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Welcome. My name is Lori Trujillo. I am the assistant to the president and the director of communication and development here at the Northern California Conference. We welcome you to this short webinar where we're going to be talking about a little bit and just introducing you to the concept of cultivate generosity, grow culture of joyful giving. I want to first emphasize that there are uh videos, training videos, as well as a study guide that you can find on our Northern California Conference website under Cultivate Generosity. So this webinar is not intended to teach you everything you need to know. We are hoping that you will, on your own, take a look at the training videos, the study guide, and utilize those to continue your journey to grow a culture of generosity in both your church and school. We want to take a moment to again appreciate you. We know that this is your lunch hour, and so we're going to keep this short to the point. And if you have any questions or comments, please enter them in the comment box that you're going to find on the right side or left side of your screen. We will be there to answer any questions. And if we can't answer them within our 30-minute time frame, which is what we've scheduled for this webinar, we will most likely be reaching out to you. We are going to do a follow-up email, and this recording will be available on our website along with all of the videos, study guide, and other resources that we have. Again, to help you cultivate generosity and grow a culture of joyful giving. So let's just begin our journey here. And to begin, I want to share a little bit about myself and how this all started. I am a professional fundraiser. I've been fundraising for the last 25 years of my life. Most of my fundraising experience has been outside of the church, international nonprofits, very large government organizations, as well as small local nonprofits that benefit their community. And in my time as a fundraiser, there are many things that I learned, and I'm also a CFRE, which is a certified fundraising executive. And what that means is I have a certain level of experience, proven experience, a certain level of hours of training. And this is a certification that lasts for three years. I have to re-earn it every three years. And so in this process, there are certain ethical standards that I follow. And when I joined the Northern California Conference team, one of the questions that I had that I felt God was asking me is how do I adapt best fundraising practices to a church and school model in the Avenist Church? And it's not easy because we as a church organization, we have our own culture, we have our own way of doing things, and we've been doing it for so long. But is there a way to adapt? Is there a way to improve? Are there things that we can learn that we can apply? And so this journey that I've been on about three years ago, um, I felt inspired when I read this following verse. And it inspired me because of the key components of the verse. So let's just take a look at it. In 2 Corinthians 8, we find that Paul is writing to the churches and he's explaining his experience that he's observed in Macedonia. Now, during this time, we need to understand of history that Paul is writing this. The Macedonians had just gone through a uh structural change. Alexander the Great had been defeated by the Romans, and the Romans were now in charge. And of course, there was persecution, there was an upheaval of society. Those that were rich are no longer rich, those that are poor continue to be poor and perhaps even more poor, lack of resources. And yet they heard the message about Jesus and they accepted that message. And as a result of that, something happened. And Paul is testifying to this. And you can see, we want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that has been among the churches of Macedonia. Grace is a key word. For in a severe test of affliction, after their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their own means, as I can testify, beyond their means of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints. Can you imagine your members, your school community, those that support you, begging you to take their funds, their resources to help support your mission? That's an interesting picture. And he Paul continues, for the favor of taking part. And this, verse five, and this, not as we expected. So it wasn't something they sat around and planned, but they gave first to the Lord, and then by the will of God to us. So their response, their abundance of joy overflowed in generosity, and and was a result of their relationship with the Holy Spirit and God and the grace that they had experienced. That's important to notice. And when I read that verse, I said, we absolutely can adapt outside fundraising and principles to a church and school model. So let's begin this journey. What does that actually look like? When we begin, I clarity is one of the big things. And as you as you know, I'm the director of communication. So words do have a meaning. And one of these meanings, and it's and it's important for us to as we're talking to and as we're explaining, cultivate generosity, that we share the same meaning. So that way we're on the same page when it comes to language. So philanthropy, philanthropy, which you're gonna hear a lot outside of um outside of the church, is a love of humanity expressed through giving. Okay, a love of humanity expressed through giving. It's kind of this big overall arching reason, but it's the love of humanity. Fundraising, which is another word you're gonna hear a lot outside of the church, um, is the act of inviting people to invest in the mission of the organization. It's not begging, it's not selling, it's inviting people to invest in the mission of the organization because they have a love of humanity. Stewardship, which is a common word here in the Avenist Church, is managing resources faithfully and transparently. It's not fundraising, which is inviting people to invest. Stewardship is about managing once they've invested. And finally, the end result of all this: an attitude of the heart, an action of ask, of asking, and um managing the resources, generosity overflows, a joyful willingness to give time, resources, and influence to advance a purpose beyond yourselves. And then you go back and you think about the early Macedonians, that is exactly what they were. They were generous because they wanted to advance, as they say it, the relief of the saints. And they gave beyond their measure. And why? Because God had instilled in them this love of humanity. So it's important to when we talk about generosity, this is what we're trying to create, this culture of generosity in your churches and schools. But it's a journey. So the first step is today in this webinar, we're going to talk about that generosity goes beyond the mere transfer of resources, it's a commitment to the well-being of others and a willingness to contribute to the greater good. But generosity starts with clarity, clarity of purpose and clarity of ministry outcomes. Your supporters need to be able to answer very clearly, why do you exist? And over here on the right side of the screen, you're going to see there's a number of ideas that I've just kind of thrown out. And why you exist as you read these, it's not your activities, it's not your programs, it's your impact. So, for example, we exist to help families encounter Christ. That's an impact. We exist to develop mission-driven members who lead with purpose and serve their community. The last one, we exist to connect people to an abundant life with Jesus Christ and prepare them for the second coming. That is actually what Northern California Conference's purpose is, to connect people to this abundant life with Jesus and prepare them for the second coming. This is this purpose is different than your mission. Your mission is those actions, those activities, those programs, whereas your purpose is why do you exist? What impact are you going to have? And so when we look at impact at a church level and at a school level, we got it, we've got to think about these five things. How have lives been changed? Have members been discipled, families supported, people baptized, community served, and the community served can fall into education, providing Christ-centered education. So these are just general terms. This is the impact. And you'll notice in every single one of these impact uh boxes, it's about a life. Okay, and that's important to remember. So when we talk about outcomes to create generosity, activities do not. So with God's leading, cultivate generosity, grow a culture of joyful giving begins with you on this journey. And it helps you to speak about and communicate clearly the need, the impact, and the imitation. And hopefully your members will be able to repeat it as well. So cultivating generosity all boils down. And as we were developed this, I said, you know, we've got to have a tool that makes sense, like an actual tool, because one thing is theory, the other thing is practice. And so we came up with something called the formula. You can find the formula, it's an actual formula online, and it's a formula PDF, and we're going to go through it here very quickly. So the formula does four things. It connects, which is thanking and acknowledging. It has an impact, it shows an impact. What difference are you making? There's a story, who has been changed, and then there's a clear invite. By accomplishing those four general steps, those four activities, it will eventually lead to joyful generosity. So the asking moment, and this is a this is a challenge for many churches and even schools, because we feel a little embarrassed to ask people to participate with us, to invite them into our mission. And maybe there's a culture tied to it where the offering call was laden with guilt and there was pressure. But however, when we're talking about an asking moment in the cultivate generosity, using the formula, it's not about guilt. It's not about pressure, it's just about communicating clarity. So, and the the final thing in using the formula is it constantly points back to Jesus. It constantly points back to God because it is all about God. So elements of generosity, joyful giving, there's an intentionality behind it, there's a consistency, and there's an attitude of compassion. When we take a look at that, when somebody has that attitude, it was interesting that there was a group that did a study, the Barnard group did a study, and they said, Why do Christians give? And they were able to boil it down to four reasons why Christians give. Interestingly enough, the same is true for, and this is reason number one. They give because of who they are. And so we've taken the four, which I'm going to share in just a moment, and I've called it this is the donor-centric approach. When we're beginning to cultivate generosity, we have to understand what culture we're trying to create. What kind of internal guidelines do our members, do our community people, do they have inside them? And as I was going to say, interestingly enough, outside the Yavanist Church, they do a study every year and they study a hundred thousand nonprofits and they ask the same thing. Why do people give? And it also boils down to the very same reason. So, number one, people give who they are, it's elemental to their identity. They give when they feel appreciated, who they are when they feel appreciated. They give when they know their gift has meaning. Okay. And the final four is they give when they believe the organization will use their contributions wisely, which of course is the word stewardship. So these four are the pillars of why people give. The Barnard Group continued in their study in 2021, which they published in 2022, which you can find this study in more detail in The Heart of the Giver. It's a book by the Barnard Group. And they said, What is can someone's life actually flourish if they give? The Bible says yes, right? Because the Bible says, Give and I will overflow, pouring out more, you give and it'll be given more, shaken down, good measure. You've seen the Bible verses, you've read the Bible verses, all you have to do is do a search and you'll see it even more. So is the Bible correct? Does the statistics in real life show that? So they asked this question, and you will see here on this chart, they evaluated five life dimensions: faith, relationships, vocation, finance, and well-being. Those were ways in which they said, is there some flourishing going on? Then they took a look, they asked the questions of the non-Christian givers. How are you in this? Are you feeling like your life is flourishing here? And as you can see, in faith, 52%, pretty good, half the population. Relationships 47, vocation 36, finance 24, well-being 31. And then they said, the givers, those that are giving to the church, to the church's mission, look at that jump in faith. The faith went up, the relationship went up significantly, the vocation, so their job satisfaction went up, their finances went up, and their well-being went up. So I guess statistically, this proves the Bible is right. When you give, God will pour out more to you. So when we ask people to participate, when we invite people in, we are actually connecting them to that abundant life with Jesus Christ statistically. When we don't ask, and we just hope that they will, in a lot of ways, we personally, because we're not asking, are robbing them of the opportunity to have a more flourishing life. Now that's a pretty strong statement, but I believe it's true. And I believe we have a responsibility to invite people in to participate in the mission of the church and the school and to support it financially. So when we talk about this idea of giving, it needs to be meaningful. And as we remember the four pillars, it is meaningful. So meaningful giving is there's a purpose, people care, they love, there's a heart focus, and yes, there is the power of the ask because that is where the Holy Spirit can work. So meaningful giving is the practice of donating resources in a way that aligns with our values, passions, and intentions, which is one of the first reasons why people give that you've saw. And it was this model of giving comes from God. For God so loved the world that he gave. And why did he give? Because he loves us. And you can find that in John 3:16. So the model of giving is what Jesus did. So when we ask people to to to to give to support our mission of church and school and our purpose, we're we're we're mirroring what God did. So when we talk about the purpose of the asking moment, and again, it can happen at the beginning of the service, the end of the service, the middle of the service, it can it can happen anywhere, it can happen multiple times, in fact. Doesn't even have to happen at the service, it can happen on a one-on-one conversation. There needs to be that clarity of purpose. So the asking moment does need to follow a framework. Connect with gratitude, educate through storytelling, invite with clarity, and then open the space to work. How does that translate exactly? When I talked about the formula, what does the formula do? What does it look like? It is an actual checklist of activities that you would use during the during the service, and it works because of these four pillars of why people give. So let's take a quick look. The welcome. The welcome says, hello, welcome. We we we love to have you here. Then there's the thank you, the acknowledgement, there's that impact story, there's the ask, there's the gift impact again and prayer. This is the formula. This is what you do every time when you do an ask. And it's amazing in our 30 churches that are currently using it at the date of this recording, they're seeing when they use it, they're seeing that on that particular Sabbath or at that particular time, they are seeing an increase in giving. And it isn't magic, it isn't anything else other than it's just tapping into who the donors are, and it is uh following what God has done for us. It's a natural extension of what we do. So the welcome sets the greeting and in tone and encourages audience participation. The thank you expresses gratitude, which again is one of the reasons. Storytelling in uh illustrates the message and it follows Jesus' example of how he taught. We'll get into that momentarily. The mission refocus part connects back to the Bible and provides concrete examples of how their gift is going to make a difference. And the prayer submits everything to God and lets the Holy Spirit work. That's the formula. And here's what it actually looks like on your PDF when you download it. This is what it actually looked like, and it gives you the elements we just went through one through six. It then explains this purpose, and it's tiny here, but when you download, it's much bigger. And then it kind of gives you an example. The formula and doing the formula doesn't have to take forever. It depends, I guess, on how many stories you have. But this is something that works, and it's something that, as I've seen, pastors or elders will give to the person doing the offering call on the Friday before, and they will use this to craft the offering call that'll happen on the next day. So it's just a tool to help guide the offering call. And when we talk about the story, we've got to look back to Jesus. As I said, the whole point is we give ourselves to Jesus. This is the culture we're trying to create. Jesus taught intern taught values of who we need to be as people, and that you know, the Good Samaritan. Um, he taught valuable lessons that changed lives, but he did it through telling stories. So when we tell stories, we honor his model, we follow his model, and storytelling is fundamental to the success of the formula. Now, there are ways to tell a story that are guilt-ridden, and I'm gonna just give you a quick example. Welcome. Thank you so much for being here today. We love that you're here, we love seeing you. We want to thank everyone who has given uh this past uh month to our local church. We appreciate all of the gifts that you have done. It's been amazing to see God transform our church. Um, you know, but we're we're a little short this year. I mean, this this month, and we would love to see you give. And since we're giving to local church budget, you know, our church it operates lights. We have lights, we have a building to pay for, we have Various expenses. And you know, if you don't support today, if you can't, you know, if we can't get enough, can you imagine what it's going to be like in a couple of weeks? You're going to arrive and the doors will be closed. Thank you very much. We hope that you can give online. We hope that you would give in the offering plate. We appreciate every gift. Pray. That offering call is not what you want to do. That offering call is guilt-ridden, as you can, as I think all of you would agree. The other way to do it is again the welcome, the acknowledgement now into the story. The you know, we have so many wonderful ministries happening in this church. We've got a fabulous children's Sabbath school, we've got a fabulous adult Sabbath school, we've got a wonderful um uh food bank. And, you know, the other day we, you know, the food bank serves 300 people a week. Um, and so it's just a great way to reach our community and give them something tangible. You know, the other day I was at the food bank when they were giving out food and I met this wonderful woman and we sat down and we talked. And she said, you know, I come here every week and it makes such a big difference. It brings me some peace. And I love to know that you guys are there. And in fact, when um my other friend was struggling a bit, I told them about you and they came, but we just, it's not just the food that you're providing, but it's the connection, and we know that you care and love us. I would love to know a little bit more about the Avenus Church. This is us connecting to a more abundant life with Jesus Christ. This is what we're trying to do, and your support allows us to continue this work. Thank you so very much. Please give this way, that way, pray. That is a way in which to tell the same story for the same offering call, which is local church budget, yet it's inspirational. So stories are important. Again, the the it's welcome, thank you, story, ask, gift, impact, prayer. That's the formula. That's it. And we are encouraging you to go out and use it this following Sabbath or any other Sabbath you're gonna do an offering call, share it with your elders if they're not online, or your pastor, or those that are doing the offering call, share it. This is the way in which you um can make a difference and start cultivating a culture of generosity. We also have other resources on our website. I'm gonna go ahead and put up a uh QR code that you can scan with your phone. So it'll be up here on the one of the sides of your screen, left or right. Scan that QR code, it will take you to the cultivate generosity page. On that page, you're gonna find the videos, you're gonna find the study guide. Now, I I need to tell you the study guide is a hundred pages long, it is full color. So if you are gonna go print the entire uh study guide, which is complemented with the videos, so you can do the study guide all by yourself, or you can do the study guide and watch the videos, and it's very clearly outlined how you put the two together. Um, just be aware of how large that study guide is. We also have a quick start guide, which is just a simplified shortened version, call it the Cliff Note version, and it just is a way to explain everything that I've actually already said today, but maybe in a little bit more um detail. And we also have the formula, and that formula PDF is what I um had suggested to you to use. And as you've just seen pop up at the bottom of your screen as well as on your screen, that if you have any questions or need support or want me to come and meet with you and your elders, um, I'm more than happy to do it. That is one of the things that I am doing, and that would probably be a Zoom and most likely a Zoom call. Um, contact me. I am your resource. I am here to serve you. And um hopefully you've found that this is gonna be a useful guide. So I challenge you, I challenge you, download the formula that you'll find on that website, download the formula and use it and see what happens. That's really all you have to do. And if it works and you like it and it feels good, we have other support. In the in the course that you find on our website, you're gonna see that there it's not it, there's something beyond the formula. There is rationale, there's data, there is things you can do even better to streamline your raising of funds, um, strategies as well, especially if you talk about going into a capital campaign. But again, my job as the director of communication and development and the assistant to the president, my job is to support you to grow this culture of generosity. That is my job, and I am here to help you in any way that I can. Please reach out. I'm wishing you a wonderful rest of your day. Thank you so very much for your time. Truly appreciate it. And again, send me an email, use it, send me an email, see if there's feedback, and also stay tuned to our communication webinars. There's a number of webinars that we're gonna have. You'll again find it on our website under communication, and it's about impact storytelling. So you can absolutely attend those as well. And we will share how to tell stories, we will practice how to tell stories because that is really the essence of how we're gonna be successful at cultivating generosity and grow a culture of joyful giving. Thank you so very much, and I hope you have a wonderful day and a wonderful Sabbath.