Affinity Group: Lay Leaders

GET READY FOR AN INTERACTIVE CONVERSATION!

Topic: Budgeting, Funding and Advocacy

January 29 – 11:00am PST// 12:00pm MST// 1:00pm CST// 2:00pm EST 

Affinity group gathering and participatory discussion forum for lay leaders involved in membership/engagement at their congregations.

This is a space-limited, interactive discussion.There will not be a frontal presentation. Please come prepared to share what takes place at your own congregation and with questions for others.

The conversation may include:

• When and how do budgeting decisions get made about membership and engagement efforts?
• Where does funding for engagement currently live in your budget structure?
• What engagement activities or initiatives receive the most financial support—and why?
• What areas feel underfunded or unfunded in your current model?
• What challenges have you encountered in securing or maintaining funding for engagement work?
• Where have you experimented with new models of funding, and what did you learn?
• What criteria do you use when deciding which engagement initiatives receive funding?
• Where do you see alignment, or tension, between staff and lay leaders regarding funding priorities?
• How do you communicate the value of engagement initiatives to decision-makers?
• Where do you find creative or alternative funding paths?
• If additional funds became available tomorrow, what is the first engagement initiative you would invest in? Why?

What would you like to share or ask your peers?

The session is scheduled for 60 minutes and will not be recorded. There are 30 participant spots available on a first come-first served basis and a waiting list will open once those spots are filled.