It’s an area of stewardship that many churches aspire to strengthen but rarely find the right moment—or the right tools—to begin. Resources from secular charities don’t always translate to a faith-based context, and conversations about wills and bequests can feel awkward or out of place in the life of a congregation.

“We often hear from parishes that they want to start the conversation about legacy giving, but they’re not sure how,” says Michelle Hauser, development & communications officer for the Anglican Foundation of Canada (AFC). “That’s exactly why we created the Legacy Talk Parish Toolkit—to make it easier, more natural, and more spiritually grounded.”

Rather than focusing on financial targets, Legacy Talk connects legacy giving to gratitude, discipleship and hope for the future of the Church. Each seasonal toolkit aligns with the rhythms of the liturgical year, offering clergy and lay leaders reflections, bulletin inserts, sample messages, and practical templates that can be adapted to any parish setting.

Begin with Vestry Season:

Planning with Purpose

Annual Vestry Reports and planning meetings provide a perfect opportunity to integrate legacy giving into the parish’s financial and spiritual vision.

For example, the Vestry Season Toolkit offers a Parish Council Checklist—simple, concrete steps that can help normalize legacy giving as part of a parish’s ongoing stewardship practice:

Add legacy giving as a standing item in stewardship conversations;

Include a legacy paragraph in the vestry report;

Ensure your website or bulletin mentions bequest options;

Publicly thank legacy donors when appropriate.

“For many churches, the checklist is a great place to start—it helps parishes move from ‘we should do something’ to actually feeling confident about making legacy giving part of their spiritual DNA.”

From Lent to Christmas: A Year of Gratitude, Growth, and Faith

Across the seasons of the Church year, Legacy Talk offers practical ways to weave legacy giving into parish life—always grounded in faith rather than fundraising.

During Lent, parishes are invited to reflect on what they treasure and why, exploring legacy giving as a spiritual practice rooted in love and intention.

The Easter to Pentecost toolkit celebrates growth and gratitude, encouraging churches to see legacy gifts as seeds of faith—planted today to bless the Church of tomorrow.

In Ordinary Time, the focus shifts to steady, everyday stewardship through simple reflections and conversation tools that keep faith communities engaged year-round.

As All Saints’ approaches, parishes are encouraged to remember, honour, and plan—giving thanks for those whose generosity built the Church we inherit and asking, “What legacy will we leave?”

Finally, Advent and Christmas offer a natural moment to express gratitude and hope, reminding us that every generation helps “prepare a place” for those who will follow.

“It is our hope that using Legacy Talk as a guide will help parishes build a rhythm of gratitude and generosity,” says Hauser, “and that 2026 will be the year more church communities feel inspired to take that next faithful step—turning good intentions into lasting impact.”

To explore or download the full series, visit anglicanfoundation.org/legacytalk.

— Anglican Foundation of Canada

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TENS is a ministry of the Episcopal Church in the U.S. and the Anglican Church of Canada. It is an association of church leaders that provides resources and training at low or no cost to clergy and lay stewardship leaders. The Anglican Diocese of Ottawa is a member, which means that all the parishes in the diocese can access all of TENS stewardship resources.

The webinar featured a conversation with Davey Gerhard, executive director of TENS, and the Rev. Debra Bennett, a TENS board member and the priest at Church of Our Savior in Akron, Ohio.

Derwyn Sangster, chair of the the Stewardship Resource Hub moderated. The following excerpts offer a glimpse of the rich discussion:

“From your perspective in the Anglican faith, what is stewardship?” Sangster asked Bennett.

“On a number of levels, it can be understood as an act of worship. It’s our relationship with God and how we respond to God’s generosity in our lives, in all facets of our lives. Where are the blessings? Where are we grateful?” she said. “And it is a part of our spiritual disciplines —when we are intentional around attending to those things of God that we understand are part of how we live and move and have our being. And so, when we engage in service to community, that is an act of stewardship.”

Sangster then asked Gerhard what stewardship means in the day-to-day life of a congregation.

“If we think about stewardship in general as caring for all of God’s creation, the entire kingdom of God, the reign of God, we think about our congregational context as our own little corner of God’s reign, of God’s kingdom. And while we are called to serve all of God’s people, the parish context gives us the opportunity to serve our local community and the local ways that our community needs us to be present, to stand up for it, to advocate for it, to heal and seek and serve.… I look at our congregations as our local place to engage God’s work and to keep that recognition of abundance, gratitude, and generosity flowing out to our neighbors.”

Sangster also asked Gerhard, “What are the essential elements of a successful stewardship campaign? And… how can TENs resources be brought to bear in support of parish campaigns?”

“What TENS does, in addition to creating an annual pledge campaign, which is about the mechanics of how we raise money in a congregation — pledge cards and statements of faith and letters and prayers —all those things are very important and touch on the spiritual and the human components of our stewardship. But then we also give an enormous number of resources for ongoing formation throughout the year. My worry is that when congregations only talk about stewardship as a coded word for fundraising, and they only do that once a year or one month a year, then we’re missing all these other amazing opportunities to draw that connection between gifts received and gifts given, and gratitude….”

“We inspire, we nurture, we grow Christians in their faith and in their love. And part of doing that is then for us to see stewardship, not as just transactional, but transformational. … Our resource library is chock full of things. Our webinars all through the year get into work that’s not just how to run a stewardship campaign, but how to evangelize, how to talk about money and faith, how to see what your community needs from you and bring that back into your budgeting process and your planning processes.”

Enjoy the full webinar online and contact Carole Breton, director of Communications and Development, for more information:

carole-breton@ottawa.anglican.ca.

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Here’s how to run a successful virtual auction. 

A virtual auction is different because it operates on a software platform.  I recommend 32 auctions because it is easy to use and cost effective. More information about this platform is available at https://www.32auctions.com/. As with any silent auction, you will need to dedicate time to soliciting silent auction items.  It is a good idea to work with a group of volunteers to do this so that you are tapping into as many networks for items as possible.  Provide each volunteer with a sheet describing your event to send to the people and businesses they will be soliciting. Instead of a live display of the items, you will enter photos along with text descriptions, including the dollar value of the items and the starting bids, into 32 auctions. 

Virtual auction pros and cons

Initially, setting up your virtual auction is time consuming; however, many of the tedious parts of running an auction are easy because they are covered by the software: tracking bids, enforcing minimum increases, and managing bidder activity. The software also manages winning bidder payments. There are advantages to going virtual, even when you have the option to do an in-person event:

Less hassle: You don’t have to haul auction items to a venue, make a display, keep track of bids on paper, or handle check out for prizes.

Larger audience: People can bid from anywhere, at any time, which gives you the opportunity to reach a wider audience.  

More options:  Usually a silent auction at an in-person event is limited to the beginning and end of the event.  With an online auction, it is possible to extend the bidding over a longer period and continue to highlight specific items through social media. You can also add new items or stagger bidding to keep people engaged and bidding.

The main con for virtual silent auctions is that it is challenging to match the excitement that is built into a live event.  

Promotion

In order to generate interest, it is very important have a clear plan and timeline for promotion of the silent auction. Your communications strategy could include posters around town, social media posts, eblasts, and advertisements in your parish’s newsletter and in any local publications. Here are more ideas to consider:

• A segmented email campaign to appeal to different groups of supporters
• A press release to local media
• An auction-specific landing page on your parish’s website

With planning, timeline, communications strategy, items, and platform in place, a virtual silent auction is well worth doing and often raises much more than an auction at a live event. If you have questions about online silent auctions, please contact Jane Scanlon at jane-scanlon@ottawa.anglican.ca, or Heidi Fawcett at heidi-fawcett@ottawa.anglican.ca.

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• Ensure consistent messaging
• Keep messages aligned with your parish’s vision
• Engage audiences (both internal and external)

Here are some questions to ask to get started to build your communications strategy:

What kind of communication does your congregation prefer?  For example, are reminders and updates sent by email effective?

What channels of communication get a better response? For example, do text messages perform better than phone calls?

When is the best time to send messages for maximum impact? For example, instead of reaching out just on Sundays, will a middle of the week text, email, or social media post improve engagement?

By considering the answers to these questions, you will have some helpful information to begin developing a communication plan that is aligned with your parish’s mission and vision.

Communications options to consider

Before building a communication strategy, it is important to understand the church communications options that are available. Knowing what they are and understanding how they can impact your audiences will help you craft a more effective communications plan.

There are two kinds of church communications to consider.

Internal communication is all communication that is focused on keeping church members informed, engaged, and involved. Internal church communications include updates to the congregation, pastoral communications, and communications with volunteers.  Internal communications channels include texts, emails, phone calls, announcements, and so on.

External communication is all communication that is focused on reaching audiences outside of your congregation. It aims to promote the church and its events to the outside world giving it more visibility and boosting new member registration.  Examples of external communications include social media updates about events, advertising, updates on the church website, and so on.  Typical external communication channels are social media, website, signage and posters, and word of mouth.

A good church communication strategy strikes a balance between both forms of communication and uses storytelling to present compelling and consistent messaging. Here are some links to help you to begin developing your parish’s plan:

• https://callhub.io/church-communication-best-practices/
• https://callhub.io/web-based-church-management-software/
• https://callhub.io/church-communication-strategy/

Compiled by Jane Scanlon, from CallHub

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Many readers will have received a phone call thanking them for their donations to the Today for Tomorrow (T4T) campaign, which raises funds to support the Community Ministries  and outreach ministries of the Diocese. Elizabeth Reicker called 200 people in May. Crosstalk asked her a few questions about why she volunteers.

How did you get started with this volunteer work?  I volunteered of course. I was a member of the Diocesan Stewardship Subcommittee until 2020 and am a strong T4T supporter, so I offered to help in any way.

Why do you call? Thanking people, who are much more than just donors, is important and a best practice. I have been on Cornerstone Housing for Women’s  thank-a-thon team for three years so have experience.

Last fall, at Jane Scanlon’s request, I phoned almost 300 donors who had given to T4T in 2019 and enjoyed chatting with people about their lives and answering their questions. So, when Jane offered me another list of people to thank, I said yes. I do not know how the list was generated or anything about the amount of the gift, just that everyone is generous.

What do you find most challenging about phoning?  Nothing but finding time to phone.  I do try to say thank you in the first sentence, so I have not been hung up on.  Many messages were left also, and I am pleased that some people called me in return to say more about their church and T4T experience.

What did you enjoy most? It is always a pleasure to phone and reconnect with people whom I may have met or know from other diocesan events. These days when so many of us are isolated, having a chat with a new person is a pleasure.  I have made some “new friends” across the diocese and hope to meet some of them in person.

What are your other volunteer activities? Not much these days. I miss Cornerstone, where I have visited residents at 515 for 20 years and being on the Booth Street reception desk. As part of St Martin’s Pastoral Care team, I do write or call people.  I do plan to return to visit residents of the Salvation Army’s long-term care residence Grace Manor soon.  I hope the Literacy Table at Parkdale United’s In From the Cold program will return in the fall, but until then everyone must continue trying to stay safe.

To learn more about Today 4 Tomorrow (T4T) please visit www.today4tomorrow.ca, or to make an online donation to T4T through Canada Helps visit www.ottawa.anglican.ca. The ministries T4T is supporting this year are featured in this paper on pages 10-11. Thank you!

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Warden Bernie Delmaire told Crosstalk that the gift enabled the parish to replace a regular household dishwasher with a commercial, sanitizing one; the regular sink with a deep restaurant-style one with sprayers; and an old stove with a new one. 

St. Margaret’s has an active outreach and works closely with many in the community, “so our hall is really busy. Before the pandemic, it was busy every day. We also do a soup meal program every week after church on Sundays,” he said, adding that the after-church meals are not possible now but will resume once pandemic restrictions are lifted.

The legacy gift also allowed St. Margaret’s to purchase an upright freezer, which Delmaire explained, will be helpful, particularly when the Inuit congregation at St. Margaret’s gets a donation of food from the North, such as cariboo or seal.  “It doesn’t happen very often, but when it happens, it is really enjoyed,” he said. “Before, we were always rushing to serve it as quickly as possible because we didn’t have a proper place to keep it.”

The Billingsley gift is also transforming the hall into a more inviting space. Worn floor tiles have been replaced with new flooring. The curtains are also being replaced and the hall is being painted. 

Andy Billingsley is pleased with the impact of the gift. “I’ve seen what they’ve done with most of the money, and I was almost moved to tears. St. Margaret’s have just been outstanding in what they have accomplished.” Since John did not have children, Andy said the gift was a way to leave a legacy for those who meant so much to John and ensure he’d not be forgotten.

John Billingsley came to St. Margaret’s after All Saints Sandy Hill closed. “His church was very important to him,” his sister Charlotte Ward said. 

Both she and Andy thought the renovations to the kitchen and hall were a fitting way for St. Margaret’s to use the gift because John would have been a part of and enjoyed the social activities taking place there and because he liked to cook and cooked for himself as a bachelor for many years. “He was quite amazing because he would set his table for one with a placemat and probably a linen serviette and he cooked [according to] the Canada Food Guide for most meals for himself every night which would be two veggies, a potato, meat or fish, a salad and a dessert. So he did that for himself every night and sat there watching TV or maybe listening to the radio,” said Charlotte.

As a young man, John travelled to a Cree community north of Thunder Bay with a group of youth from Anglican churches to help out and paint a church, Andy recalled, adding that he was pleased that the gift would also benefit another Indigenous group, St. Margaret’s Inuit congregation.

Charlotte recalled that “in John’s heyday, he was a passionate square dancer and a sought-after dance partner. His acute memory helped him remember all the intricate dance patterns and movements involved in the dosey-does and promenade involved in square dancing. And he wore some wicked shirts and string ties.” 

She described him as a gentle, compassionate man who loved his family, and always stayed in touch with family members and friends. “He was devoted to his nieces and nephews and great-nieces and great-nephews, and he seemed to have a special knack for selecting just the right gifts for them.”

Thls gift to St. Margaret’s seems to have that special touch too.

Information about making a legacy gift to support the mission and ministry of your church, as well as suggested bequest wording, is on the diocesan website at this link https://ottawa.anglican.ca/legacy-giving/.  If you would like to explore legacy giving options, please call Jane Scanlon, Director of Communications and Stewardship Development, at 613-232-7124, ext. 225.

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—2 Timothy 1:7

Even during a pandemic, I encourage you to think about messages of abundance  and gratitude to share with your congregation(s).  

Think about how people in the congregation can serve others who are lonely, struggling, suffering or at-risk at this time.  There are plenty of ways to make that connection if your parish leadership thinks creatively and considers the abundance of gifts available. 

The stewardship message does not always have to be about money; instead it could be about opportunities for mission.  

How is your congregation engaged in communities and helping others now? 

How is it being the light in the midst of the darkness? 

I believe these are very important questions for all of us to pray about and consider at this point in time. 

Please send any of your creative initiatives that might inspire others to jane-scanlon@ottawa.anglican.ca. Thank you!

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In addition to resources for your Stewardship campaigns, they are offering three virtual trainings.  One has already taken place in January. The other free virtual trainings will be available in August and October. Please look for more information about these webinars and for online registration.  TENS is also offering additional consulting packages to enhance stewardship formation in the Diocese.   As well, they will offer four custom virtual consultations for stewardship leaders.  I am planning to take full advantage of these offerings so that all of our congregations have access to them.

The webinars topics include a choice of:

• Year-round Formation for Stewardship
• Crafting a Mid-Year Budget and Stewardship Review
• Recruiting, Training and Retaining Stewardship Leaders
• Creating Compelling Stewardship Case Materials

A TENS webinar consists of 60 minutes of content presented on a slide deck.  Included will be up to 30 minutes of an optional Q&A session.  Please contact me for login access at jane-scanlon@ottawa.anglican.ca and then go to www.tens.org to look at the resources available. Now is the perfect time to begin your Stewardship ministry planning for 2021.  These resources will be very helpful!

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During 2020, many generous people supported Today 4 Tomorrow both financially and through volunteer efforts.  All of the Community Ministries and the people they serve as well as the participants in the Youth Internship Program, the Refugee Program and All My Relations are grateful to our generous and loyal donors. Thank you for making a difference in people’s lives!

Plans for T4T 2021 are underway, and more information will be published in Crosstalk when the appeal is launched during Lent and Easter. In the spring, our annual fundraising event and silent auction will be advertised to take place early in the fall. If you would like to support the T4T partners now, please visit www.today4tomorrow.ca to make a donation, and if you would like volunteer, please call Jane Scanlon, Director of Communications and Stewardship Development at 613-232-7124, ext. 225.

Thank you, in advance, for contributing to building a community of hope!

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