Annual Giving Campaign Committees

“The Annual Giving Campaign” is the name given to the process by which members and friends of the Unitarian Church in Westport make their annual financial commitments (“pledges”) to support the church’s operations. There are two Annual Giving Campaign Committees: the Annual Giving Campaign Committee, and the Continuing Giving Committee.

Members of the Annual Giving Campaign Committee are recruited and selected each fall (September – November) and volunteers are warmly welcomed. You do not need to be a "member" of the church to participate in the Annual Giving Campaign. Each year approximately 120-150 people are needed to organize and run the Annual Giving Campaign (about 20% of the total congregation), with a leadership core of 25-50 people who make up the Annual Giving Campaign. The Board of Trustees selects the Chair of the Annual Giving Campaign.

The Annual Giving Campaign needs people who have skills in a large number of areas: e.g., publicity and communications, training, computer expertise, as well as sales, marketing, financial, management and general organizational skills. But in addition there are also many opportunities for creative individuals to help plan, organize and host the inspirational events that help to build fellowship and community during the Annual Giving Campaign season. There are also many “behind the scenes” efforts that are required to make all these things happen and are essential for the smooth functioning of the Annual Giving Campaign. There is an opportunity for everyone to work on this vital activity in roles both small and large.

And (of course) the Annual Giving Campaign always needs “canvassers:” people who are comfortable talking with fellow congregants about the importance of our church in their lives, and to record their pledges for the upcoming year.

Unlike the Annual Giving Campaign, the Continuing Giving Committee is a small, informal organization made up of the Annual Giving Campaign Chairs from past years. Its main responsibility is to canvass new members who join the church throughout the year and in-between Annual Giving Campaigns.

Before joining the church, most prospective members attend an orientation meeting hosted by the Membership Committee. At that meeting either a member of the Finance Committee, the Membership Committee or the Continuing Giving Committee makes a presentation regarding church finances. The annual budget, the pledging process, the average pledge needed to support the church, etc. are discussed. A summary of this information, plus a giving guide, are then mailed by the Continuing Giving Committee to those who become members.

Within a few weeks of new member orientations in February, June, October and December, the chair contacts new members to see if they will make a pledge for the current year. For those who attend orientation while the Annual Giving Campaign is fully underway (i.e., in April), the chair makes sure that new members get assigned to an appropriate canvasser and receive a personal canvass call.

The other major activities of the Continuing Giving Committee are carried out in support of the Annual Giving Campaign. They include lining up leadership for future years' canvasses and providing continuity from one canvass to the next.

For more information on the Annual Giving Campaign or to make a pledge to the Unitarian Church in Westport, click here.

Please contact the church office - at 227-7205 for current information about committee chairs and program leaders.