a membership drive?
When I hear the KWMU fall membership drive begin, I know the air is getting cooler and its also time to begin thinking about the EUCC fall membership drive. The proper theological jargon is “stewardship campaign” and we’re not supposed to talk about memberships or suggested amounts but rather about tithes (percentages of income) and gratitude (generosity). At the end of the day, however, we use the pledges from the “stewardship campaign” the same way that KWMU uses the “membership drive” pledges. We build our programming budget for the coming year based on the pledges received.
Like all non-profits, this local church is trying to create silk without many worms. EUCC is typical in many ways; our building needs attention, our staff donates many hours, and our technology isn’t cutting edge. We celebrate the beginning of the capital campaign, the new color copier, and the supportive community provided for our staff. In the interest of full disclosure, though, I should point out that routine building maintenance is not capital improvement. Last week your People Team and Finance Team leaders (Laura and Nick) wanted to talk with me about staff salaries for 2008. Armed with research, they pointed out that while some of our salaries are within the range of comparables, none are above the grid and several are significantly below. As I ponder their concern in light of our particularly gifted staff, I know that they are right. How do we change this?
One option is to increase the number of people sharing in the support of this community. Interestingly, the only time I hear a plea for larger membership is at budget time because our size is one aspect of EUCC that most members cherish. We are a community large enough to offer full programming yet small enough to feel like a community. Often churches of our size have alternative sources of funding. Although we have a modest endowment and contributions from those who share our space, neither are substantial sources of revenue for us. We are almost exclusively dependent upon member contributions so at budget time we wish there were more of us.
As I ponder the challenge offered by your leaders, essentially a challenge to fully fund our program, I am struck by the candor of the KWMU membership drive. Using that same candor and a calculator, the puzzle works out pretty quickly. Although we recorded 108 pledges last year, 140 folks have already contributed this year. Let’s assume that 125 families pledged for 2008. At $200 per month, 125 pledges would total $300,000, enabling a fully funded staff and a reasonably well maintained building. Admittedly a pledge of $200 per month isn’t pocket change. Some incomes are already stretched too thin to make this kind of pledge while others are able to contribute much more than $200 per month. Most importantly, with inclusivity central to our vision, we want to be clear that financial contributions are not a ticket to admission. KWMU’s “a dollar a day” memberships are compelling in their accessibility and percentage giving (tithing) may be more equitable. Still, the math is tantalizingly simple. A “membership drive” for 125 pledges of $200 monthly.
I’m in, and looking for 124 others.