B008 Stewardship in Communities of Color
Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring,
That the 79th General Convention recognizes that The Episcopal Church has not historically articulated, recognized or appreciated the particularities and uniqueness of stewardship and fundraising practices among parishes and faith communities of color; nor is there denominational or ecumenical research and data available on stewardship and fundraising practices of communities of color; and be it further
Resolved, That the General Convention commends the initiative of the ecumenical Collective Foundation in their project to research and collect data on stewardship and fundraising practices of communities of color called: “Research on Giving by Faith Communities of Color,” and its goal to support communities of color in their ongoing stewardship programs and initiatives; and be it further
Resolved, That the General Convention urges the offices of The Episcopal Church Center, dioceses, and parishes to cooperate with, and support the efforts of, the Collective Foundation in the “Research on Giving by Faith Communities of Color” project in partnership with other denominations.
Explanation
Most fundraising practices in the church have been created by qualitative and quantitative work with, by, and for white dominant North American culture, putting communities of color at an immediate disadvantage. Currently, no fundraising statistics, very little qualitative data, and inadequate information about diverse fundraising practices in communities of color exits. In addition, there are a disproportionately high number of white fundraising professionals compared to people of color and there is no existing network for religious fundraising professionals of color. The goal of the “Research on Giving in Faith Communities of Color” project is to collect information and provide it back to communities of color in order to develop more effective stewardship and fundraising practices. The project will also gather religious fundraising professionals of color in a network to support one another in stewardship and fundraising practices. The Collective Foundation is a nonprofit, ecumenical, research group made up of five individuals, the majority of whom are people of color, specifically organized to undertake this research project. The Collective includes: Aimée Laramore (religious fundraising consultant), Rev. Larissa Kwong-Abazia (seminary administrator and pastor), Erin Weber- Johnson (religious fundraising consultant), Rev. Dr.Derrick McQueen (pastor, academic) and Rev. Mieke Vandersall (religious consultant and church planter). In addition, Dr. Amy Thayer (Director of Research for The Millennial Impact Research studies) has been hired to provide analysis. This resolution calls on The Episcopal Church at all levels to support the “Research on Giving in Faith Communities of Color” project.