by the congregation as important
• Empower those they serve
• Provide services with dignity
• Provide local services predominantly, then state, national and international in priority
• Embrace All Souls’ vision and mission
• Provide All Souls members volunteer opportunities
• Have accountability to the community through a representative board of directors
• Have a large enough budget to be stable
• Have a track-record and a known history
• Are of a size where a gift will be meaningful
• Are a non-profit organization, usually 501(c)(3)
The committee also considers:
• Whether the organization is a United Way agency or has some other vetting affiliation.
• If there is a member/members in the church involved with the organization.
And finally, the committee attempts to choose an organization whose focus fits with the lectionary theme of the month or the holiday season of the year.
Committee members research candidates through information provided on the suggestion form, on the organizations’ websites, through Community Service Council database, Guidestar www.guidestar.org, and Charity Navigator www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm.
Occasional misunderstandings occur usually related to timing of requests as when a member requests designation with no lead time or when members request designation for an organization with no or a poor track record or on occasion for personal transportation to workshops or events.
There have been several suggestions that recipient organization staff be invited or even required to attend on the Sunday they are designated to provide information to the congregation. There have also been requests for follow-up reports from recipient organizations listing impact or results. The committee feels strongly that the offering is a gift, not a grant and should not incur obligation on the part of the recipient.
As to patterns of giving, obviously offerings are dependent on attendance, so summer offerings are lower. Holiday offerings and offerings taken for disaster relief are usually well above average. Offerings also respond to the level of emotional appeal for the recipient and perhaps to some degree on the announcement from the minister designating the recipient.
*Durall also endorses giving away the plate in The Almost Church published by Jenkin Lloyd Jones Press, and available for purchase on this web site. Quantity discounts are available, as many churches have used this book for study and discussion with their Boards and leadership teams.