Wednesday, September 21st, 1-3:00 pm ET
and Wednesday, October 19th, 1-3:00 pm ET
The upcoming CAGA Training will focus on being “donor first” and telling the story of the impact your work has on the lives of those you serve. There are a number of ways to tell a single story. The CAGA model is designed specifically to increase financial giving to your organization. Trainer Mitzie Schafer will guide you to tell inspiring stories that donors can’t ignore.
When is the CAGA training being held?
The training includes two virtual workshops scheduled three weeks apart.
Session One - Wednesday, September 21st, 1-3:00 pm ET
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During this session, we will cover all the foundational principles of CAGA. These include how to identify individuals with a story, how to interview them to gather the intentional pieces needed to tell a true CAGA story, how to write the stories for purpose and engagement, and how to use those stories strategically in your communications. Attendees are given the homework of finding, interviewing, and writing 1-3 stories.
Session Two - Wednesday, October 19th, 1-3:00 pm ET
BONUS: After the live sessions, Mitzie will finalize the stories from all participating organizations for immediate use in your publications.
How many people can attend from my site?
Telling the camp's story happens best when everyone on the staff and board listens for how God is transforming lives through your ministry. Because of the busy schedules that come with camp leadership, Mitzie strongly encourages you to develop a Storytelling Team from your board, staff, and volunteers. Not everyone who attends the training will feel like they have the gifts to be a storyteller, but everyone who supports the camp can connect the storytellers to stories if they know what to listen for. This training will equip you to tune your ears to actionable stories. To effectively build a trained Storytelling Team, Mitzie would like you to invite your entire staff, your full board, and any strong/key volunteers who help make camp possible in your setting.
What if I can’t attend both sessions?
We recognize that some key volunteers may work during the day and other obligations come up when leading a camp and retreat organization. It is best to attend live and be able to ask questions, but we will also be recording the training for those unable to attend.
How will this apply to my ministry?
Every camp and retreat ministry is impacting the lives of campers, staff, and their communities. Telling the story of this impact will bring people closer to your organization. Donors will be inspired, camper families will feel a deeper connection, and your community will feel proud to be a part of your valuable work.
It isn’t just that we need to tell the organization’s story. We need to tell it in a way that directly connects the donor to the change that happens in the lives of those we serve. We need to create an emotional connection between giving and impact. The CAGA Model does this clearly and systematically.
After this training, you will walk away with fully edited stories for immediate use, as well as the tools and skills to continue telling effective stories into the future. Here are some sample stories from others who participated in the CAGA Training.
I’m currently serving a non-United Methodist site. Can I still register at UMCRM's discounted rate?
Absolutely! Our other denominational camp leaders through OMC are invited to participate in this training with us.
Are there scholarships available?
UMCRM has secured a discounted group rate of $790 per camp/center. Regular full price is $3500(!). If this is still cost-prohibitive for your organization, there are Legacy of Leadership scholarships available. UMCRM members can apply for up to $400 based on their need. Scholarships are available on a first come, first serve basis. Keep in mind that the National Gathering is coming up and recipients are limited to one scholarship every two years.
What are others saying?
“I first heard about CAGA Stories during Mitzie’s workshop at the 2021 National Gathering. I knew immediately this was something I wanted to pursue because it felt genuine and doable. I loved that it enabled us to share the excitement we see in changed lives here at Pecometh without asking for money. We did Mitzie’s training early this year and immediately put the concepts into practice. Our first newsletter generated more than 5X the cost of the training AND it’s still paying dividends with every quarterly newsletter.”
-Jack Shitama, Pecometh Camp & Retreat Ministries
