“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (I Thessalonians 5:18)
When personally asking others to give always send a note or a letter to those who choose not to participate or who are unable to participate. As Fr. Thomas Hopko once remarked, “No solicitation is a waste of time for even if they choose not to give, we were accorded the opportunity to speak to them about the mission of the parish, the life of the church and substantive matters touching upon the Word of life. The good news of the gospel was carried into their homes, over the phone or into their offices.” Copy and paste the text into a Word document to edit as needed.
The suggested text:
parish letterhead
date
address
Dear (personal names)
Thank you for according to us (me) the opportunity to speak with you concerning the (annual giving, stewardship, capital campaign) and our hopes for the future. We enjoyed our conversation. It is our task to listen attentively to the responses of the community.
It is our understanding that you have elected not to participate in the (annual giving, stewardship, capital campaign) at this time.
If your circumstances change, or if you do decide at some point in the future to participate, then of course we would be delighted and very grateful to receive your pledge.
We ask for your continued prayers as we proceed with our work to better serve the people of our community.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Pastor, Campaign Chairperson or solicitor