Annual Pledge Drive, or Culture of Generosity?

The month of March brings us spring (finally!) and, traditionally, our annual pledge drive (already?). This is a tradition we’d like to see ebb until it disappears, replaced by a culture in which every member and friend eagerly assume responsibility for their share of the church’s financial needs – and dreams.

“Charity is enjoined upon each of us, not simply upon the rich, or upon those who can be said to afford it.” Attributed to Rev. Peter Gomes of Harvard’s Memorial Church, author Michael Durall borrows the quotation for his chapter, Making the Annual Pledge Drive Obsolete, in his book, The Almost Church Revitalized.

Durall contends that we can replace the pledge drive, which is a waste of resources, with a culture of generosity such that members and friends willingly give 5 to 10 percent of their income to their congregations. How? We start where we are. Each of us, led by the church’s called and elected leadership, pledges either incrementally, or immediately, to give at that level. I’m at the low end of that threshold, and moving toward the high end (bearing in mind next year’s capital campaign).

Why do I give? Because UUCA has changed my life.

Because not long after I walked through the door, George Lehner, then the board chair, tapped me to join what we now call the Stewardship Committee. I made dear friends in my three years helping to run the annual canvass.

Because my kids were in RE, and I became a teacher, and then an OWL teacher, versed in human sexuality. Every year I enjoy the privilege of sharing those lessons with other people’s children (and close camaraderie with colleagues on the OWL Committee).

Because for three years, I’ve been honored to serve as a trustee. I’ve had the impetus to become friends with an ever-widening circle, and I’ve accepted the charge to be a leader.

Because the more I give of my time and talent, the more I am compelled to give of my treasure.

If you’ve read this far, you are somewhere on the path of commitment to this beloved community. No doubt I am more committed than the average member – and less committed than scores of my friends.

Speaking of average, consider a little math. The median household income in Arlington in 2008 was $101,000. Our UU demographic is way above “median,” but if it were, and if our 900-plus members (and half of our 400 friends) gave 5 percent, our budget from pledges would rise from $1.2 million to more than $5 million.

What dreams could we realize with those results?