By Matt Vuorela / Chief Executive Officer of Steier Group / Connect with Matt on LinkedIn
Like many households, church leaders in 2026 are facing shrinking budgets. And annual appeal dollars aren’t stretching as far as they used to. With ministries depending on donated dollars to do their work, and smaller parishes continuing to decline, it may be time for a new fundraising strategy.
These are all reasons why stewardship development is critical for today’s churches.
Stewardship development is the intentional, ongoing work of building a church culture where generosity grows out of gratitude, rather than obligation. More simply put, stewardship development is about forming disciples who give joyfully, so that every fundraising campaign or appeal flows naturally from a shared sense of mission.
In this blog, we’ll walk you through how to develop a stewardship approach that inspires lasting generosity and positions your church for long-term impact.
What Stewardship Development Means for Your Organization
Despite budget concerns, fundraising is not done best as a reactionary response to line items that look lower than last year. Done well, fundraising is a form of ministry. Through faithful giving, we help make God’s vision for us possible.
Catholic Fundraising
Fundraising is the practical, tactical side of inviting your parishioners and community members to meet your parish’s financial needs – through events, appeals, capital campaigns, or other outreach.
But stewardship development goes beyond fundraising.
Stewardship Development
Stewardship development focuses more on the relationship and the formation behind someone’s giving, built on the common understanding that everything we have is a gift from God and meant to be shared for His glory.
In Isaiah 43:19, God says he is about to do “something new” and provide resources for His people. This could be considered a metaphor for stewardship. We are drawn together through God and entrusted to care for each other wisely and generously.
It is stewardship development, then, that forms the foundation that makes generosity possible.
You might think of stewardship as the soil and fundraising as the harvest. When a parish invests in strong stewardship practices, fundraising becomes more joyful for everyone involved. Because people believe in the mission. Next, we’ll walk through a few ways to infuse stewardship best practices into your donor development plans.
How Stewardship Reflects Your Mission and Purpose
If what we’re talking about so far feels broad, it’s because it is. Practically speaking, here’s what stewardship development can include at the parish level:
- Homilies that connect giving to discipleship and gratitude
- Annual stewardship conferences (or weekend events, novenas, etc.) focused on prayer and witness, rather than on collection or solicitation
- Small groups focused on Bible study or books that cover the theology of stewardship
- One title we recommend is The Spirituality of Fundraising by Henry Nouwen.
Stewardship development is like saying to your parishioners, “We have an exciting and hopeful vision for the future. You’re invited to join us and invest in this plan by offering the gifts God has entrusted to you – both your prayers and financial support – as we work in the ways God has called us to do.”
Beyond the spiritual perspective, there’s the organizational and relational perspectives to consider. When parishes and dioceses strategically focus on relationships, giving becomes a shared expression of faith and participation in God’s mission.
In her book Beyond Fundraising, philanthropy expert Kay Sprinkel Grace challenges organizations to see donors as partners in mission (transformative) rather than sources of revenue (transactional). Now let’s dive into more about what that looks like.
Organizational Growth Through Long-Term Stewardship Planning
Building long-term, mission-centered relationships is key to organizational growth. Donors want to feel part of something meaningful. Grace says that’s a job to be shared among more than just development staff. And we agree. Pastors, board members, volunteers and other team members all play a role in nurturing donor relationships and communicating impact.
How can strong stewardship help your church grow?
Maybe you already have a stewardship committee and maybe you also integrate prayer, education and hospitality into parish life. Great!
Now what? Both Grace and Nouwen emphasize that inviting someone to give is inviting them to live out their values. That means aligning all fundraising efforts (capital campaigns, annual appeals, etc.) and communications efforts with the parish’s mission and pastoral priorities.
But what does that actually look like? Keep reading for a few ideas.
Community Impact and Engagement Through Stewardship Development
As your supporters start to give in alignment with their values, you will hopefully help them also grow more aware of how their gifts are used. The goal is that they notice the care and gratitude behind your response to their support. In a Catholic parish or school, that experience then becomes an ongoing invitation to belong and serve the church community.
Here are a few ways to engage your community to help parishioners see how their contributions connect to and strengthen the overall culture.
Community Engagement
- Parish ministry fairs that help parishioners discover how and where to share their gifts.
- Testimonial videos where members share why they give or how it has deepened their faith.
- Bonus points if they can invite others to join them in giving!
- Service projects that link generosity to mission — e.g., food drives, shoe collections, or outreach partnerships in the broader community.
This type of witness makes stewardship visible (even somewhat contagious). Planning stewardship activities is only one part of it, though. Communicating how your parish is changing lives is arguably more important. Every message (pulpit announcement, email newsletter, thank you letter, etc.) is a chance to remind parishioners that their generosity is part of something bigger: the ongoing story of faith and mission. Consider these ideas below.
Communication and Invitation
- Year‑round storytelling that shows how gifts make ministry possible (in newsletters, social media or Mass announcements).
- Gratitude campaigns that celebrate generosity.
- Parish annual reports that connect financial giving to spiritual fruit — lives changed, sacraments celebrated, outreach expanded, etc.
Financial Giving and Ways to Support Your Mission
Supporting your parish’s mission takes many forms. So far, we’ve talked mostly about non-financial gifts. It’s hoped that parishioners will also respond to your call for stewardship with regular financial support. This could come from offertory giving, campaigns or planned gifts.
When stewardship is grounded in gratitude – and in response to the Gospel – that is what builds a culture of stewardship and generosity.
Conclusion: Growing Mission and Community Through a Culture of Stewardship
Few things matter more in development than stewardship — the ongoing care, gratitude and engagement shown to those who give. By cultivating a culture of stewardship, leaders can help inspire a community that gives joyfully and helps advance the mission of the Church.
