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Gifts of Hope: An exciting, successful program. You make it work!
It is not an understatement that congregational coordinators are the key to the success of GIFTS OF HOPE. YOU introduce and promote the program to your congregation. YOU make GIFTS OF HOPE an important part of your congregation’s Advent and Christmas seasons. YOU conduct the sales events, receive and account for the proceeds, and YOU see that the necessary records are kept. The thousands of less fortunate people who benefit from GIFTS OF HOPE every year depend on YOU for the blessings that they receive through this program. Thank you for your help in making GIFTS OF HOPE work.
Packets were delivered by your Conference Coordinator. Some items in the packet may be downloaded from this web site. If any of these items is missing from your package of materials, contact your Conference Coordinator or print from the web site. All files below are PDF except for Publicity which is a Word file. PDF files require (Acrobat Reader, click here to download if necessary).
1. 2008 Catalog
2. GIFTS OF HOPE Cards – (cannot be printed from the web site)
3. Envelopes for Cards - (cannot be printed from the web site)
4. Gift Description Inserts —Masters, 39 sheets with 4 per page. Use to make copies to hand out with cards.
5. Order Form—Master, use to make copies for sales events and bulletin inserts.
6. Deposit Summary Form —Master, make enough copies to have one for each sales event.
7. Synod Remittance Report —Make two copies, one for congregational record, one to send to the Gifts of Hope Treasurer. The original is sent to the synod office as the final report.
8. Guidelines for Congregational Treasurers.
9. Publicity materials (see below or Word file).
The 2008 GIFTS OF HOPE Catalog contains 39 gifts, at various prices, that can be purchased by members of your congregation (and others) and given to deserving people through our Metro DC Synod’s social ministry organizations, Lutheran camps and our foreign companion synods in El Salvador, Namibia and Slovakia.
Your congregation may add a 40th gift of your choosing, if you wish. Please limit to one additional gift.
Organize sales events before or after services beginning November 16 or 23 and at other events such as Christmas concerts, children’s programs, etc.
Before the Advent season:
• Form a team trying to involve people who attend different services and are involved in different groups.
• Use publicity materials below or write your own article for your October, November and December newsletters and bulletins
• Consider innovative methods, such as using Christmas lights at your table, having a display made of large stuffed animals holding Gifts of Hope posters, giving a temple talk, or inserting the order form into a Sunday bulletin to generate interest in Gifts of Hope.
• Make copies of Order forms, Gift Description Inserts, and other forms for which you have the Master.
• Give the Guidelines for Congregational Treasurer to the treasurer.
At each sales event:
• Members of your congregation review the 2008 GIFTS OF HOPE Catalog and select the gift or gifts that they want to purchase.
• At sales events organized by you and your committee, shoppers complete the Order Form and give it to you, together with their payment, check or cash. If a receipt is requested for cash, fill out a duplicate Order form, sign and date it.
• In return, you give to the purchaser three things for each gift purchased: 1) a GIFTS OF HOPE card, 2) an envelope, and 3) an insert describing the gift that was purchased.
• The purchaser, in turn, puts each insert in a card and gives the card to a friend or loved one as a gift.
At the end of each sales event:
• Complete the Deposit Summary Form which totals and summarizes the purchases that were made at each sales event. Keep all Summary Forms until the end of the program.
• Transmit the Order Forms to the person in the congregation who keeps the records of members’ giving.
• Transmit the cash and checks to the congregation treasurer to be deposited in the usual manner that your congregation handles receipts, making sure that the treasurer understands that the amount is for GIFTS OF HOPE
After the campaign is over:
• Complete the Synod Remittance Report by adding up all the weekly Deposit Summary Forms. Be sure your congregation’s number is filled in the upper right hand box. If you are unsure of your number and it has not been preprinted, contact your treasurer or email John Clark at johnclark3@cox.net.
• Verify with your treasurer the amount to be remitted to the Synod (for gifts 1–39 only) and ensure that the form and check are mailed to the Synod by January 15, 2009.
• Send a copy of the Synod Remittance Report to the Gifts of Hope treasurer whose name and address is indicated on the form.
• And, if applicable, arrange for the direct disbursement of your congregation’s gift #40.
• Write an article for your January or February newsletter, thanking the congregation and reporting the total amount of gifts purchased.
The key to your success will be your efforts in organizing your congregation’s GIFTS OF HOPE committee, in publicizing GIFTS OF HOPE to your congregation and in organizing and running your sales events.
GOD’S BLESSINGS be upon you in the coming GIFTS OF HOPE season and THANK YOU for agreeing to be your congregation’s coordinator.
You are welcome to create your own publicity materials or use/modify those that follow.
It’s not too early to start thinking about Gifts of Hope, our Synod’s alternative gift giving program which enables people to purchase unique gifts costing $3 to $250. These gifts reflect the gift God gave us, God’s Son Jesus Christ. Now is the time to start thinking about substituting a Gift of Hope for a more traditional gift on your list for friends and family. Even young children quickly grasp the importance of a gift for someone in need. The catalog is available on the web site www.GiftsofHopeMetroDC.org and will soon be available here in our congregation for your review. [add time and place if possible]
Our congregation will participate in Gifts of Hope this Advent season. Gifts of Hope is an alternative giving program in our synod. What is alternative giving? Traditional gift giving involves buying an item and giving it to a relative or friend. Alternative giving differs in that it involves buying a symbol of a gift and giving the symbol to someone. The actual item goes to someone who needs the gift. For example, traditionally, a child might give a small bottle of perfume to her teacher at Christmas. Alternatively, the child might give her teacher a Christmas card that tells the teacher that a basket of books has been made available to needy children as a Gift of Hope.
One might choose alternative giving -- to give a Gift of Hope -- for any of several reasons:
to share your faith and blessings;
to advocate for a simpler lifestyle;
to support a particular organization;
because you know the person to whom you are giving will appreciate this type of gift;
or just for convenience (there are no trips to the mall!).
Watch for more announcements in the weekly bulletin or contact [fill in your name].
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Leaves are beginning to fall…Halloween decorations appear…Have you started thinking about Christmas? Don’t laugh, many of us want to avoid the rush of the commercial Christmas season at the Mall. There is another way to celebrate, by giving thanks and gifts in honor of the birth of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Gifts of Hope offers an opportunity for you to purchase meaningful gifts which demonstrate God’s love for all God’s children, while raising funds to support our local social ministry organizations, Lutheran camps and foreign companion synods. The 2008 Gifts of Hope catalogs will be available soon [or fill in the exact date]…Start now to talk about alternative gift giving among your friends and family. If you would be honored to receive a Gift of Hope, why not drop that hint. Even if your relatives live out of town, they can purchase Gifts of Hope because the gifts, complete with their attractive announcement cards, are available through the mail at www.GiftsOfHopeMetroDC.org. If you need more information or would like to help with Gifts of Hope at [fill in name of congregation], talk to [fill in name], Gifts of Hope Congregational Coordinator.
We give thanks for the many blessings showered upon us and we pray for those in need. During Advent we can assist those in need in a simple way, by buying Christmas gifts through Gifts of Hope. The money we spend goes to social ministry organizations, Lutheran camps, and to our synod’s companion synods abroad to directly support their programs. Choose those you want to support. Consider what would delight your family and friends. There is a selection of 39 [40] gifts ranging in price from $3 to $250. Review the catalog on line at www.GiftsofHopeMetroDC.org or see [fill in name or place] for a catalog available here at [congregation’s name].
What do Gifts of Hope accomplish? Because of purchases of Gifts of Hope during the 2007 Christmas season students were able to get to SE Ministry classes and training sessions because of Metro farecards given to them. One hundred and thirty-six snacks were given to children at the LSS Camp Safe Haven. Lutheran Volunteer Corps members provided medical care for low income families. See the 2008 catalog and make your purchases so others will be aided. [add details of when and where].
Attention Christmas shoppers! Gifts of Hope is your opportunity to purchase unique gifts that honor Christ’s birth and benefit our Synod’s social ministry organizations, Lutheran camps and foreign companion synods. Our sales events begin [add details of sales events -when and where] Look at the catalog on-line at www.GiftsofHopeMetroDC or at the table located [where]. There are gifts for every pocketbook at prices from $3 to $250. Printing costs are contributed by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and all work is done by volunteers. That means every dollar you spend goes directly to aid those in need. Consider the possibilities for honoring friends and relatives with these alternatives to commercial gifts.
Hey kids, want to buy a special present for a friend, your teacher, or grandparents? Ask your parents to show you the Gifts of Hope catalog and explain it to you. Your present will help someone who really needs help, and it also shows that you know why Christmas is important. You might buy an ice cream treat ($3) for a needy child or books ($5) for children who don’t have books at home. You will find other presents in the catalog [when and where].
Would your fashionable sister like a warm winter coat? Would your child’s teacher like a basket of books? Would your friend like fare cards for public transportation? Great gifts, all of these, and you can purchase them through Gifts of Hope. The gifts will go to those truly in need—the homeless, the child in a tutoring program, the single mom going to a training class—and your friends and relatives will be pleased that you matched their interests to the gift. Gifts of Hope are available from [date] to [date] at [location]. For more information about Gifts of Hope see the web site, www.GiftsofHopeMetroDC or contact [coordinator’s name].
Have you ever personalized your Gifts of Hope cards? You can glue the insert to the inside left side of the card and add some Christmas stickers. You can copy the insert in a different color and cut the edges with pinking shears or other scissors that make a decorative edge. A glitter pen can add a nice touch. Artsy crafty people can think of many more options. Adding personal touches can enhance Gifts of Hope you send through the mail.
How can you make your Christmas gift exchanges special? Here are some ideas. It is easy to put the cards in a gift bag with pretty tissue paper. Some tuck cards in Christmas stockings, but in my family, we punch a hole in one comer, thread a brightly colored ribbon through and hang the envelopes on the tree. Traditionalists may put the card in a box and wrap it up. It is also fun to find a tiny gift representing the Gift of Hope and wrap the two together. Are you filling a prescription for a Fellowship Square resident? Wrap it with a small bottle of aspirin. Is your choice a camp scholarship? Add some mosquito repellent. Or are you giving a toy to a homeless child? Combine the card with a tiny teddy bear. Young children will be delighted to open the present and you can explain how the gift helps others.