HOLDING A MONEY TALK
SEEING CHANGE
Take action in your community!
community
Written by:
INTRODUCTION
A Money Talk is a simple tool to help your community listen to people’s experiences of the current
economic situation and create a basis on which to respond. It is the perfect first step towards building a
team of leaders in your congregation, reaching out to those who live near your Church and acting for
justice in these tough times.
There are two different kinds of Money Talks, each of which may be suitable for different contexts. A
‘Church Money Talk’ is one which is held in a Church and involves just the congregation. A ‘Community
Money Talk’ can be held anywhere and should involve as many local people from different groups and
backgrounds as possible.
Both types of event should start with a brief introduction explaining why this event is taking place and
what it is hoped will be achieved (building relationships, listening to people’s stories and needs,
establishing a base to act together on). After the introduction, attendees will break up into small groups
of 6-8 people with one facilitator for each group. The groups will discuss three sets of questions (see
facilitators guide for each type of Money Talk). The event should conclude with a promise that the
organisers will take the feedback and use it to plan for action.
Tips for Facilitators
•
•
•
•
•
Be sensitive – some of the
issues that come up may be
very personal. Give people
space and time to
contribute to the
conversation in the way that
is most appropriate to them.
Be personal – with the
above in mind, do try to
encourage people to share
their own experiences
rather than general
concerns.
Stick to your time limit Don’t be afraid to cut
people off if they are talking
for a long time!
Evaluate – straight after the
conversation is over, get
together with any other
facilitators and discuss how
the meeting went. Was the
turnout good? Were the
questions appropriate? Is
there an appetite for action
and change?
Make sure you have a pen
and paper and take brief
notes during the
conversation.
FACILITATORS GUIDE - CHURCH MONEY TALK
1) Get participants’ permission to take notes or record the
conversation. Assure them that nobody will use their stories in
any way without their prior consent.
2) Go around the group asking people to share their name and
why they decided to come to this meeting. Make sure
everybody feels welcome.
3) Begin the questions, making sure everybody has a chance to
speak.
Questions for Discussion
1. What impact is the recession having on:
•
•
•
You, your friends and family?
Young people and children that you know?
Your neighbourhood?
2. What changes do you think would make a positive difference to
these issues in our community?
Some examples of big ideas for change at the moment include:
•
•
•
•
Pressuring companies to pay all their employees a Living
Wage of £8.55 an hour rather than just the minimum wage
Developing new forms of affordable housing
Capping the cost of credit to stop companies like Wonga and
The Money Shop from charging excessive interest rates
Changing the culture of mainstream banks to be more
focussed on the local community
3. The Church is engaged with these issues:
•
•
•
•
in its teaching and preaching
in campaigning and organising for social justice
in the practical care it offers to people in need
in the way it invests its own assets and pension funds
What do you think about the way your Church engages with these
issues?
What one thing would you like to see the Church do differently – or
do more?
more
Tips for Facilitators
•
•
•
•
•
Be sensitive – some of the
issues that come up may be
very personal. Give people
space and time to
contribute to the
conversation in the way that
is most appropriate to them.
Be personal – with the
above in mind, do try to
encourage people to share
their own experiences
rather than general
concerns.
Stick to your time limit Don’t be afraid to cut
people off if they are talking
for a long time!
Evaluate – straight after the
conversation is over, get
together with any other
facilitators and discuss how
the meeting went. Was the
turnout good? Were the
questions appropriate? Is
there an appetite for action
and change?
Make sure you have a pen
and paper and take brief
notes during the
conversation.
FACILITATORS GUIDE - COMMUNITY MONEY TALK
1) Get participants’ permission to take notes or record the
conversation. Assure them that nobody will use their stories in
any way without their prior consent.
2) Go around the group asking people to share their name and
why they decided to come to this meeting. Make sure
everybody feels welcome.
3) Begin the questions, making sure everybody has a chance to
speak.
Questions for Discussion
1. What impact is the recession having on:
•
•
•
You, your friends and family?
Young people and children that you know?
Your neighbourhood?
2. What changes do you think would make a positive difference to
these issues in your community?
Some examples of big ideas for change at the moment include:
•
•
•
•
Pressuring companies to pay all their employees a Living
Wage rather than just the minimum wage
Developing new forms of affordable housing
Capping the cost of credit to stop companies like Wonga and
The Money Shop from charging excessive interest rates
Changing the culture of mainstream banks to be more
focussed on the local community
3. Which community groups are engaged in these issues and have
the power to make a positive change?
How good are the relationships between these groups? How could
they become better?
PRACTICAL ADVICE ON HOLDING A CHURCH MONEY TALK
It might be helpful to use the following as a checklist when organising your Money Talk
Permission - Talk to your Church leader. Introduce them to the idea of Money Talks and tell them why
you’d like to hold one at your Church.
Date and time - Decide when to have your Money Talk. Timing will be crucial to ensuring that you get a
good turnout and therefore have a successful conversation. Consider whether it could be incorporated
into a church service, or happen over coffee immediately afterwards, or form part of a church council /
kirk session / deanery synod meeting. Having Money Talks when people are already gathered is a great
way to ensure a good turnout.
Location - Think about where would be best to hold your Money Talk. If you need to book a room, do so
with plenty of time to spare. Make sure that enough seating will be available.
Church Turnout - Try to get an announcement in the Church notices before the Money Talk is due to
happen. Make sure that you and others are inviting people personally in the time leading up to the
event. Nothing works as well as a personal invitation, so try to get those who you know will be keen to
pledge to bring someone else with them. You might also want to think about creating a simple flyer or
poster to alert people to the event.
Refreshment - Make sure there are some refreshments available on the day e.g. tea, coffee, milk, sugar,
spoons, mugs/cups, juice and biscuits. Talk to whoever normally arranges refreshment at your church if
you need help to organise this.
Facilitators - Make sure you have someone in each group who can facilitate the conversation. Give them
the facilitators guide in advance.
PRACTICAL ADVICE ON HOLDING A COMMUNITY MONEY TALK
It might be helpful to use the following as a checklist when organising your Money Talk
Date and time - Decide when to have your Money Talk. Timing will be crucial to ensuring that you get a
good turnout and therefore have a successful conversation. Consider whether it could be incorporated
into another community event, or happen over coffee immediately afterwards. Having Money Talks
when people are already gathered is a great way to ensure a good turnout.
Location - Think about where would be best to hold your Money Talk. If you need to book a room, do so
with plenty of time to spare. Make sure that enough seating will be available.
Turnout – Think carefully about the institutions or individuals who would be able to bring a good
number of people with them to the Money Talk. If possible, try to involve other groups in the organising
of the event to get their full buy-in. Try to get announcements
at group meetings before the Money Talk is due to happen.
Make sure that you and others are inviting people personally
in the time leading up to the event. Nothing works as well as
a personal invitation, so try to get those who you know will
be keen to pledge to bring someone else with them. You
might also want to think about creating a simple flyer or
poster to alert people to the event.
Refreshment - Make sure there are some refreshments
available on the day e.g tea, coffee, milk, sugar, spoons,
mugs/cups, juice and biscuits.
Facilitators - Make sure you have someone in each group
who can facilitate the conversation. Give them the facilitators
guide in advance.
NEXT STEPS
Straight after the Money Talk you should gather together the organisers for a quick evaluation. This should
include:
• How do people feel?
• How good was the turnout? Why?
• What can we learn for future events? What went well? What could have gone better?
As a group, decide a date soon that you can all meet. Before that meeting ask someone to collate all the
feedback into a short report. At the meeting discuss this report and plan some next steps to begin to take
action on the issues that are most pressing in your local community. Also please send the report to
[email protected] and we can support you with ideas, advice and contacts for possible action.