The 2012-2013 TJMC Pledge Drive kicks off in just three weeks with the Commitment Sunday service. Our theme this year is “Giving a hundred and ten percent.”
This theme embodies two significant messages. First, in the spirit of every great sports halftime pep talk, it stresses the importance of being fully committed to our congregation’s mission and well-being.
Second, it give us a chance to consider what a dramatic transformative impact another 10% in total pledges would have on our church.
While 10% seems like a fairly small amount, most of our annual costs are fixed costs related to our building, utilities, salaries, and interest on our debt. The discretionary part of our budget that we spend on programs, community outreach, and local donations is only about $30,000, so an extra 10% in our budget would allow us to more than double the amount we spend on those things, or any other discretionary priorities.
That’s worth reiterating, to make sure you’ve hear it correctly. Raising 110% of last year’s pledge total would give us the means to more than double the amount of money we would have available to spend on programs, outreach, local donations, and other priorities, rather than keeping our spending at last year’s level.
Now we won’t do our budget until after the pledge drive is over, so we don’t know how much we’ll have to spend on what priorities. But that decision-making process begins as soon as you start thinking about your pledge for next year. So don’t wait until February 12. Decide now what you can give, and be as generous as you can. Let’s all give a hundred and ten percent of ourselves, to make Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church the kind of church we dream it can be.
Adam Slate & Tom Colbert
2012-13 TJMC Pledge Drive Co-Chairs
P.S. Mark Saturday, March 24 on your calendar. We are striving for our most successful pledge drive ever, and will be wrapping things up that evening with a big celebration at the church. More details to come, but meanwhile, save the date!
Use the Online Pledge Form.
We are a church of the liberal tradition rooted in the heritage of Unitarian Universalism and dedicated to the belief that in every individual there are extraordinary possibilities.