Eight Planning Components for an Effective Annual Giving Campaign

1. Creating Vision
   What is the reach of our congregation's ministry for the coming year?
   What excites us?
   What will excite other members and friends about the ministries of our church?
   What are the distinctive elements about our church?
   
2. Gathering Information
   What does the congregation need to understand in order to make informed decisions about its support of the ministries of the church?
   How will the information be gathered and how can both the heads and the hearts of members and friends of our congregation experience it?
   
3. Establishing a Theological Foundation
   How will Scripture inform us to grow as stewards of the resources God has given to us?
   What particular biblical passage, story, or verse will give faithful relevance and focus the thrust and vitality of our campaign?
   What biblical image can become a viable theme of the campaign or framework for it?
   
4. Planning Our Intensive Phase
   How will the information about the projected ministries be communicated in ways that are personal and that emerge from our faith?
   What time period will be our primary, intensive phase of the emphasis?
   What needs to be done prior to that to have maximum impact during the intensive phase?
   How will members and friends be invited to respond and make their commitments?
   What reluctance can we expect from members of the congregation, and how will we address those issues?
   What questions do we anticipate, and how will we answer them?
   
5. Mobilizing Our Resources
   Who will need to do what and when to implement the process we develop?
   How much will it cost, and how will it be paid for?
   What system will we establish to assure that tasks are completed on schedule and that costs are within our guidelines?
   

6. Conveying Inspiration
   What will inspire members and friends to engage in the campaign, to reflect devotedly, and to discern how God would have them respond?

7. Anticipating Celebration
   When is commitment day?
   How will we receive commitments from the congregation?
   How will we inform and excite the congregation about our commitment day?
   How will we follow up with those who have not yet made commitments?
   When will we begin and end this follow-up? Who will do it? How, when, and by whom will they be trained?
   How will we bring joyful, celebrative completeness to our endeavors that will be appropriate to the culture of our congregation, authentic to our scriptural heritage, and inspiring to our congregation as a whole?
   
8. Remaining Thankful
   How will we acknowledge every commitment made to the projected ministries of the church?
   Is our financial record keeping effective and efficient, or do we need to make changes before we begin the new fiscal year?
   How will we maintain the flow of current, accurate, motivational, and legally compliant information about individual, family, and congregational support throughout the year?

Adapted from a paper developed by the Rev. Sanford Coon of the Texas Methodist Foundation.