Guidelines for Giving: Making Your Annual Financial Commitment to First Church

We hope you’ve received your stewardship packet in the mail (if you haven’t received yours, please e-mail Bruce Kozuma), and that you’re seriously considering increasing your pledge amount this year to help the Church reach its fund raising goal of $532,000. If each member and friend makes his or her best pledge, we'll achieve this goal together.

We thought we’d offer some additional giving guidelines for those who are interested. Last year, we decided not to include a giving chart in our materials because some parishioners felt it was inappropriate. Other people have given us feedback that they missed the chart. If you are new to First Church pledging, these guides may be especially helpful.

This is the guide we’ve used most recently.  It suggests giving guidelines based on your annual household income, combined with your level of commitment to the Church. Many people use this guide to plan what they can give now, and what they hope to give in the future.
(click the chart to see a larger version)

The UUA has published a very different chart that many UU churches use. This chart may seem a little unrealistic to many of us, but in fact, many of us pledge at these levels, and it helps us to know that these are the giving goals of many of our sister churches. This chart was created because fundraisers acknowledge that asking for a percentage increase across all income levels is not realistic; it is often possible for those with higher income levels to increase their giving at higher levels.
(click the chart to see a larger version)

We’d like to hear what you think. Do you like to have a giving chart as a reference? Which chart do you prefer?

For those of you who have already submitted your pledge for next year, we are deeply grateful. If these guides motivate you to increase your pledge, please do. You may make your pledge online, or view stewardship materials at the Stewardship page of the First Church website. Thank you for your support!