PARISH ACCOUNTABILITY

People benefit from and respond to instruments of accountability and want to know that their gifts make a difference.

Time and Talent Coordination – The Volunteer Coordinator

There is nothing more harmful to the process of increasing participation in your parish ministries than asking for time and talent and then not following up with the parishioners who came forward. You can be sure they will not do so readily again, for the unspoken message is “we don’t want/need you." In actuality, it may be that “we’re disorganized” or “we don’t know what you could do” or “we’re too busy to make another phone call.”

To avoid this pitfall, we recommend appointing someone on the Parish Stewardship Committee to serve as the Volunteer Coordinator who makes sure parishioners are matched with an appropriate ministry and are put in contact with the person who heads that particular ministry. The Volunteer Coordinator may also arrange orientation and training, coordinate the commissioning of new volunteers and be responsible for keeping the parish ministries catalog current. The Volunteer Coordinator should be a both detail orientated and a “people person." The person should be able to get parishioners involved in the parish in ways that are satisfying and beneficial to the parish.

Volunteer Orientation and Training

In order to succeed, every new volunteer taking on a role needs some instruction and guidance. They need to know exactly what is expected of them, they need to know who to go to for help, and they need feedback on their participation. Learning the ropes for child care during Mass may take five minutes for a mom, or learning the routine for providing coffee and donuts after Mass may take working side-by-side one Sunday; but teaching a Religious Education class will require Catechist Certification classes. The person in charge of each parish ministry and the Volunteer Coordinator are responsible for the eventual formation of each new volunteer.

Parish Stewardship Accountability Report

The purpose of the Parish Stewardship Accountability Report is to help parishioners understand the priorities, goals and accomplishments of their parish. The parish has the responsibility to be accountable to its parishioners, who have entrusted their gifts from God to their parish. In addition, people benefit from and respond to instruments of accountability. They feel more ownership and pride and are more likely to continue or increase their commitment. Key themes in the Parish Stewardship Accountability Report are: to thank, inform and invite continued giving and participation in the parish.

Quarterly and Annual Parish Stewardship Accountability Reports

What are the benefits of a Parish Stewardship Accountability Report? Many successful stewardship parishes provide their parishioners with personalized stewardship reports. It is recommended these be sent quarterly, with a minimum of one per year. These reports are beneficial in a number of ways because they:

Increase the average donation – It has been proven in thousands of churches throughout the country that parishes that provide regular (quarterly) stewardship reports experience an increase in offerings.

Help people fulfill commitments – People want to fulfill their stewardship commitment (regardless of whether they put it in writing), but tend to quickly lose track of their progress. Although very few people will ever initiate the question of their pledge fulfillment, parishioners will generally “get back on track” if a parish initiates the conversation. Many think no one has noticed or cares that they have fallen behind and might conclude, “It doesn’t make a difference." Most of the “falling behind” has nothing to do with personal financial difficulty; rather, the trouble is with missing Mass and/or forgetting to write a check prior to the collection. People want to get credit for their gifts for tax purposes, for their pledge fulfillment, and/or for other human reasons. Thus, they are hesitant to drop significant, anonymous cash gifts in the collection basket when they have forgotten their check or envelope. The quarterly report reminds them of those Sundays and offers them a chance to “catch up.”

Lower absenteeism – Research has shown that as many as one-half of registered parishioners are absent from Sunday Mass on a typical weekend. This means that a parish that only provides a system of receiving gifts from the people who are in attendance at Mass is under-utilizing its potential resources. When people say they will give $25 per week, they usually mean $25 per week when they are at Mass and remember their check and envelope. The quarterly report tends to gradually bring these parishioners to the practice of giving $25 every week, whether they are on vacation, a business trip, or forgot their check or envelope.

Thank people – The stewardship report offers the parish a chance to affirm and show appreciation for their parishioners’ generosity.

Provide a financial update – Parishioners usually are not aware of the general status of parish finances. When appropriate, report the status in the stewardship report.

Tell a story and share the good news – Inform parishioners of a “good news” story describing a specific ministry influenced (in human terms) as a result of the generosity of others’ stewardship efforts. 

Ensure accountability – This stewardship report is a tool that helps parishioners respond to the stewardship message of using their gifts in an accountable way.

Pre-addressed return mail envelopes – The easier you make it for people to give, the greater the chance they will. You could include a postage-paid business reply envelope with your report – which would require a permit from the post office. This usually makes it easier for parishioners to mail in “make-up” payments. You pay the postage only when it is actually mailed, not when it is placed in the collection basket. The cost of providing postage will be offset many times over by increased response. You could also use a plain reply envelope with the parish address.

Sample quarterly and annual stewardship reports are available for download below in Microsoft Word format.