A toolkit to help parishes develop stewardship as a way of life is now online and available 24/7, 365.
The online toolkit – with a companion hard-copy three-ring binder – was rolled out during the first two weeks of June at gatherings at five different locations in the 12-county across the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
Michael Halloran, archdiocesan director of development and stewardship, said between 300-400 people attended the sessions that introduced the stewardship toolkit.
“We’ve had great turnouts, great interaction during the small-group sessions at each site, and great feedback about the toolkit,” Halloran said at the final workshop June 13 at St. Patrick in Inver Grove Heights.
Those who attended – pastors, parish administrators, stewardship directors, parish pastoral council and finance council members and parish staff – got to see the toolkit that’s posted on the archdiocesan website.
What they got a taste of were planning and preparation strategies, timelines, downloadable samples of pastor letters, witness talks, annual reports, Mass intercessions, and follow-up material, all able to be customized for the needs of individual parishes.
The toolkit is on the archdiocesan website at http://www.archspm.org/departments/development-stewardship/stewardship-toolkit.php
Easy navigation online
The comprehensive guide to a parish stewardship journey has an easy-to-follow menu bar on the left-side of each screen, making it simple to jump to the various toolkit sections.
Each section also includes “related content” such as “best practices,” “ commitment forms,” “thank you letters” and “posters” that parish staff and parishioners involved in stewardship efforts will find useful for both their own education as well as practical use during a campaign.
Most of the material is provided in Microsoft Word form, so it can be copied and adapted easily with parish-specific information and verbiage, Halloran said, and the forms are compatible with the Logos parish-management software for easy addressing.
Because the material is in digital form, the contents of the toolkit are themselves adaptable, he said, and the plan is to tweak, adjust and add to the toolkit as needed.
To reach the stewardship toolkit without using the URL above, go to http://www.archspm.org, click on “Departments” in the top menu bar, then scroll down to “Development and Stewardship.” Click on the red “Development and Stewardship” wording. You’ll see “Stewardship Toolkit” on the left-side menu.
