Argh.

[rivka]

I just made my calls for the church survey and canvass. Three messages on answering machines and a very stressful conversation with an acquaintance of mine.

She's a new mother who just moved house and combined households with her partner and hasn't had the time to come to church for a couple months now. She didn't want to meet in person - not at her house, not in a public place. She didn't have time to talk on the phone now, and she didn't want to set up a time for me to call her back when she might have time to talk because she didn't know when that might be. She wanted to get me off the phone as soon as possible. She apologized for it, but didn't particularly try to hide it. Her bottom line: she loves the church, but she just can't do anything about it right now.

All of this was perfectly her right, of course, and very reasonable considering the state of her life right now. I don't blame her a bit. It is a horrible imposition to push into people's busy lives like this. And no matter what I say about wanting people's input about the future of the church, I can't fool them into thinking that it's not - at heart - about asking them for money.

I don't know how I'm going to do this with three more people.

Comments

Hm

[mamatiger.livejournal.com]

Aren't your fellow church members mostly all there out of choice? I mean, they aren't just showing up on Sundays because going to church is what you do on Sundays? So if you think in those terms, that they're there because of an active feeling that it's a good place to be, then it's easy (for me at any rate) to connect that with a feeling of taking it for granted that of course they'd want to help out if they possibly could. They aren't dummies, they know it takes money to run a church, even if they're a bit reticient to bring it up, so it's not like you're springing something out of the blue on them.

Don't be ashamed or embarrassed at working to support something good you believe in. If you're candid and honest and forthright and businesslike -- and dedicated -- all of which you are, btw -- that will come through to the people you're discussing this with, and hopefully your attitude will be infectious. Lead by example.

Do y'all practice any of the usual methods for churches to raise money? Bake sales, ice cream socials, bingo, charity auctions and so forth? Passing the plate? Pledge envelopes? Perhaps that could be one of the questions on your survey -- "The church needs XX$ per year to function [optional financial breakdown here]. How do you think we can best meet that fund-raising goal?" [list of ideas here, w/optional write in comments]

Re: Hm

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Do y'all practice any of the usual methods for churches to raise money? Bake sales, ice cream socials, bingo, charity auctions and so forth? Passing the plate? Pledge envelopes? Perhaps that could be one of the questions on your survey -- "The church needs XX$ per year to function [optional financial breakdown here]. How do you think we can best meet that fund-raising goal?"

We do a lot of fundraisers, yeah - an auction, a cabaret evening, benefit concerts, selling coffee and doughnuts on Sunday mornings, even collecting and recycling aluminum cans. And we pass the plate every Sunday. But it's hard to establish a budget without knowing what our income will be - that's why we ask people to pledge.

Aren't your fellow church members mostly all there out of choice? I mean, they aren't just showing up on Sundays because going to church is what you do on Sundays?

Hee! No, you're right, Unitarians probably aren't just going to church because it's What You Do.