​Science of Giving Stats - Download the above diagram.

ASSUMPTIONS
taken from:  “Financial Stewardship Lesson Plans for Mixed Age Groups” Created by Dr. Diane E. Shallue (December 2008)

1. Learning the value of money begins as soon as a child is able to understand the meaning of rewards, work and consequences.
2. Adults model attitudes and practices towards money.  
3. The materialism of children mirrors the materialism of adults.
4. Adults and children can learn from each other.
5. Learning experiences are more effective when people of several generations are engaged in interactive experiences together and then talk about their experiences.
6. God wants faithful followers to be generous with their money.
7. Stewardship's connection is to grace, forgiveness, joy and gratitude -- not the law.
8. You can give without loving but not love without giving.
9. Giving is not an obligation but participation in what God is doing in the world.   We give because we are created in the image of a God who is a gracious and abundant giver.
10.People under the age of 18 need to be involved in the financial giving programs in a congregation.
11.People under the age of 18 who receive an allowance or earn money should be encouraged to give from a generous heart to the work of the congregation.
12.People under the age of 18 can participate in the mission of Christ in the world.
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From A Sanctified Art "Our Money Story:  A Practical Guide to Stewardship" -​This is a three-part resource specifically for clergy, stewardship committees, staff, and volunteers who lead the stewardship and fundraising efforts in your community. Part educational and part spiritual formation, this toolkit will help you discern and write your personal and communal money stories then take action to best live out your mission and values.

DOWNLOAD INCLUDES:
A Practical Guide to Stewardship (a 17-pg PDF). This is a comprehensive guide written by fundraising experts, Mieke Vandersall and Erin Weber-Johnson from Vandersall Collective.
Includes wisdom and tips from Pastor Janelle Hooper.
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The Generosity Project (Facebook page) of the ELCA - Linda Staat's work connects generations and equips households as centers for the faith practice of generosity. Resources include an outline for an Introductory 3.5 hour workshop, five sessions plus worship with a detailed planning guide, live it out take-home activities, foundation and fundamentals that offer an overview, for the project, and an extensive curated resource list. And the Grand Canyon Synod has a wonderfully expansive website.
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​Stewardship as money and talent...
​So, What can kids do in worship to share their talent? Well what can you dream? Pastor Heather Roth  Johnson led the children in  making prayer paraments for Lent to go on the altar AND kids saying the words of institution with me for first communion. How do you think this will effect their life-long faith formation???
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Developing Generous Children in a Materialistic World- by RowsofSharon  Fifteen pages of resources; worth the read!
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Looking for timely, relevant, family friendly stewardship resources??
Check out what Holy Cross Lutheran in Illinois has for stewardship resources.  Then feel free to contact them about adapting the resource for your context!
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Raising Helpful Humans - Sparkhouse offers suggestions for chores children and youth can do.  Teaching your kids to do chores is a good idea, not just because it helps you but also because it helps them! 
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​5 Tips to help teens master money management.
7 Tips for talking to kids about money.
Age appropriate volunteer activities.
Intergenerational Money Matters Workshop.
​Activities for kids and parents that can go along with a workshop.
Talking with young people about stewardship and where to begin found in a quick blog post here.
How about pledge cards for kids?  Here.
Including the below example for non-readers.
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Simple way to invite children to share in the offering.
 Sharon Ely Pearson, an Episcopalian with an MA in Christian Education from Virginia Theological Seminary has a website, rowsofsharon.com, that offers thoughtful and simple steps to invite children and youth into their baptismal promises.  Here.
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inFaith Community Foundation -  offers a suite of resources to share your giving journey with future generations; including a children's book for purchase. 
The mission of Share Save Spend® is to help individuals and families develop healthy money habits that honor their values and enhance their financial wellbeing.
Moonjar has tips about talking about money with kids as well as a "Spend, Share, Save" box for sale.
Child Mind Institute encourages working with children and money at a young age; emphasizing special needs with ADHD.
Generosity for Life (2nd Grade) Student Stories - Stories from kids about generosity.
Generosity for Life Lesson Plans - Lesson Plans were developed by Laura Blythe Liu, EdD. The Class Sessions engage students in exploring, understanding, appreciating, and practicing generosity among cultures, ecologies, and generations. 
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The Wrong Shoes: A Book About Money and Self-EsteemWhen Marco learns he has the wrong shoes, he embarks on a journey to learn about money and self-esteem.

Latest in Stewardship Trends:

National Study on Congregation's Economic Practices from Lake Institute, 2019.
Financial Stewardship Lesson Plans for Mixed Age Groups From Dr. Diane Shallue come three lessons on generosity.  So well thought out, including important tips about working in mixed aged groups.
Stewardship doesn’t magically begin at age 18...so how are we teaching it to our kids and youth?
When it comes to Reimagining Stewardship...Don't forget #6 To Ask The Children!
Online Giving Options:  
  • If you are doing online worship the offertory is a perfect time to talk about the different methods of giving. If you email a reminder about worship include a donate button in the email
  • Make sure your website is up to date and the donate button is easy to see. If you need help with a website see the recorded webinar below
  • You need to have some idea how people gave before March 15, weekly, monthly, cash or by check. I know some churches hold this information very close but different people might require different approaches.
  • If you have regular givers you can call and explain the different options, if they are not tech savvy ask them to mail their offering to the church. A church can also think about sending addressed stamped envelopes with a letter asking people to use them to mail their check monthly rather than weekly.

Setting up Bill pay with your Bank –The donor uses the bank’s ‘Bill Pay’ feature to setup the church as the payee and schedules a one time or recurring transfer of funds to the church for a certain amount. What most people do not realize is that the bank actually sends the church a check by mail and the church then has to process it just like any other check it receives during the week.
  • Ask your congregation the question, do you already pay bills online using bill pay from your bank? If you have snowbirds, they usually do. I am a Church Treasurer, I got a call from a member who is a weekly check in the plate person. He wanted to know how to get his pledge to the church, he had mailed it in the last two weeks. He was asking about using a credit card, so I asked if he paid bills online from his bank. He answered yes, so I told him this would be my first choice, it costs the person sending the money nothing and the church nothing. The bank even mails a check to the church. Explaining the cost savings to the church of bill pay vs using a credit card usually will convince a member to give it a try.

Credit card platforms. below are providers with the lowest fees and no monthly fees. So that narrows down the choices.
To see a list of some options for Online Giving go to https://givingfees.com/#church

Here are some of the fees for comparison:

ELCA PREFERRED VENDORS are Tithe.ly and VANCO
Tithe.ly
Monthly Fee   $0
Debit/Credit Card Rate         2.90% + $0.30/transaction
ACH Processing Rate2         1.00% + $0.30/transaction
 
VANCO
for churches with less than $20k/month in donations
Monthly Fee  $10     
Debit/Credit Card Rate          2.75% + $0.45/transaction
ACH Processing Rate2         1.00% + $0.45/transaction

VANCO
for churches with between $20k-$40k/month in donations
Monthly Fee   $49
Debit/Credit Card Rate         2.35% + $0.35/transaction
ACH Processing Rate           0.80% + $0.35/transaction


Stripe (non profit)
Monthly Fee   $0
Debit/Credit Card Rate         2.20% + $0.30/transaction
ACH Processing Rate           0.80% + $0/transaction
 
Paypal (non-profit)
Monthly Fee   $0
Debit/Credit Card Rate         2.20% + $0.30/transaction
PayPal which has nonprofit rates.
Most people recognize PayPal and are comfortable using it.
No set up or monthly fees for churches
Reasonable transaction rates
You receive an email at the time of every donation with complete information about the Donor
You can “withdraw” from PayPal in batches, for ease in tracking and accounting rather than trying to match the transaction from your bank account to an individual.
Ease of setting up a donate bottom
 --Charlaine Apsel
PRC - Executive Director  charlaine@prcli.org

Money Talk Cards -  ​The Money Talk Cards are designed to facilitate and support conversations about money with your friends, family, partner, or larger groups. Each deck features 52 unique cards.
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womengive18:  Transmitting Generosity to Daughter and Sons - How do parents transmit generosity to their children and does this differ for daughters and sons?  The Women Give studies provide strong empirical evidence that gender matters in philanthropy. ​
"Planting prayers" with the whole congregation during stewardship season 2014. Our prayers enrich the soil where our pledges (and our paper white bulbs) grew into real, visible, new life. Faith Presbyterian Church, Greensboro, NC

Debit Cards for Kids:

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Preparing kids for the financial jungle!  Bill Dwight created Famzoo, the easiest way to get money to your kids without spoiling them.  
Check out this helpful youtube video to learn more.  
​Here are 21 tips for raising Money Savvy kids at every educational age.
Greenlight® is the debit card for kids that parents manage from their phones with flexible parental controls.

Community Gardens:

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​Schoolyard Mosaics: Designing Gardens and Habitats from the National Gardening Association
Starting or maintaining a community garden? Resources galore HERE for gardening with kids!
*Ethnic Gardens (Cultivating Cross-Culturally)
*Rainbow Gardens
*Garden of Peace and Healing
​*Sensory Friendly Garden
Be sure to check out:  kidsgardening.com
10 FREE Gardening Activities with Kids below:
kidsgardening-favorite-garden-activities.pdf
File Size: 3988 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
We offer curated Christian faith formation resources,
so you don't have to scour the internet yourself.
Photos used under Creative Commons from BelindaMariepix, kennethkonica, Grant Source