God is Creator and Owner of all things: He did not create out of obligation or need but out of who He is, and all of creation, including our lives and all that we have, is a gift from God before it is anything else. God has created us in His image and for His glory (Genesis 1:26–27), so we reflect His generosity outward (Genesis 12:2); giving is not an optional add-on but an essential part of our created identity and flourishing, and sin’s distortion (self-preservation, hoarding, greed) must be resisted (1 Corinthians 10:31). Giving is an act of worship before it is ethics: before asking what we should do with our money, we ask who we are honoring with it (Matthew 6:24). In giving we reveal where our trust lies, and we return what is truly His (1 Chronicles 29:14).
The offering framed as worship inside the liturgy. First Fruits Sunday opening the year. A Rule of Life that names generosity as part of who we are, not a program of the church.
“Reality is a church that believes generosity is part of being human: we are made in the image of a generous God. If you want a church that talks about money reverently and honestly, as worship and not as a fundraiser, you will find it here.”
“This month in our Rule of Life: made for generosity. One question for your group: before what should I do with my money, whom am I honoring with it? Everything we have is a gift before it is anything else.”
“We are not asking because we have a need. We are asking because God owns it all and made us to reflect His generosity. Your gift returns what is His, and it is worship before it is anything else.”
We are stewards, not owners, of all that we have; we are “entrusted” with everything, not a percentage (1 Corinthians 4:2). We are instructed to give out of what we have been given: first fruits (Proverbs 3:9–10) and the tithe (Nehemiah 10:37) were regular, thoughtful ways of displaying trust in God’s provision and investing in the community of God’s people. God’s Word informs and directs our giving: in both Testaments, support for God’s work is a regular and joyful practice; Jesus affirms the tithe but ties it to justice and mercy (Matthew 23:23), and Paul applies the principle to supporting the work of ministry (1 Corinthians 9:13–14; 1 Timothy 5:17–18), alongside generosity to those in need inside and outside the church. God’s grace motivates our giving: not guilt, but a joyful response to the gospel, since Jesus, though rich, became poor for our sake (2 Corinthians 8:9).
Regular, proportionate giving taught plainly. First fruits and tithe named without apology. Benevolence and Justice & Outreach funds alongside the General Fund. Grace, not guilt, in every appeal.
“We teach what Scripture teaches: first fruits, a proportionate tithe, and generosity to those in need. Not as a rule to keep but as a call to answer, out of what we have already been given.”
“Called to generosity: this quarter’s formation content walks your household through first fruits, the tithe, and giving to those in need, with one practical step: decide a percentage together, give it first, and give the rest gladly.”
“Scripture calls us to give out of what we have been given, and grace is the motive. We are inviting you into a proportionate, sacrificial commitment: not the same amount as anyone else, but one that reflects what you have been entrusted with.”
In giving, we realign our hearts: consumerism is a rival discipleship, and what we do with what we have is not only an expression of an already-formed heart but an act of forming. In giving, we resist greed (Luke 12:15–21; 1 Timothy 6:10) and cultivate contentment and trust (Hebrews 13:5). In giving, we reflect God, who supplies the seed the sower sows (2 Corinthians 9:6–11), so that He gets the glory. In giving, we relate to the church as partners in the work of the gospel (Philippians 1:5): not passive spectators but active participants, our gifts an investment as true partners.
Formation content in every community group during the initiative year. Leaders committing first. Reports that treat givers as partners in the work, not as sources of funds.
“We believe giving forms us. At Reality you will be discipled in generosity the way you are discipled in prayer and Scripture, and you will be treated as a partner in the work, not a spectator.”
“Formed by generosity: here is what your partnership did this year in the city, and one question for your household: where is our treasure, and where is our heart following it?”
“You are a partner in the work of the gospel in San Francisco, not a source of funds. The most important thing that happens in this initiative happens in you; the second most important is what it builds for the city.”
Development is the discipline of growing real relationships with people, helping them see what God is doing, and challenging them to the impact only they can have. For Reality SF that means: a message built on the 2049 Vision and the theology of giving; a prospect plan with a Pacesetter tier of 130 lifetime $100K+ households on top of the four lists; the thank → report → ask → follow-up cycle laid over the five movements of the Generosity Initiative; a weekly score card for the 51% of the Finance Pastor’s role now dedicated to the work; and talking points that an elder can open in two minutes. Every tab carries the workbook’s teaching and its Reality SF application; the three parts of the draft theology of giving at the top of the page are the hallway language.
| SESSION 1 | Unlearn What We Think We Know About Fundraising Session 1 resets the vocabulary and the posture. Development is a discipline of relationships, not a campaign for money. | 7 |
| SESSION 2 | Grow Significant Giving Step by Step: Articulate Your Vision and Vision Profile Session 2 gives the work a structure: a development plan is a development message plus a prospect plan. | 13 |
| SESSION 3 | Unleash Your Hidden Capacity to Grow Giving Session 3 names what caps a school’s giving and starts the face-to-face engine that lifts the cap. | 25 |
| SESSION 4 | Learning the Core Skills to Grow Giving Session 4 teaches the four core skills as one journey: thank, report, ask, follow up. Thanking comes first and matters most. | 33 |
| SESSION 5 | Grow Significant Giving Step by Step Session 5 turns the prospect plan into four lists with numbers on them: retain, regain, recruit, and non-donors. | 41 |
| EXTRAORDINARY GIVERS PANEL | Extraordinary Givers Panel Extraordinary givers explained how they think, decide, and what they want from the leaders who invite them in. | 45 |
| SESSION 6 | Lead Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself Session 6 turns from the donors to the leader: lead yourself, or the plan wrecks on you. | 47 |
| SESSION 7 | Determine Your Strategic Priorities Session 7 builds the strategy page: who we serve, the value we provide, our economic model, and three to five priorities. | 61 |
| SESSION 8 | Clarify Your Steps Session 8 turns the four steps into an account: what was done with everything given so far, and what the next steps will cost. | 69 |
| SESSION 9 | Finalize Your Talking Points Session 9 writes the talking points: who we are, how we got here, what we are working toward, and the steps. | 75 |
| SESSION 10 | Bringing It All Together Session 10 asks the only question left: can this be done? | 81 |
The session opens with Psalm 89:11 and the stewardship frame: the school is not yours, the donors are not yours, and the donors’ dollars are not theirs either. From there it retires two words (fundraising, need) and replaces them with two others (development, plan), names the four challenges every leader faces, and lands on a working definition: the discipline of growing real relationships with people, helping them see what God is doing, and challenging them to the impact only they can have.
It closes with the economic model of excellent development (total giving − total development expense = margin) and the claim that development is the language of leadership.
Avoid these two words: Fundraising and Need. Use Development and Plan. Development is the discipline of growing real relationships with people, helping them see what God is doing, and then challenging them to have the impact that only they can have. Giving is the fuel that drives us forward. The economic model: total giving − total development expense = margin. Development is the language of leadership.
Vocabulary. The church already has its own rules: offerings, not giving; invested, sent and provided, not spent; a Generosity Initiative, not a capital campaign; and a draft Theology of Giving that says giving is worship before it is ethics. Herzog adds two more words: development, not fundraising; plan, not need. The pre-read already says it: “We are not asking because we have a financial need.” We are made for generosity.
The economic model. Total giving − total development expense = margin. Reality SF has raised $8.2M a year on almost no development expense; the initiative adds Generis ($84K), Clever, Phil Bowdle and 51% of the Finance Pastor. That investment is what turns a strong giving culture into a repeatable discipline.
The people problem. Not scarcity: 69% retention, 388 five-year households, 130 lifetime $100K+ households. The people problem is that the church has never asked its top households for a proportionate, multi-year commitment face to face. Session 3 and Session 5 are about that.
Pastor T’s page-by-page margin notes live in the DDCA Herzog Bootcamp Manual; this manual carries the workbook’s teaching and its application to Reality SF.
The six learning objectives for the bootcamp are laid out (clarity, message, prospect plan, relationship skills, disciplines, feedback). A development message is built in three layers: your vision and vision profile, the key questions a giver will ask, and giving-driven steps. Mission is how we do what we do; vision is why; core values name the culture.
The session also settles which business you are in. You can only raise money for two things, saving lives or changing lives, and a church is in the changing-lives business, which sets the tone of every ask: formation over rescue, invitation over emergency.
A development plan has two parts: development message and prospect plan. You can only raise money for two things, saving lives or changing lives. Message structure: vision and vision profile → key questions → giving-driven steps. Mission = how we do what we do; vision = why.
A church is in the changing-lives business: formation over rescue, invitation over emergency. The full message (vision profile, key questions, giving-driven steps) and the prospect plan are drafted on the Development Plan tab and the Reality SF Donor Development Dashboard.
Pastor T’s page-by-page margin notes live in the DDCA Herzog Bootcamp Manual; this manual carries the workbook’s teaching and its application to Reality SF.
Three limiters decide how far you can go: over-reliance on fundraising events, the perceived cost of tuition, and the number of families. The event test is blunt: if an event does not net $200K it is probably not making money once staff time is counted, because event dollars are the lowest-ROI dollars a school raises.
The engine that replaces events is the first meeting: request it and promise not to ask, ask for their vision for the school, share a plan verbally and ask for advice, then take notes and ask who else you should be talking to. The assignment is to make one to three of those calls.
Three limiters of capacity: fundraising events, perceived cost, number of families. If an event doesn’t net $200K it likely isn’t making money once staff time is counted. The face-to-face engine: request a meeting and promise not to ask → ask for their vision → share a plan and ask for advice → take notes and ask who else. Make 1–3 calls.
Limiter 1 · Events. Reality SF does not run event fundraisers, which is a strength; the risk is the opposite one, a church that has never done face-to-face development at all. The engine has to be built, not redirected.
Limiter 2 · Perceived cost. For a church the “cost” objection is “the church already has a lot”: $8.2M a year, a $23M building, $3.6M in investments. The answer is the vision and the debt: $10.2M of notes with the first maturing in 2028, and three institutions that no operating budget will build.
Limiter 3 · Number of families. The base is large (1,381 giving households across 90+ Community Groups) and the top is thin (60 households at $25K+). The floor for the initiative is the Pacesetter tier: 130 households have given $100K+ over their lifetime, $28.2M together. The church’s own answer to the limiter is rootedness: farmers who stay, not miners who leave.
The face-to-face engine · first calls. “I’m planning for the future and learning how we can grow generous giving; I’d like your input, and I’m not going to ask you for anything.” Start with the ten lifetime households who gave in both 2025 and 2026 and have been with the church for a decade; then the elders and board, who go first anyway.
Pastor T’s page-by-page margin notes live in the DDCA Herzog Bootcamp Manual; this manual carries the workbook’s teaching and its application to Reality SF.
The donor journey is a cycle, repeated twice a year (January–July, August–December) across face-to-face, small-group and large-group strategies. Thanking has a workflow (call, letter and receipt, personal thank-you, surprise and delight) and a payoff: 40% average retention rises to 50% when the thank-you is face to face, while 80% of donors say they never hear from the organizations they give to.
Reporting must call attention to itself and runs 80% past, 20% future. There are four ways to ask (direct, range, straightforward, stretch), and the right one serves the giver, not the asker. Follow-up is a system: next action, memo of understanding, calendar, long-lasting list, updates and encouragement.
40% retention on average; 50% when the thank-you is face to face; 80% of donors say they never hear from the organizations they give to. Two passes a year through the cycle across face-to-face, small-group and large-group strategies.
Thanking, this fall. Thanking is where the theology starts: every gift is returned to the Owner of all things, so the thank-you names Him, not the church. Every 2025 household gets the four-step workflow before Leaders First: a call or note within the season (elders and board take the 60 at $25K+), the contribution statement reframed as a thank-you, a personal thank-you for the Pacesetter tier, and one surprise (a story from a church plant the gift funded).
Reporting, before asking. The 2025 impact report (offerings, what was sent, the roof and sanctuary) in September, and a “did you receive it?” call to every $5K+ household. 80% what God did; 20% the 2049 Vision.
Asking in season. Year-end 2026 for renewals and the ~200 attending non-givers; Leaders First in spring 2027; Vision Nights in summer; Launch Sunday 8/22/27 and the Commitment Sundays in the fall; year-end 2027 as the second Q4 cycle.
Follow-up as a system. Every Pacesetter conversation produces a memo of understanding, a calendar date and a place on the follow-up list in Planning Center; Michael’s pledge infrastructure tracks commitments. The full calendar overlay is on the Development Plan tab.
Pastor T’s page-by-page margin notes live in the DDCA Herzog Bootcamp Manual; this manual carries the workbook’s teaching and its application to Reality SF.
Donors to retain are listed highest to lowest with a target amount, range or commitment for each, totalled low and high. Donors to regain are listed highest to lowest going back five to seven years, with total potential. Donors to recruit come from people new to the community, people who attend experiences, referrals, and the non-donor list. Non-donors are either released or recruited; the rule is to stop training people not to give, and to provide only quality communication and experiences.
Reality SF’s lists, filled from Planning Center: 1,381 households to retain (renew at $8.2M; existing large givers are cultivated through the cycle, not asked for more), 711 to regain ($2.0M potential), ~200 attending households to recruit, and a Pacesetter tier of 130 lifetime $100K+ households.
Retain. The top 30 of 2025, highest to lowest, are on the dashboard with the cultivation cycle beside each name. The renewal target is the 2025 gift; the initiative commitment is a separate, proportionate, multi-year conversation.
Regain. Planning Center holds fifteen years, so “go back five to seven years” is possible here: 711 households gave in 2023–24 and nothing since. Some moved; the rest get the call.
Recruit. The connection pathway (Welcome to Reality, community groups, First Fruits) is the recruiting engine; the initiative’s formation content is the invitation.
Non-donors. Release event-only and benevolence-only records after two seasons; recruit every group member with the report and the vision, never a bare appeal. Stop training people not to give; teach that we are called to generosity, out of what we have been given, with grace as the motive.
Pastor T’s page-by-page margin notes live in the DDCA Herzog Bootcamp Manual; this manual carries the workbook’s teaching and its application to Reality SF.
Giving is never a question of if, only when, how much, what and where. Decisions run through a process of passion, volunteer value and dollar value, with relationships as the pivot; givers support a few organizations with both time and money and segment their giving into small dollars, recurring or annual dollars, and “this is where our hearts are” dollars.
What helps: data (“in God we trust, for everyone else bring data”), impact defined as the change from entering to exit, passion, and relationships. What does not help: being asked to “tell me the XYZ story” instead of being met with real curiosity.
Decisions run through passion, volunteer value and dollar value; giving is segmented into small, recurring and “where our hearts are” dollars. Unhelpful: “tell me the XYZ story.” Be curious.
Be the “where our hearts are” church for a few hundred households. Givers segment their giving into small, recurring and heart-tier dollars. Reality SF already holds the recurring tier for 559 households (57% of 2025). The initiative asks the Pacesetter tier to make the church their heart-tier commitment for three years.
Bring data; define impact as entering-to-exit. The church can report what a giver wants: households served through benevolence, churches planted and residencies funded, a counseling center’s first-year clients. The initiative’s reporting should show change in people, not activity counts.
Passion and relationships before the ask. Volunteer value first: Stewardship Committee, Pacesetter hosts, Vision Night tables. Money follows time.
Curiosity over pitch. The first meeting opens with their story of the church, not the church’s story of itself.
Pastor T’s page-by-page margin notes live in the DDCA Herzog Bootcamp Manual; this manual carries the workbook’s teaching and its application to Reality SF.
The session asks where a leader’s value comes from, names the leader’s responsibilities (results, strategic priorities, projects) and the school’s return on the leader (financial cost, financial impact, people impact). It contrasts an unhealthy stress response (anxiety → inaction → less energy → avoidance) with a eustress response (growth planning → action → more energy → endurance), lists five danger zones, and asks how you know when you are burnt out.
Then it gets practical: a weekly score card of four development numbers, saying “no” with grace and style, the 6×6 (six things in six weeks), a model week with protected discretionary blocks, and a renewed inner dialogue read three times a day for six weeks.
Your value as a leader: where does it come from? Responsibilities: results, strategic priorities, projects. Danger zones: the altar of ministry, unhealthy emotional fixes, isolation, feel-a-little-better habits. The weekly score card: meeting blocks held, meetings scheduled, face-to-face this week, names on the follow-up list. The 6×6. A model week. An inner dialogue read three times a day.
The score card. Meeting blocks held for six months (~60); Pacesetter meetings scheduled for the next six weeks (15); face-to-face this week (3); households on the follow-up list. Reviewed every Friday with Jess.
The 6×6 after the September retreat. Thank the top 130 personally; mail the impact report; hold the first ten first-meetings; build the follow-up list; regain calls to the lapsed $1K+; draft year-end 2026.
A model week. Non-discretionary: Sunday services, ELT/CLT rhythms, Stewardship Committee, Generis calls. Protected: three meeting blocks, a Friday score-card hour, one “fills” block. The danger zone named in the pre-read is real: “51% is a commitment, not an estimate.”
Pastor T’s page-by-page margin notes live in the DDCA Herzog Bootcamp Manual; this manual carries the workbook’s teaching and its application to Reality SF.
Strategy is how we do what we do and who we serve; it is choices. The page has three layers: vision, mission and values with a vision profile and 3–5 priorities on top; then who we serve and who we don’t, the value equation (what you get over what you pay) and the economic model (margin per X). The Chick-fil-A example makes the value equation concrete: $10.82 is what you pay; touching the table, connection and fresh flowers are what you get.
For a school the equation is expenses divided by students against tuition, and the disciplined-thought buckets are the 3–5 headings of work the school exists to accomplish, each starting with an action verb because donors fuel action.
Strategy is choices: who we serve and who we don’t; the value we provide (what you get ÷ what you pay); our economic model (margin per X); 3–5 priority buckets that begin with action verbs. “We are a business whose ministry is education” becomes, for a church, “a ministry that has to be run like a faithful institution.”
Who we serve. Disciples and seekers in the Mission and the wider Bay Area who want a church that forms people, stays rooted in the city and builds for it. Who we don’t: a consumer audience, a satellite of somewhere else.
The value equation. What you get: formation in a Rule of Life, a community, ~$900K a year sent into the city and the world, a building open to the neighborhood, and soon a counseling center and a center for Christian thought. What you pay: whatever you decide to give, median $1,250.
Our economic model. Margin per household: $5,765 of cost against $5,964 of mean offering; positive in 2025 ($511K net), negative through July 2026 before the Q4 cycle. Debt per giving household: $7,358.
Priority buckets (action verbs). Form · Send · Heal · Engage · Free. The retreat will trim and rename them.
Pastor T’s page-by-page margin notes live in the DDCA Herzog Bootcamp Manual; this manual carries the workbook’s teaching and its application to Reality SF.
Each step builds on the previous one. Step 1 is done: since 2011, $73.4M has been given to Reality SF (through July 2026). The way to account for it is plain: “this is what we did with the total amount we have received; here are our strategic priorities; these steps will cost X and move us toward the mission and vision in 2–5 years.” The sizing rule: if Step 2 is double or more than Step 1, break it into smaller steps. Steps get done as quickly as people pray and give.
Reality SF’s history in numbers: first service January 10, 2010; offerings from $678K in 2011 to $8.24M in 2025; 1325 Valencia Street since 2021; a new roof and sanctuary in 2025; 1,381 giving households.
Each step builds on the previous. Step 1 is done; in the past 5–7 years we have seen $___ given. Account for it: “this is what we did with the total amount received; here are our priorities; these steps will cost X.” If Step 2 is double Step 1, break it into smaller steps. Steps get done as quickly as people pray and give.
Step 1 · 2010–2026 · done. With $73.4M given, Reality SF went from a plant that first met on January 10, 2010 to a rooted institution: seven years of Building, seven of Establishing, 1325 Valencia Street bought in 2021 and renewed in 2025, 15% of the General Fund sent into the city every year (~$900K in 2025), 90+ Community Groups, 1,381 giving households, 69% retention, a clean audit. That is the account of what was done with what was received.
Sizing Steps 2–4. No step should double the last: Step 1 was $73M over fifteen years, so a ~$20M multi-year initiative is well inside the rule. The elders decide the goal and fund approach on Sept 14–15; the steps on the Development Plan tab are drafted to that shape.
Pastor T’s page-by-page margin notes live in the DDCA Herzog Bootcamp Manual; this manual carries the workbook’s teaching and its application to Reality SF.
The talking points follow the message structure: mission, vision and profile; how we got here; what we are working toward; and the giving-driven steps with Step 1 complete, a long-term goal, progress to date, an immediate milestone, and specific projects with total cost. The first-meeting call script on p. 88 is the vehicle.
Reality SF’s version: an elder or board member opens as a member, then who we are, the theology of giving, how we got here ($73.4M since 2011, $8.2M last year), the 2049 Vision (~$20M across mission, a Counseling Center and a Center for Christian Thought), and the steps from Leaders First to fulfillment.
Talking points: our mission, vision and profile → how we got here → what we are working toward → giving-driven steps (Step 1 complete; long-term goal; progress to date; immediate milestone; specific projects with cost). First-meeting call script on p. 88; “here is what I heard you say” memo after every meeting.
Pastor T’s page-by-page margin notes live in the DDCA Herzog Bootcamp Manual; this manual carries the workbook’s teaching and its application to Reality SF.
The closing session brings the message, the prospect plan, the yearly cycle, the score card and the talking points together and puts the question to each leader. For a church about to ask its people for the most significant act of generosity in its history, the answer starts with the leaders who go first.
Bring it all together: the message, the prospect plan, the yearly cycle, the score card, the talking points. Can this be done?
Pastor T’s page-by-page margin notes live in the DDCA Herzog Bootcamp Manual; this manual carries the workbook’s teaching and its application to Reality SF.
The message is who we are, the 2049 Vision, the theology of giving, the key questions a giver will ask, and four giving-driven steps (Step 1 done: plant, root and build the house; Step 2 Foundation and Leaders First; Step 3 the public season; Step 4 fulfillment). The prospect plan is the Pacesetter tier on top of retain, regain, recruit and non-donors, each with a next step, and the donor journey laid over the initiative calendar.
From a church plant to a rooted institution: the Building years (2010–2017), the Establishing years (2017–2024) with the Rule of Life and the call to rootedness, and a home at 1325 Valencia. Farmers, not miners.
Sixteen years of ministry; 1325 Valencia Street bought in 2021 ($15M: $10M Cass loan, $5M building campaign) and renovated; the 2025 roof ($352K) and sanctuary ($621K); 15% of the General Fund sent to Justice & Outreach, benevolence and church planting (~$900K in 2025).
Thank and report to the 1,381 households of 2025 before the initiative asks anything; renew every one at their level. Made for generosity: the thank-you names the Giver behind every gift.
Settle the theology of giving, the vision pillars, the goal amount and the fund approach; then have leaders commit before anyone is asked, and secure Pacesetter commitments that set the pace.
The silent phase: lead commitments from staff, spouses, elders, board and Pacesetter households, tracked in Planning Center with pledge infrastructure from the finance team.
Pacesetter conversations: proportionate, sacrificial, multi-year commitments from the 130 lifetime $100K+ households and the 2025 top tier. Called to generosity: first fruits, a proportionate gift, grace as the motive; leaders go first.
Invite the whole church into the vision across an eight-Sunday arc, from Launch Sunday to First Fruits, with leaders already on the board.
Commitments from the congregation toward the one-fund goal: mission initiatives, Counseling Center, Center for Christian Thought, and debt retirement as the elders decide.
A proportionate sacrifice from every household: “not the same amount, but a gift that costs something.” Formed by generosity: commitment cards for adults, students and children, with formation content in every Community Group.
Turn commitments into cash and cash into institutions, while the church’s ordinary generosity rhythms (Year-End, mid-year, First Fruits) keep growing.
Counseling Center opened; Center for Christian Thought launched; mission initiatives funded; the Cass note (maturing ~2028) and the $2M Ngate note addressed.
Stewardship, not asks: report quarterly, thank personally, tell the impact stories, and invite late joiners without pressure. Partners in the work (Philippians 1:5), not sources of funds.
Goal amount and fund approach (traditional, one-fund, or hybrid) are decided at the September 14–15 retreat; the ~$20M figure is from the 2049 Vision document and is treated as draft until then.
Cultivate, do not stretch: the renewal target is the 2025 gift, through thank → report → ask → follow up. The initiative commitment is a separate, proportionate, multi-year conversation. The 60 households at $25K+ (first fifteen shown):
| Household | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Anonymous X | $596,225 |
| Tim Goh | $166,614 |
| Benevity Matching Gifts Program | $163,675 |
| Business Rockwater Foundation | $150,000 |
| Jim Hemerling | $135,000 |
| Japheth Jin-Ting Wong | $119,774 |
| Business Made to Flourish | $116,500 |
| Seth Andrzejewski | $100,000 |
| Christina Cho | $78,018 |
| Nate Robert | $76,000 |
| Olaoluwa Okelola | $73,000 |
| Brian Strubbe | $69,332 |
| David Benac | $67,000 |
| William Tang | $65,926 |
| Alex Vander Linde | $65,000 |
Gave in 2023 or 2024, nothing in 2025 or 2026. 248 at $1K+ are worth $1.9M. Planning Center holds fifteen years, so the workbook’s “go back five to seven years” is possible here. Script: “we missed you; here is what changed; here is where we are going.” The full list is in Part 2 below.
254 first-time households have given $298,939 so far in 2026 (405 new in 2025). Average weekly attendance of 1,557 against 1,381 giving households means roughly 200 households attend and do not yet give; the connection pathway (Welcome to Reality, Intro to Community, First Fruits) is the recruiting engine. The largest new households this year:
| New household, 2026 | Given so far |
|---|---|
| Natalie Bye | $85,442 |
| Adam Allevato | $17,400 |
| Business Crane Data Centers, Inc. | $15,000 |
| Daniel Ferguson | $11,800 |
| Jennifer King | $10,000 |
| Alex Woo | $8,000 |
| Jamie Har | $7,260 |
| James Chong | $7,000 |
| Janise Roh | $6,735 |
| Ophelia Ding | $5,950 |
The 130 households at $100K+ lifetime have given $28.2M together, 38% of all-time. Staff, spouses, elders and board go first (Leaders First, spring 2027); these households are the second circle, met in two Pacesetter retreats and two rounds of 1:1 conversations. The top 25 are in Part 1 below.
| Household (lifetime, highest → lowest) | Lifetime | Since | 2025 | 2026 YTD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anonymous X | $1,648,786 | 2020 | $596,225 | $392,802 |
| Benevity Matching Gifts Program | $1,395,474 | 2013 | $163,675 | $126,024 |
| Seth Andrzejewski | $1,325,062 | 2011 | $100,000 | $100,000 |
| Faya Peng | $935,408 | 2012 | $54,500 | $28,500 |
| Amy Wagner | $513,960 | 2024 | – | – |
| Olaoluwa Okelola | $505,000 | 2019 | $73,000 | $28,000 |
| Sean St Germain | $450,265 | 2019 | – | – |
| Chris Luo | $405,437 | 2011 | $4,000 | – |
| Robert Paton | $367,500 | 2013 | – | – |
| Business Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund | $354,130 | 2013 | – | – |
| Business Rockwater Foundation | $350,000 | 2022 | $150,000 | – |
| Gregory VandenBosch | $349,689 | 2017 | $50,000 | – |
| Brian Strubbe | $349,408 | 2015 | $69,332 | $8,134 |
| Jim Hemerling | $345,500 | 2021 | $135,000 | $120,500 |
| David Roh | $340,218 | 2011 | $27,200 | $9,125 |
| Alex Vander Linde | $313,381 | 2021 | $65,000 | $45,500 |
| Peter Frick | $309,247 | 2018 | $47,740 | $27,532 |
| Ryan Templin | $296,146 | 2018 | $63,852 | $62,833 |
| David Coles | $295,996 | 2011 | – | – |
| Heather Wilkerson | $294,653 | 2017 | $43,500 | $51,223 |
| Ralston Clarke | $291,272 | 2013 | $41,216 | $7,500 |
| Nate Robert | $290,152 | 2015 | $76,000 | $1,800 |
| Amy Lin | $277,613 | 2011 | $5,263 | – |
| John Badwick | $277,000 | 2017 | $36,000 | $21,000 |
| Jon Lemmon | $261,900 | 2016 | $48,000 | $28,000 |
| Household (2025, highest → lowest) | 2025 | 2026 YTD | Lifetime | Since | Cultivation cycle · thank → report → ask → follow up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anonymous X | $596,225 | $392,802 | $1,648,786 | 2020 | Pacesetter conversation · renew at level, multi-year if offered |
| Tim Goh | $166,614 | $110 | $166,724 | 2025 | Pacesetter conversation · renew at level, multi-year if offered |
| Benevity Matching Gifts Program | $163,675 | $126,024 | $1,395,474 | 2013 | Pacesetter conversation · renew at level, multi-year if offered |
| Business Rockwater Foundation | $150,000 | – | $350,000 | 2022 | Pacesetter conversation · renew at level, multi-year if offered |
| Jim Hemerling | $135,000 | $120,500 | $345,500 | 2021 | Pacesetter conversation · renew at level, multi-year if offered |
| Japheth Jin-Ting Wong | $119,774 | – | $159,777 | 2024 | Pacesetter conversation · renew at level, multi-year if offered |
| Business Made to Flourish | $116,500 | $51,500 | $216,500 | 2024 | Pacesetter conversation · renew at level, multi-year if offered |
| Seth Andrzejewski | $100,000 | $100,000 | $1,325,062 | 2011 | Pacesetter conversation · renew at level, multi-year if offered |
| Christina Cho | $78,018 | $31,697 | $199,758 | 2016 | Pacesetter conversation · renew at level, multi-year if offered |
| Nate Robert | $76,000 | $1,800 | $290,152 | 2015 | Pacesetter conversation · renew at level, multi-year if offered |
| Olaoluwa Okelola | $73,000 | $28,000 | $505,000 | 2019 | Pacesetter conversation · renew at level, multi-year if offered |
| Brian Strubbe | $69,332 | $8,134 | $349,408 | 2015 | Pacesetter conversation · renew at level, multi-year if offered |
| David Benac | $67,000 | $9,000 | $232,996 | 2020 | Pacesetter conversation · renew at level, multi-year if offered |
| William Tang | $65,926 | – | $155,945 | 2019 | Pacesetter conversation · renew at level, multi-year if offered |
| Alex Vander Linde | $65,000 | $45,500 | $313,381 | 2021 | Pacesetter conversation · renew at level, multi-year if offered |
| Ryan Templin | $63,852 | $62,833 | $296,146 | 2018 | Pacesetter conversation · renew at level, multi-year if offered |
| Emily Wang | $60,500 | $17,600 | $118,100 | 2024 | Pacesetter conversation · renew at level, multi-year if offered |
| Raymond Sung | $58,960 | $100 | $213,665 | 2015 | Pacesetter conversation · renew at level, multi-year if offered |
| Faya Peng | $54,500 | $28,500 | $935,408 | 2012 | Pacesetter conversation · renew at level, multi-year if offered |
| Barry McKenna | $50,000 | – | $158,082 | 2016 | Pacesetter conversation · renew at level, multi-year if offered |
| Dave VandenBosch | $50,000 | – | $50,000 | 2025 | Pacesetter conversation · renew at level, multi-year if offered |
| Susie Leupold | $50,000 | $30,000 | $135,000 | 2022 | Pacesetter conversation · renew at level, multi-year if offered |
| Mike Winters | $50,000 | – | $105,000 | 2016 | Pacesetter conversation · renew at level, multi-year if offered |
| Gregory VandenBosch | $50,000 | – | $349,689 | 2017 | Pacesetter conversation · renew at level, multi-year if offered |
| Blake Benthall | $49,858 | – | $51,108 | 2012 | Pacesetter conversation · renew at level, multi-year if offered |
| Jon Lemmon | $48,000 | $28,000 | $261,900 | 2016 | Pacesetter conversation · renew at level, multi-year if offered |
| Jonathan Lopez | $48,000 | $28,000 | $76,000 | 2025 | Pacesetter conversation · renew at level, multi-year if offered |
| Peter Frick | $47,740 | $27,532 | $309,247 | 2018 | Pacesetter conversation · renew at level, multi-year if offered |
| Michael Byun | $44,029 | $37,649 | $117,513 | 2021 | Pacesetter conversation · renew at level, multi-year if offered |
| Heather Wilkerson | $43,500 | $51,223 | $294,653 | 2017 | Pacesetter conversation · renew at level, multi-year if offered |
| Household to regain | Last annual gift | Last gave | Lifetime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amy Wagner | $513,960 | 2024 | $513,960 |
| Elaine Hsu | $93,180 | 2023 | $93,180 |
| Louis Cornejo | $62,500 | 2024 | $62,500 |
| Susie Leupold | $50,000 | 2024 | $130,000 |
| Nicola Hemerling | $40,100 | 2024 | $220,100 |
| Lillian Chien | $40,000 | 2023 | $101,000 |
| Jonathan Kuo | $27,210 | 2024 | $65,501 |
| Josh Yang | $26,409 | 2024 | $229,625 |
| Bernard Batang | $26,071 | 2023 | $87,447 |
| Michael Gorrell | $25,286 | 2023 | $32,278 |
| Joyce Oshita | $25,000 | 2023 | $37,767 |
| Thomas Fisher | $23,250 | 2023 | $51,250 |
| Alek Linquist | $22,300 | 2024 | $37,300 |
| Teryn Rikert | $20,000 | 2024 | $91,534 |
| Lindsey Barnes | $18,000 | 2023 | $141,913 |
| Andrea Park | $15,000 | 2024 | $30,000 |
| David Kim | $14,630 | 2023 | $101,517 |
| Leigh McCulloch | $13,825 | 2023 | $151,896 |
| Caio Rolim | $12,662 | 2023 | $13,662 |
| MeeJ Kim | $12,500 | 2023 | $37,800 |
Some will have moved away; a city church loses households to the Peninsula, the East Bay and other states every year. The call is still worth making: “we missed you, here is what changed, here is where we are going.”
Average weekly attendance of 1,557 against 1,381 giving households and an estimated 1,593 households engaged (Generis) means roughly 200 households attend and do not yet give. They are recruited through experiences, not appeals: Welcome to Reality, community groups, First Fruits, and the formation content of the initiative year.
Release: one-time event or benevolence records with no relationship after two seasons. Recruit: every household in a community group gets the report and the vision, never a bare appeal. Stop training people not to give: generosity is taught as formation, in season, with follow-up, not as a line at the end of an email.
| Question | Target | This week |
|---|---|---|
| Meeting blocks held on the calendar, next six months | ~60 (three per week) | |
| Pacesetter meetings scheduled, next six weeks | 15 | |
| Face-to-face meetings this past week | 3 | |
| Households on the follow-up list | ~408 |
“Show me your follow-up list. The leading indicator to meeting your goal is in your follow-up list.”
Personal thank-you (call or visit) to every lifetime $100K+ household before any initiative language reaches them. Board members and elders each take five; the theology leads: every gift returned to the Owner of all things.
A one-page 2025 report: $8.24M in offerings, $900K sent into the city, the roof and the sanctuary, 1,381 households. Then the “did you receive it?” call to every $5K+ household. 80% what God did; 20% the 2049 Vision.
“I am planning for the future and learning how we can grow generous giving; I would like your input, and I am not going to ask you for anything.” Their vision for the church, advice on the plan, who else to talk to. Memo of understanding after each.
~408 names in Planning Center with next actions and dates: the Pacesetter tier, the 2025 top 30, the lapsed $1K+. Pledge infrastructure and contribution-statement templates ready before Leaders First.
248 households that gave $1K+ in 2023–24 and nothing since, worth $1.9M. Called to generosity begins with the people who once answered.
Renewals for existing givers at their level; a straightforward invitation to the ~200 attending non-givers; QCD conversations before December; the offering framed as worship. The first of two Q4 cycles inside the initiative window.
| Month | Journey phase | Church and initiative calendar | Development actions · face to face, small group, large group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | Thank | Aug 24 CLT working session · initiative kickoff Aug 24 – Oct 20 master planning window | Thank-you calls to the top 130 lifetime households; board and elders take the $25K+ tier Follow-up list built in Planning Center Score card starts |
| Sep 2026 | Thank → Report | Sep 14–15 Elder, Board & ELT retreat: theology of giving settled Sep 21–22 All-staff 2027 planning Sep 23 Presentations to ELT September: historically the second-largest month | 2025 impact report mailed and called attention to: what was sent into the city (15% of every General Fund dollar) Leaders First begins: staff, spouses, elders, board hear the theology of giving first (made · called · formed) First ten first-meetings (no ask) with Pacesetter candidates |
| Oct 2026 | Report | Oct 20 master calendar complete Generis on-site planning | “Did you receive our report?” calls to every $5K+ household Regain calls to lapsed $1K+ households Brand and theme work; Pacesetter devotional drafted |
| Nov 2026 | Report → Ask | Thanksgiving · Year-End 2026 appeal prepared | Year-end appeal: renewals for existing givers, invitation to attending non-givers Giving Tuesday and year-end series with follow-up Advance conversations with QCD households (over 70½) before December |
| Dec 2026 | Ask | Christmas services · 25% of the year’s offerings arrive this month | Year-end offering as worship; Sunday framing by the Formation team Personal notes to the $25K+ tier the week before Christmas First of the two Q4 cycles in the initiative window |
| Jan 2027 | Follow-up | Contribution statements · First Fruits Sunday Annual Vision & Prayer (AVP) 2027 · 2049 Vision unveiled | Thank every year-end gift within 48 hours Statements mailed with a report, not a receipt AVP: the 2049 Vision goes public; memo of understanding after every leadership conversation |
| Feb–Mar 2027 | Thank → Ask (leaders) | Lent · Easter (March/April) Pacesetter Retreat #1 | Leaders First: staff, spouses, elders, board commit Pacesetter Retreat #1; first round of 1:1 follow-up Formation content in Community Groups: “formed by generosity,” the Rule of Life practice |
| Apr–May 2027 | Follow-up → Ask (leaders) | Pacesetter Retreat #2 | Pacesetter Retreat #2; second round of 1:1 follow-up Memo of understanding after each conversation; pledges logged Regain and recruit through community groups |
| Jun–Jul 2027 | Report → Ask (influencers) | Mid-Year Update to the congregation Vision Nights for engaged leaders and influencers | Mid-year update: what offerings did in the first half Vision Nights (Widening the Circle) Protect August–September; no competing initiatives |
| Aug 2027 | Ask · Launch | Aug 22 Launch Sunday Advance Commitment Night (early fall) | Public season opens with leaders and Pacesetters already committed Print, video, digital, lobby and microsite live Advance Commitment Night ahead of Commitment Sundays |
| Sep–Oct 2027 | Ask | Emphasis Sundays · Commitment Sundays Results Reveal | Eight-Sunday arc; formation content in every group Commitment cards for adults, students and children Results Reveal; thank-you within a week of every commitment |
| Nov–Dec 2027 | Thank → Follow-up | First Fruits / Big Give Day Year-End 2027 · second Q4 cycle | First Fruits / Big Give Day Year-end offering inside the initiative Fulfillment begins: quarterly reporting, personal thanks, impact stories |
Existing large givers are cultivated through the full cycle and asked to renew at their level; the initiative commitment is a separate, proportionate, multi-year conversation that begins with leaders. Dates are season-level from the Generosity Initiative Pre-Read (revised Aug 24, 2026); the master calendar is being built with Generis through Oct 20.
Partnership with Generis; planning underway. Public launch set: Sunday, August 22, 2027. Leadership goes first: staff, elders, board. 2027 master planning proceeds now, with margin built in.
The convictions beneath every ask. The draft is at the top of this page: we are made for generosity, called to generosity, and formed by generosity.
What the campaign will actually fund: mission initiatives, a Counseling Center, a Center for Christian Thought and Practice, and the facility notes ($8.16M Cass, $2M Ngate) as the elders decide.
How much we are raising. The 2049 Vision document says approximately $20M; the March staffing brief said $50M+. The Generis assessment says a one-point rise in the giving rate is worth $2.3M a year. Hold the number loosely until the retreat.
Traditional, one-fund, or hybrid. The Q4 2025 board brief recommended the One Fund model, which unites operational, missional and capital giving under a single integrated campaign; fulfillment runs two or three years depending on the choice.
What happens: on-site and ongoing planning meetings with church leadership and Generis; the Elder, Board & ELT retreat (theology of giving, vision pillars, goal amount, fund approach); Sept 21–23 ministry department goals with presentations to ELT on 9/23; branding and theme work with Communications and partners; the 2027 master calendar built Aug 24 – Oct 20.
Development work: thank the 2025 households, mail the impact report, build the follow-up list, hold the first ten first-meetings.
What happens: we go first, before we ever ask the congregation. Pacesetter Retreat #1 and Retreat #2; two rounds of 1:1 follow-up conversations with Pacesetter households. The Formation team builds the Pacesetter devotional with Creative.
Development work: the Pacesetter list (130 lifetime $100K+ households), memos of understanding after every conversation, pledge tracking live.
What happens: Vision Night gatherings for engaged leaders and influencers; early commitments that set the pace for the public season; Advance Commitment Night in early fall, ahead of the Commitment Sundays. Meg carries logistics and hospitality; Operations carries venue and setup.
Sunday 1 · Launch (Aug 22): the campaign revealed to the whole church with the main vision video, print piece and micro-site. Sundays 2–4 · Emphasis: teaching series with testimony videos and small-group content each week. Sundays 5–6 · Commitment: the whole congregation brings commitments, every generation, kids and students included. Sundays 7–8 · Celebration: results revealed, then First Fruits / Big Give Day to begin the giving season.
Behind these Sundays: videos, testimonies, print, web, events and volunteer teams, built in the months prior with help from every ministry. Protect August–September 2027.
What happens: a multi-year giving period, two to three years depending on the fund approach; stewardship communications; annual generosity rhythms (Year-End, mid-year, First Fruits); impact storytelling and reporting; quarterly reports to board and congregation.
Development work: thank personally, report quarterly, treat every household as a partner in the work (Philippians 1:5).
Delegates authority; provides organizational alignment to culture, strategy and vision; holds the owner accountable at ELT to pace and quality; tone and pastoral impact of strategic decisions and messaging.
51% of role dedicated to the initiative: ensures it succeeds end-to-end; cascades communication up (Board/ELT), laterally (CLT) and to all staff; owns the Generis relationship; financial integration and elder reporting; chairs the Stewardship Committee; tracks budget on all projects. “51% is a commitment, not an estimate.”
Generis: framework, milestones, donor events, gift table, Pacesetter retreat design. Clever: ministry comms coverage during Kayla’s sabbatical. Phil Bowdle: story and production. CLT (Tyler, Naomi, Kevin, Jason, Tim): how the initiative intersects their areas. Stewardship Committee: prayerful oversight of donor engagement.
Jess Gracewski (25–35%): project lead, Generis milestone execution, donor event oversight, cascading status. Kayla (10–15%): brand, creative, production. Meg (10–15%): event logistics and hospitality. Michael (10–15%): financial reporting, pledge tracking, contribution statements. Tim (10–15%): theology of giving into formation pathways.
Dave: founder and teaching pastor; final sign-off on vision and direction; content for vision, storytelling and the sermon series. Elders and Board: approve the goal amount, fund approach and major initiative decisions at the Sept 14–15 retreat.
Staff, spouses, elders and board commit; Pacesetter Retreats #1 and #2; two rounds of 1:1 follow-up. The 2049 Vision goes public at Annual Vision & Prayer.
Vision Nights for engaged leaders and influencers; advance commitments; the mid-year update; videos, testimonies, print and web built with every ministry surfacing stories of generosity and life change.
The eight-Sunday arc from Launch Sunday (Aug 22) into September launches the Formation season: Emphasis, Commitment, Results Reveal, First Fruits / Big Give Day, then year-end 2027 as the first of two Q4 cycles inside the initiative.
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Aug 24, 2026 | CLT working session: initiative alignment and 2027 planning kickoff; campaign vision presented to CLT |
| Aug 25–26 | All-staff planning meetings; departmental SWOTs due |
| Aug 27 – Sept 10 | Draft goals, projects and calendars to ELT; revisions and final budget adjustments |
| Sept 14–15 | Elder, Board & ELT retreat: theology of giving, vision pillars, goal, fund approach decided |
| Sept 21–22 · 23 | All-staff 2027 strategic planning; final presentations to ELT |
| Oct 20 | Master calendar complete; staff presentations of 2027 plans |
| Fall 2026 – Summer 2027 | Foundation, Leaders First, Widening the Circle |
| Aug 22, 2027 | Launch Sunday: the public season begins |
| Late 2027 – 2029+ | Fulfillment |