—Fundraising & Recruitment—
was just the Fundraising Centerpiece
for a much broader proposal, made in 2012 to the
Pittsburgh Interfaith Impact Network.
Happening upon their rather boisterous Annual Meeting,
I was enthralled by the economic, social, and political possibilities
represented by an inter-faith group of congregations working together.
Thus this…
…
An Overview of the 2012 Proposal
…Fundraising & Recruitment Ideas
Mobilize Retiree Resources – recruit and train a cadre of retirees, starting with one ‘organizer’ per congregation to staff the various proposals outlined below, and establish a Task Force to specifically address Senior issues.
Mobilize College Student Resources – recruit and train a cadre of students, starting with one ‘organizer’ per congregation to staff the various proposals outlined below, and establish a Task Force to specifically address student issues.
Weekly Church Bulletin Inserts – Create excitement and energy about our efforts by submitting updates, with action-oriented incentives to reply, to member congregations for inclusion in the weekly bulletin.
Involvement Questionnaires – pass out to participating congregation member, preferably in conjunction with a rousing presentation, a questionnaire asking them for their advice, input, referrals, and willingness to involve themselves in the various initiatives outlined herein. Assemble a database of our most valuable resource, our people and their capabilities: Need a programmer, a carpenter, an umpire, or a van? Just check the database.
Initiate Publications – begin a series of magazines targeted at specific audiences, but with interchangeable parts. Start with a ‘waiting room’ magazine to capitalize on the local healthcare industry. (1000 doctor’s offices x $100/year = ???) With a mock-up as the only expense, thousands can be collected in ads, most from the bigger corporations, to pay for the printing, then the subscriptions will be all profit.
Initiate a Coupon Book – provide incentive for participating congregation members to patronize businesses owned by others within the organization, raising money upfront for the printing by selling the coupons, then filling congregation coffers by selling the book, both within the organization and without.
Initiate a Barter Website – ‘From each according to their abilities. To each according to their needs’: A cuts B’s grass. B fixes C’s computer. C takes A to the Doctors. What goes around, comes around.
Inter-Congregational Leagues and Competitions – recruit teams from each congregation to participate in some sort of “silly Olympics”, from bowling to texting to scavenger hunts, then promote them and charge admission. Solicit prizes and media attention, then expand from there.
Influencer Recruitment – Most successful fundraising efforts begin with finding influential people willing to twist the arms of their friends and associates. Rich guys raise money with dinner parties and golf tournaments. So should we. How many tickets could be sold to an event featuring Steelers of faith? …a pastors’ ‘Roast’? …an inter-congregational bridge tournament?
Gospel Horn Band – recruit a New Orleans style horn band, then march them in parades and station them outside ballgames and other hi-traffic areas as a very visible, very loud, symbol for recruitment and fundraising.
The Pin – produce them for a buck, then sell them for five. Let our membership spread the word.
‘Lunchroom’ Flyers – print up colorful flyers with our mission statement, contact info, and reasons why your congregation should be a member, then pass them out after services for posting in employee lunchrooms, senior centers, college dorms, and anywhere else there is a bulletin board.
Formal “Potluck” Banquet & Auction – In an organization with many congregations and associate organizations, it seems that one heckuva party could be thrown utilizing available, not to mention free, resources and facilities. Create different payment levels to make it accessible to everyone, then organize it around awards ceremonies for the games and various events described herein. Augment income with an auction of donated goods and services, highlighted by a home-cooked meal with each faith leader.
Speaking Engagements – I’ll speak to anyone who’ll listen to me: to current member organizations to involve them in the actions listed here, and to non-member organizations to bring them into the fold. Target churches, mosques, and temples, business, civic, and fraternal organizations, Democrats, Republicans, and those who hate them both. Make it a two-way sharing of information by collecting questionnaires at the end.
Establish Corporate and Small Business Partnerships – from the biggest corporation to its smallest civic association, establish specific services, incentives, events, and publications that harness manpower and channel resources to the congregations. Instead of begging for money, use our “boots on the ground” to make it profitable and in their best interests for those who write the checks to get involved.
Build Human Service, Senior Citizen, Youth, and Community Organization Partnerships – From neighborhood associations and Senior Centers to the Volunteers of America and SCORE, find ways to pool shrinking resources and work in common cause to the benefit of each individual initiative.
The above proposals are, for the most part, pro-active versus re-active activities that efficiently expend available resources on direction-changing initiatives that We. the People can achieve without a budget, and without asking the politicians and bankers for their handouts, condescension, or self-serving promises. An added benefit is that many of them are activities that should increase excitement and involvement within the individual congregations, irregardless of group activities. For a generation, “super-churches” have been wooing parishioners away from traditional congregations by turning religion into spectacle. If that trend is to be reversed, ‘We, the Faithful’ must be enticed back in personal, close-to-the-soul kinds of ways that make each and every one of us feel like we ‘matter’ and belong to something that can ‘make a difference’.